btrettel

82 ms·

751.
by btrettel 8y ago
> I think it should be a case closed Darwin award if I hit them and kill them if I have the right of way I'll be sure to stay away from you. > I used to know a paramedic who would make sure that the ride to the hospital for such
752.
by btrettel 8y ago
I can compare drivers running red lights to cyclists running red lights based on my experience. I don't believe there's any hard data on this. From what I can tell, drivers tend to run red lights either because the light just chan
753.
by btrettel 8y ago
I agree with your basic point; see firethief's comment. My larger point is this: If we want to minimize fatalities then we should focus on what causes the most fatalities. Speeding is a contributor to far more fatalities than cyclists
754.
by btrettel 8y ago
To reiterate a point I've made several times here: I'm not advocating for running red lights. Quite the contrary. I think all cyclists should stop at stop signs and wait for red lights. My broader point is that cyclists running re
755.
by btrettel 8y ago
The low opinion is not of humanity, rather, certain drivers who are particularly dangerous. I didn't have all drivers who'd be in a collision with a cyclist in mind, just a large fraction of those who deliberately pass cyclists cl
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by btrettel 8y ago
> It's illegal to ride on sidewalks here but it really is the best thing some of these people can/should do (at cruising speeds, anyway) Riding bikes on the sidewalk is known to be more dangerous than riding on the road: http:
757.
by btrettel 8y ago
Fair points. I'm thinking about the net effects rather than per act.
758.
by btrettel 8y ago
Too late to edit now, but on second thought many drivers who pass me dangerously might not believe that I deserve to be passed dangerously. I've heard many times from these drivers that they "had no choice but to pass me dangero
759.
by btrettel 8y ago
> They show no remorse mostly because you didn't end up hurt . I disagree with the emphasized part of your statement. Drivers seem worried about the emotional consequences of killing someone. But apparently the emotional consequen
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by btrettel 8y ago
Not true. In the US, running a red light contributes to 700-800 traffic fatalities per year [1]. In contrast, speeding contributes to about 10,000 fatalities per year [2]. [1] https://www.autoaccident.com/statistics-on-inter
761.
by btrettel 8y ago
I mentioned Chris Bucchere in several other posts. You and the poster above you also miss the point: Drivers cause much more harm than cyclists in total, yet drivers speeding is deemed much more acceptable than cyclists running red lights.
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by btrettel 8y ago
http://bicyclesafe.com/#wrongway Wrong way cycling is much much more dangerous than right way from what I understand.
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by btrettel 8y ago
> This makes me think that the "difference" you cite is less a matter of which laws the cyclist chooses to break, and rather more due to the vehicle with which the cyclist chooses to break them. Were cyclists likewise equipped
764.
by btrettel 8y ago
Nowhere am I arguing that cyclists running red lights is acceptable or excusable. My argument is that drivers speeding is often seen as acceptable, but cyclists running red lights is not, and I'm trying to highlight the asymmetry in th
765.
by btrettel 8y ago
Why? These drivers often show no remorse for their actions, as I stated. I don't doubt I'd be a victim of a hit-and-run if any of those drivers actually did cause a collision. I've seen arguments that people are "differe
766.
by btrettel 8y ago
> Please don't do this. Was this advice intended for me? I don't run red lights or stop signs, and am particularly careful in pedestrian heavy areas. Cyclists have killed pedestrians before, e.g., Chris Bucchere: https:/&
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by btrettel 8y ago
And? If there's an asymmetry in the risk, that means you should account for the asymmetry. Over the years I've noticed some people seem to think that merely categorizing an argument is enough to refute it, but you need to explain
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by btrettel 8y ago
> if a driver killed you because you ran a red light, that could seriously harm their wellbeing While there are people who would be seriously bothered if they inadvertently contributed to a cyclist's death, I think the number of suc
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by btrettel 8y ago
That's an uncharitable reading of my post. By applicable I meant laws that apply where I am, e.g., I am in Texas right now so I don't follow the laws of another state.
770.
by btrettel 8y ago
My point wasn't that bad things can't happen when cyclists run red lights, and nowhere in my post did I justify running red lights. Again, when a cyclist runs a red light the potential harm is mostly on the cyclist. You can find
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by btrettel 8y ago
As computerfriend pointed out, I said mostly. There are many possible ways a cyclist running a red light could go wrong, but I think the majority of them involve harm going primarily if not exclusively to the cyclist.
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by btrettel 8y ago
When I think of "normalization of deviance" I focus more on mundane things like speeding. I'm a cyclist. People often ask me why cyclists break the law so frequently. The studies I've looked at don't suggest cyclist
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by btrettel 8y ago
Tuition for in-state residents is often subsidized and can be considerably lower than tuition for residents of other US states.
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by btrettel 8y ago
I recently wrote the following in response to a different comment here on HN: > "I was just following incentives" is becoming the new Nuremberg defense. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=19709730 I'm cl
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by btrettel 8y ago
I know the guy who made that website. I think it might have been done at the request of Scott, or Scott advertised it on his blog at some point.
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by btrettel 8y ago
> You can’t blame individuals, nor the companies here. The system they operate in requires them to report quarterly; with a priority on short term performance over a longer term outlook (it exists, but not overtly so). When you don’t mee
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by btrettel 8y ago
After my PhD, I intend to work for a while in a "real job" while saving money so I can eventually "retire" and go independent. Or something like that. The costs for me (theoretical fluid dynamics) is pretty minimal as I
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by btrettel 8y ago
I haven't read this page too closely, but the better strategy is similar to an approach I've seen called the "ranking theorem" mentioned here: http://www.prioritysystem.com/math.html > One result is t
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by btrettel 8y ago
> Getting more bikes on the road makes bicycling safer. Drivers in cars are much more careful when they see bikes everywhere than when they only see them once in a blue moon. I'm aware of this, but the infrastructural camp tends to
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by btrettel 8y ago
> As you say, a lot of bike infrastructure is bad, but I'm not sure what that has to do with the discussion. If a city really half-asses its bus program so that it's nearly useless, we don't declare that the fault of publi

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