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Re: Driving Pet Peeves
In article <3sevnd$gjp@fido.asd.sgi.com> renglish@ratliff.engr.sgi.com (Bob English) writes:
>Bruce Augenstein (rba@augenstein.ultranet.com) wrote:
>: Any reasonable individual who drives knows what is safe and what isn't.
>Actually, that isn't true. Personal experience is not an effective
>teacher when it comes to safety.
stuff cut..........
>The vast majority of drivers consider themselves to be "above average"
>(myself included :-)). Yet most drivers have at least one collision
>during their life. Because the obstacles they most frequently encounter
>are other cars (with drivers similarly armored), the consequences are
>muted. Road users who aren't armored (like me) find protestations of
>safety from roadway users who regularly collide with other users of the
>roadway less than reassuring, because the safety records of drivers
>suggest that they will collide with us at least once in _our_ lifetime.
Let's assume two, or even three, accidents in a lifetime. I would not equate
this with being above average or below average as a driver. Furthermore, it
probably *is* "safe" from an armored perspective, and of course obviously not
if you're on a bicycle. Remember, my position is mainly as reporter here, and
people behave in a car in ways that make them feel safe, but those habits make
for unsafe roadways with bicyclists around. The solution is bike lanes, and
there ain't no other - know-what-ah-mean, Vern? :-)
.
>When I ride to work (typically 7-20 miles), I typically have to take
>evasive action two or three times to avoid being struck by a car backing
>out of a driveway, running a stop sign, making an unsafe left turn, etc.
>This has become so normal for me that I don't even get upset about it.
>It is so common that I would be hard-pressed to tell you how many times
>it happens during any single ride.
I've stopped riding a motorcycle for this very reason, but I understand it's
human nature, so there's no sense bitchin'.
Bruce
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