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Abu Dhabi Traffic Accidents Dropped 40% During the BlackBerry Outage

theatlanticwire.com

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Re: Abu Dhabi Traffic Accidents Dropped 40% During the BlackBerry Outage

#11

Post by brador »

ck2 wrote: post #10

As a person who has never texted (seriously) I've started to notice an alarming number of people holding and looking at their phones while they drive in my town. Makes me afraid to use the bicycle lane anymore. I sure hope police/insurance companies are looking at cellphone records after accidents to fine people appropriately for this kind of behavior.

Aside...but, why do you ride a bike on road? Yes, there are health benifits from the exercise and joy of riding a bike, but the negatives are pollution/lung issues and reasonably high likelihood of injury or death compared to other forms of transport. As the risk of injury/death rises along with driver carelessness, is there a point at which you would reduce or stop your on road bike usage?

Re: Abu Dhabi Traffic Accidents Dropped 40% During the BlackBerry Outage

#12

Post by ck2 »

brador wrote: post #11
ck2 wrote: post #10

As a person who has never texted (seriously) I've started to notice an alarming number of people holding and looking at their phones while they drive in my town. Makes me afraid to use the bicycle lane anymore. I sure hope police/insurance companies are looking at cellphone records after accidents to fine people appropriately for this kind of behavior.

Aside...but, why do you ride a bike on road? Yes, there are health benifits from the exercise and joy of riding a bike, but the negatives are pollution/lung issues and reasonably high likelihood of injury or death compared to other forms of transport. As the risk of injury/death rises along with driver carelessness, is there a point at which you would reduce or stop your on road bike usage?

To get from point A to B? Gas is nearly $4 a gallon.

My town has bike lanes, why shouldn't I be able to use them?

Unfortunately they are not the kind of bike lanes with the "wake up" bump strip between the car and bike.

I also walk on sidewalks instead of a treadmill in a gym. Seems more practical and purposeful to me.

If using a cellphone while driving is proven to be almost as bad as being drunk - why isn't it as illegal nationwide?

Re: Abu Dhabi Traffic Accidents Dropped 40% During the BlackBerry Outage

#13

Post by todsul »

culebron wrote: post #2

As Paul Graham noticed earlier, computers became something like TV on the working desktop, smartphones are even a more danger. I hope in my lifetime I'll see something new to displace smartphones/tablets and make them look old like TV now, and be less dangerous and less addictive.

Isn't this a product of long commutes and sedentary living? There are only three times when I feel compelled to use my smartphone:

  * When in a train/bus/car
  * When I need directions
  * When I feel like a game of chess
Further to this, my smartphone is also useful for:

  * It's alarm clock
  * Looking up facts over discussions away from home/office
I noticed my need for a smartphone dropped dramatically when I stopped commuting. I don't have push email (on purpose) and so I don't check email every time it beeps. After a month of this, I lost the automatic urge to check email.

I would do without a smartphone except for the maps function. I could buy a dedicated GPS, but the additional features, having web access anywhere, chess (trivial), alarm, push the smartphone ahead.

Get rid of your car, don't live in a sprawling city, walk places: problem solved.

Re: Abu Dhabi Traffic Accidents Dropped 40% During the BlackBerry Outage

#14

Post by [deleted] »

ck2 wrote: post #12
brador wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Aside...but, why do you ride a bike on road? Yes, there are health benifits from the exercise and joy of riding a bike, but the negatives are pollution/lung issues and reasonably high likelihood of injury or death compared to other forms of transport. As the risk of injury/death rises along with driver carelessness, is there a point at which you would reduce or stop your on road bike usage?

To get from point A to B? Gas is nearly $4 a gallon. My town has bike lanes, why shouldn't I be able to use them? Unfortunately they are not the kind of bike lanes with the "wake up" bump strip between the car and bike. I also walk on sidewalks instead of a treadmill in a gym. Seems more practical and purposeful to me. If using a cellphone while driving is proven to be almost as bad as being drunk - why isn't it as i…

[deleted]

Re: Abu Dhabi Traffic Accidents Dropped 40% During the BlackBerry Outage

#16

Post by brador »

ck2 wrote: post #12
brador wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Aside...but, why do you ride a bike on road? Yes, there are health benifits from the exercise and joy of riding a bike, but the negatives are pollution/lung issues and reasonably high likelihood of injury or death compared to other forms of transport. As the risk of injury/death rises along with driver carelessness, is there a point at which you would reduce or stop your on road bike usage?

To get from point A to B? Gas is nearly $4 a gallon. My town has bike lanes, why shouldn't I be able to use them? Unfortunately they are not the kind of bike lanes with the "wake up" bump strip between the car and bike. I also walk on sidewalks instead of a treadmill in a gym. Seems more practical and purposeful to me. If using a cellphone while driving is proven to be almost as bad as being drunk - why isn't it as i…

So technically, you value your life at $4 per (distance a gallon gets you) less cost of bike mainenance over that distance?

Re: Abu Dhabi Traffic Accidents Dropped 40% During the BlackBerry Outage

#17

Post by dangrossman »

brador wrote: post #16
ck2 wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To get from point A to B? Gas is nearly $4 a gallon. My town has bike lanes, why shouldn't I be able to use them? Unfortunately they are not the kind of bike lanes with the "wake up" bump strip between the car and bike. I also walk on sidewalks instead of a treadmill in a gym. Seems more practical and purposeful to me. If using a cellphone while driving is proven to be almost as bad as being drunk - why isn't it as i…

So technically, you value your life at $4 per (distance a gallon gets you) less cost of bike mainenance over that distance?

That would be the value of his life if the expected chance of death while biking were 100%.

Re: Abu Dhabi Traffic Accidents Dropped 40% During the BlackBerry Outage

#18

Post by brador »

dangrossman wrote: post #17
brador wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So technically, you value your life at $4 per (distance a gallon gets you) less cost of bike mainenance over that distance?

That would be the value of his life if the expected chance of death while biking were 100%.

Over a lifetime, I'd say it gets pretty close.

Re: Abu Dhabi Traffic Accidents Dropped 40% During the BlackBerry Outage

#19

Post by mootothemax »

brador wrote: post #11
ck2 wrote: post #10

As a person who has never texted (seriously) I've started to notice an alarming number of people holding and looking at their phones while they drive in my town. Makes me afraid to use the bicycle lane anymore. I sure hope police/insurance companies are looking at cellphone records after accidents to fine people appropriately for this kind of behavior.

Aside...but, why do you ride a bike on road? Yes, there are health benifits from the exercise and joy of riding a bike, but the negatives are pollution/lung issues and reasonably high likelihood of injury or death compared to other forms of transport. As the risk of injury/death rises along with driver carelessness, is there a point at which you would reduce or stop your on road bike usage?

Yes, there are health benifits from the exercise and joy of riding a bike, but the negatives are pollution/lung issues and reasonably high likelihood of injury or death compared to other forms of transport.

Do you have anything to back that statement up with? Sounds like FUD to me.

Re: Abu Dhabi Traffic Accidents Dropped 40% During the BlackBerry Outage

#20

Post by CJefferson »

brador wrote: post #18
dangrossman wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That would be the value of his life if the expected chance of death while biking were 100%.

Over a lifetime, I'd say it gets pretty close.

You think that most people who bike all their lives, end up getting killed that way?

When I was a student there were over 100 cycles in common use, and in the 4 years I was there there was only one broken leg from a cycle accident.

While that is a tiny sample, that certainly looks like a lot lower than you predict.

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