On Thu, 8 Apr 2021 05:24:15 -0700 (PDT), Sir Ridesalot
wrote:

Most of those warnings and many others are placed on objects or in instruc=
tions in order to avoid litigation if the person using them manages to inju=
re themselves. That's because so many people have managed to win ridiculous=
lawsuits because of some slight injury that resulted from a stupid use of =
the item. If people weren't so quick to launch a lawsuit, or were willing t=
o accept that the injury was THEIR fault, there wouldn't be such a need fo=
r those ridiculous warnings.

And this leads to safety deflation. I regularly wrap the power cord
around appliances with instructions that clearly state that the power
cords should not be wrapped around them. I know that they mean "do
not wrap cord around hot appliance", but they dare not say that
because some suester would say "the appliance had been unplugged for
five whole seconds!".

Sooner or later I'll disregard a warning that means what it says. Most
precautions are obvious to anyone who can be trusted to tie his shoes
without supervision, but once in a while a warning reveals concealed
information.

Other safety inflation: our local politicians are sure that if a
yield sign is required, a stop sign is even safer. As a result yield
signs are found only in roundabouts, where the politicians had enough
sense to let road designers choose the signs. So every stop sign is
presumed to be a yield sign if the driver can't see evidence to the
contrary, and we are left on our own to evaluate each intersection
with no help from the signs.

Thank goodness most of my car driving is on city streets.

--
Joy Beeson
joy beeson at centurylink dot net
http://wlweather.net/PAGEJOY/