Living Dangerously
Discussion
Apologies if this has been covered before...
I was watching a program on Discovery last night, called 'Living Dangerously' (or something similar) that dealt with the idea that humans are 'programmed' to take a certain amount of risk.
Lots of interesting stuff in the program, but one piece stood out for me:
A chap did a study of car accidents at unmanned level crossings in Canada, the kind where you have no warning lights or barriers, but then again there's only one or two trains per week.
The study found that 75% of drivers approached the crossings at a high enough speed that they couldn't possibly stop if a train was coming.
As an experiment, they cleared obstrucitons such as trees etc to give drivers a better view of oncoming trains, but then found that everybody approached the crossing at a higher speed.
The net result was no change - 75% of drivers were still unable to stop had there been a train coming!
So, my conclusion would be that instead of nannying everybody and trying to make the world risk-free, roads should be made so inherently dangerous that everybody has to take full responsibility for avoiding 'incidents'!
I was watching a program on Discovery last night, called 'Living Dangerously' (or something similar) that dealt with the idea that humans are 'programmed' to take a certain amount of risk.
Lots of interesting stuff in the program, but one piece stood out for me:
A chap did a study of car accidents at unmanned level crossings in Canada, the kind where you have no warning lights or barriers, but then again there's only one or two trains per week.
The study found that 75% of drivers approached the crossings at a high enough speed that they couldn't possibly stop if a train was coming.
As an experiment, they cleared obstrucitons such as trees etc to give drivers a better view of oncoming trains, but then found that everybody approached the crossing at a higher speed.
The net result was no change - 75% of drivers were still unable to stop had there been a train coming!
So, my conclusion would be that instead of nannying everybody and trying to make the world risk-free, roads should be made so inherently dangerous that everybody has to take full responsibility for avoiding 'incidents'!
If you want to make something safer make it more dangerous!
Mandate that all cars should have minimum 300HP, no safety equipment or driver aids and a body made of garden canes and stretched polythene and the roads would end up a lot safer
(After the initial 'settling in' period when the brain dead remove themselves from the gene pool)
Imagine roads with only TVR's - one day - after the revolution!
Cheers
Graham
Mandate that all cars should have minimum 300HP, no safety equipment or driver aids and a body made of garden canes and stretched polythene and the roads would end up a lot safer
(After the initial 'settling in' period when the brain dead remove themselves from the gene pool) Imagine roads with only TVR's - one day - after the revolution!
Cheers
Graham
So, my conclusion would be that instead of nannying everybody and trying to make the world risk-free, roads should be made so inherently dangerous that everybody has to take full responsibility for avoiding 'incidents'!
Didnt they try this is Scotland or somewhere. They took away all the road markings from a stretch of road and junction to make people think more. not sure if it worked.
there have been experiments where road markings and signs have been removed to prove this theory, it did work but no one has the balls to introduce it. It makes perfect sense to me that if you are travelling in an insulated environment you are not too bothered by whats outside. If I find myself hooning it a bit in the Griff I just picture the pathetic protection I have in a side impact and that calms me down sufficiently
mel said: Ok as a quick gauge to Phers percieved acceptability of "danger" what other dangerous sports have the average sports car driver been involved in ????
I'll kick the ball off with:
Sky Diving
Cave Diving
Superbike Racing
Ocean Yacht Racing
Can only speak for Yacht racing and I certainly do not classify it as a 'dangerous sport'. Lack of anticipation, preparation and complacency are the only dangers - same as the rest of life really!
Cheers
Graham
)
gbgaffer said: Can only speak for Yacht racing and I certainly do not classify it as a 'dangerous sport'.
Graham
Are you kidding, wear the wrong sort of deck shoes and you could easily spill your gin and tonic. All it would need would be for one of the hired crew to slip on the lemon slice and you could be late for dinner that evening. You cave divers don't know you're born.
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