Nuxx:AYnnl.1641$us3.308@newsfe01.ams2

Path: number1.nntp.dca.giganews.com!border2.nntp.dca.giganews.com!nntp.giganews.com!postnews.google.com!news3.google.com!feeder.news-service.com!69.16.177.246.MISMATCH!cyclone03.ams2.highwinds-media.com!news.highwinds-media.com!npeersf02.ams.highwinds-media.com!newsfe01.ams2.POSTED!7564ea0f!not-for-mail Message-ID:  From: _  Newsgroups: uk.rec.cycling Subject: Re: On my head be it if I don't wear a helmet Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2009 01:47:12 +0000 References: <360885f4-c437-4f85-883c-b56ea59ccb89@h16g2000yqj.googlegroups.com> <58d7d375-0a38-4222-9772-c5c3f3df9249@b16g2000yqb.googlegroups.com>       Lines: 69 User-Agent: Thunderbird 2.0.0.19 (Windows/20081209) MIME-Version: 1.0 In-Reply-To:  Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit NNTP-Posting-Host: 82.23.23.138 X-Complaints-To: http://netreport.virginmedia.com X-Trace: newsfe01.ams2 1235094432 82.23.23.138 (Fri, 20 Feb 2009 01:47:12 UTC) NNTP-Posting-Date: Fri, 20 Feb 2009 01:47:12 UTC Organization: virginmedia.com Bytes: 4782 Xref: perfectly-safe.chapmancentral.co.uk uk.rec.cycling:686473

Phil W Lee wrote: > JNugent  considered Fri, 20 Feb 2009 > 00:28:54 +0000 the perfect time to write: > >> Phil W Lee wrote: >>> JNugent  considered Thu, 19 Feb 2009 >>> 23:09:51 +0000 the perfect time to write: >>> >>>> Chris Malcolm wrote: >>>>> David Hansen  wrote: >>>>>> On Mon, 16 Feb 2009 23:49:09 -0800 (PST) someone who may be Doug >>>>>>  wrote this:- >>>>>>> If helmets are so great why doesn't everyone wear one, except possibly >>>>>>> in bed? Motorists in particular, with their risk of going through the >>>>>>> windscreen head first or being crushed by surrounding steel, do seem >>>>>>> to be especially vulnerable. >>>>>> Motorists suffer more from head injuries than cyclists, in both >>>>>> absolute and relative terms. If the medical mob were remotely >>>>>> interested in safety they would be trying to foist on helmets on >>>>>> motorists first, then pedestrians, then cyclists. >>>>> It was recognised that after seat belts had been standardised, that >>>>> the next most important safety feature in terms of protection from >>>>> injury in car crashes would be car occupants wearing crash >>>>> helmets. But they thought they'd never get people in cars to wear >>>>> crash helmets, so they went for air bags instead, which aren't quite >>>>> as good. >>>> But air bags are not mandatory (in the UK), are they? >>>> Only my last two cars were fitted with them. >>>> IIRC, the air-bag was the idea of the American car industry, as an >>>> alternative (not an addition) to compulsory seat-belts. >>> But it's had a similar effect - that of reducing the fear of an >>> incident. >> Has it? >> >> I can't say I ever think about the air-bags in our cars. Until reminded about >> them by this thread, I'd forgotten all about them. And I've never seen any >> incident (or the aftermath of an incident) where the air-bag(s) has/have >> "gone off". Of course, you might claim that his only applies to me, or only >> to a few, but I don't think that that is at all likely. >> >> And what makes you think that drivers don't "fear" (ie, wish to avoid) >> "incidents"? >> >> Someone a few posts back actually claimed that many/some reasonably >> significant sub-set of drivers are indifferent as to whether their vehicle >> collides with a cyclist. That too was nonsensical hyperbole, not least >> because it is *obvious* that it can't possibly be true. >> >>> Only when all drivers are truly terrified of their vehicle coming into >>> contact with anything else will the balance be reasonable. >>> A 9" spike on the steering wheel boss and a ban on driver seatbelts >>> would be just about right. >>> Passenger seatbelts are probably a good thing though, since they >>> barely affect driving behaviour. >> >> >> You just aren't in favour of motorised transport, are you? > > Yes, but I have the wish for any perpetrator of motorised violence to > be the first victim of it. > Then it would stop. > Dead Stop. > > You, on the other hand, obviously approve of the huge death toll > annually inflicted by society's love affair with the infernal > combustion engine.

I approve of absolutely any method that ends up with you squished - no car favouritism here!