Hi Peter, Sorry for the delay in response but the weather is so great
I have been out riding. I am sorry if I upset you so much, I suspect
you must be quite young to be so naive. You don't seem to get the
point that when a helmet works the accident is not major and is not
reported. For your information in our country Health care is so
expensive that most people seldom go to ER. In fact belive it or not
the fellow that broke his leg in two places not only did not go to the
ER but finished the ride another 40 miles on the broken leg (he had no
insurance). It was only days later when he could not walk that a friend
and xray tech snuck him into a clinic after hours and xrayed the leg.
The man who landed on his head was taken in an ambulance, I seriously
doubt if anyone at the hospital took any data. I am 62 years old and
have a wife and 34 year old son, together we have been to the ER 7
times and 2 of those were for the pregnancy and two for appendix.
Where I live if you call an ambulance you get a bill for $462.00 and we
are less than 2 miles from the hospital. In my opinion as a retired
engineer the medical industry has the poorest form of statistical data
of anyone. For example my Mom got a mitral valve replacement aprox. 20
years ago, she was one of the first to get a valve made from the muscle
of a pig. Her doctor took me aside and said, he was sorry they had to
use that valve because they could not get the mechanical model to fit.
He said no way she would live 7 years. She went back to the Dr 18
months later it was fine, 5 years later the Dr wanted her to come back
in for more tests, she refused because it was to far and she had no
transportation, the Dr sent an ambulance to the house and did the
tests. Sounds great huh, but 17 years after the valve replacement she
died, from other causes, I called the Dr and asked if he wanted the
heart to examine, he said no he had written his paper and was no longer
interested. I talk to cancer patients often they say that the Dr's
are only interested in what happens for 5 years after that they don't
seem to care. As for your comments about pedestrian injuries/ deaths
in the UK, I believe you, I have been to London several times you drive
on the wrong side of the road and even have written on the curbs LOOK
RIGHT trying to warn the rest of the world that the crazy Brits are
coming from the wrong side.haha That ought to keep you going for a
week. I am going out and enjoy another perfect day.
Happy Trails Butch