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Saw a video of a main thoroughfare in Lansing, MI filmed in the early sixties. It was a test for a camera shop I think. It was neat watching pristine versions

by rmason 4y ago

Saw a video of a main thoroughfare in Lansing, MI filmed in the early sixties. It was a test for a camera shop I think. It was neat watching pristine versions of cars I remember from my youth. Then they captured a crash between two vehicles at about 35 mph. Today both parties would get out and exchange insurance companies. However this was not the case. Two ambulances hauled away the drivers and the narrator of the film said one did not make it. Indeed we have come a long way in car safety in the past sixty years.

consumer451 4y ago
> Indeed we have come a long way in car safety in the past sixty years. I am genuinely curious where we would be now in regard to automotive safety without government regulation.
- notsapiensatall 4y ago
  Probably about where we are with pedestrian/cyclist safety. In NA, lack of safety regulations is resulting in massively increased ride and hood heights, which is going to kill a lot of people over the coming years.
- dotancohen 4y ago
  Pretty much where we are in terms of climate change. Knowing that we need to do something, everybody fearing being the first to move.
  - saiya-jin 4y ago
    Not sure why the downvotes, just look at discussions here on HN about cyclists/escotters drivers wearing helmets. Cant find the link on phone now but it was pretty eye opening. People fighting tooth and nails that without helmets they ride safer (what?), they have more situational awareness (more what? we talk about cyclists helmets) and various other arguments that make 0 sense to me, just emotional swings of people rejecting being told what to do by default. My 2 cents - I didnt wear helmet on bike during youth since nobody did. But when I bought my new xc bike in 2008 I bought a helmet with it. Within a month I had accident due to screwup of my GF back then, where I hit the ground face down hard, losing few seconds of my memory. There was spiky stone in the ground where my forehead hit full force. I would be dead for a long time now if I didnt wear that helmet. No accident before or after, but you only need that 1 moment, same with safety belts.
    - bobthepanda 4y ago
      Usually the argument I have heard against them is the second order effects. In any individual incident, a helmet would make things better. However, a helmet is a very bulky thing, most bikes lack a secure storage, and people just don’t want to carry around a big helmet when they go shopping, or to a restaurant, or any other activities. So if you mandate it, biking rates will go down, and cyclists become so uncommon on roads that drivers stop being familiar with how to drive around them, stop looking out for cyclists that are almost never there, etc. There’a also some evidence that drivers will adjust their behavior based on perceived cyclist protection and skill level; the behavior around a person in a hat and sundress is different than someone in full Lycra with helmet. But jurisdictions with helmet mandate show no clear reduction in injury rates: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1410838/?tool=pubmed https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1410838/?tool=p...

by rmason 4y ago

consumer451 4y ago

> Indeed we have come a long way in car safety in the past sixty years. I am genuinely curious where we would be now in regard to automotive safety without government regulation.

notsapiensatall 4y ago
Probably about where we are with pedestrian/cyclist safety. In NA, lack of safety regulations is resulting in massively increased ride and hood heights, which is going to kill a lot of people over the coming years.
dotancohen 4y ago
Pretty much where we are in terms of climate change. Knowing that we need to do something, everybody fearing being the first to move.
- saiya-jin 4y ago
  Not sure why the downvotes, just look at discussions here on HN about cyclists/escotters drivers wearing helmets. Cant find the link on phone now but it was pretty eye opening. People fighting tooth and nails that without helmets they ride safer (what?), they have more situational awareness (more what? we talk about cyclists helmets) and various other arguments that make 0 sense to me, just emotional swings of people rejecting being told what to do by default. My 2 cents - I didnt wear helmet on bike during youth since nobody did. But when I bought my new xc bike in 2008 I bought a helmet with it. Within a month I had accident due to screwup of my GF back then, where I hit the ground face down hard, losing few seconds of my memory. There was spiky stone in the ground where my forehead hit full force. I would be dead for a long time now if I didnt wear that helmet. No accident before or after, but you only need that 1 moment, same with safety belts.
  - bobthepanda 4y ago
    Usually the argument I have heard against them is the second order effects. In any individual incident, a helmet would make things better. However, a helmet is a very bulky thing, most bikes lack a secure storage, and people just don’t want to carry around a big helmet when they go shopping, or to a restaurant, or any other activities. So if you mandate it, biking rates will go down, and cyclists become so uncommon on roads that drivers stop being familiar with how to drive around them, stop looking out for cyclists that are almost never there, etc. There’a also some evidence that drivers will adjust their behavior based on perceived cyclist protection and skill level; the behavior around a person in a hat and sundress is different than someone in full Lycra with helmet. But jurisdictions with helmet mandate show no clear reduction in injury rates: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1410838/?tool=pubmed https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1410838/?tool=p...