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When you cycle, you are putting a great deal of trust into each and every car that drives by you. I'll pass.
by dhnsmakala 8y ago
When you cycle, you are putting a great deal of trust into each and every car that drives by you.
I'll pass.
- hhmc 8y agoThe same argument applies to driving any vehicle. e.g. When you're driving a car and you cross a junction/intersection - you're trusting the stopped drivers to not run a red.
- dhnsmakala 8y agoNo, not the same level of trust. Fender bender vs crippled.
- adrianN 8y agoYou never use highways either?
- toasterlovin 8y agoC'mon. A car is a steel cage that has been obsessively engineered to protect it's occupants in the case of a collision.
- hhmc 8y agoSure the consequences might be different, but you still have to trust the other road participants just the same.
- nerdnumerouno 8y agoNo, sorry.
- dhnsmakala 8y agoPlease think a little. If I am concerned about my safety and I'm in a car, then I only have to trust drivers not to do egregious things like head on collision at high speeds. If I'm on a bike, I have to trust the teenage driver not to get distracted by a text message and swerve a little bit. In a car at city speeds this would be a minor accident, on a bike it could be life threatening.
- hhmc 8y agoThank you for encouraging me to think, since I was wilfully choosing not to before. > I only have to trust drivers not to do egregious things like head on collision at high speeds. You have wildly underestimated how small of a mistake can end your life in even low-speed traffic. It's fine, a lot of drivers have an unearned sense of resilience, so you're not unique. You're also intentionally ignoring the alternate routes cyclists can take, segregated cycle paths, the EV+ lifespan a cyclist has.
- dhnsmakala 8y agoAgain, please think a little. 'bicyclists face a higher risk of crash related injury and deaths than occupants in motor vehicles' https://www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/bicycle/index.html https://www.cdc.gov/motorvehiclesafety/bicycle/index.html I can't believe you need proof for such a simple statement. The best you can do is 'trust me, low speed accident very dangerous' Sure, some places are more bike friendly than others. But even here in the bay area ciclists are mostly jostling with cars (outside of SF).
- DoreenMichele 8y agoSimilar comparison point: I paid accident claims for more than five years. A one vehicle low speed car accident typically meant whiplash and physical therapy. Similar accident on a motorcycle could result in broken bones that needed repeat surgeries because they weren't healing properly. The difference in outcomes between similar scenarios for car versus motorcycle was pretty dramatic.
- hhmc 8y agoIs it possible for you to reply without being condescending, or are your points not compelling enough on their own? Your "proof" is geographicly local. Please consider there is a world outside the USA. Feel free to look up rates in Amsterdam, Copenhagen, London. Please, think a little.
- dang 8y agoYour comments in this thread have been uncivil. "Please think a little" is a nasty swipe, and the sort of thing we ban accounts for if they do it repeatedly. If you'd please review https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html and stick to the rules when posting to HN, we'd appreciate it.
- Johnny555 8y agoWhen you cycle, you are putting a great deal of trust into each and every car that drives by you. The same is true when you drive -- when you're driving down a 2 lane 45 mph road, you're putting a lot of faith in the oncoming driver to not accidentally swerve into your lane and cause a 90mph collision. The car gives you some extra protection, but you're driving much faster than you bike, which reduces that advantage.