On Sun, 13 Aug 2017 14:03:33 +0700, John B.
wrote:
On Sat, 12 Aug 2017 09:34:34 -0700, Jeff Liebermann
wrote:
On Fri, 11 Aug 2017 15:05:55 -0700, sms
wrote:
https://bikesiliconvalley.org/wp-content/uploads/170808-5B-Alta-Level-of-Traffic-Stress-Knowles.pdf
This was one of the presentations at the Silicon Valley Bicycle
Coalition Bike Summit.
Slide 6 is especially telling. No surprise that the U.S. has the lowest
number of bicycle travel in terms of distance, and the highest death rate.
How many of the US deaths were due to getting hit by a drunk driver?
Of the bicycle fatalities which I'm somewhat familiar, two were from
drunk drivers and one was from a heart attack.
https://www.google.com/search?q=cyclist+killed+by+drunk+driver
"Investigators, however, have never provided a reasonable
explanation how (the cyclist), struck from behind, shares
responsibility for his own death..."
I'm also wondering if the statistics from other countries include or
exclude drunk drivers and heart attacks. Statistics without sources
are worthless.
Want to make the roads really safe for cyclists? Just execute drunk
drivers on the spot. Bicycle fatality statistics should drop rapidly.
However, I'm not sure it will affect the overall picture as some
cycling accident investigations seem to follow a "blame the victim"
mentality:
http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sdut-bicyclists-drivers-crashes-statistics-2014nov22-story.html
There are statistics that show the percent of drivers, both bicycle
and auto, who have imbibed.
http://www.iihs.org/iihs/topics/t/pe...facts/bicycles
Among bicyclists ages 16 and older who were killed in 2015, 23 percent
had blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) at or above 0.08 percent.
https://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2...d-bike-deaths/
Some 21 percent of autopsies for New York City bicyclists who died
within three hours of their accidents detected alcohol in the body,
according to a Department of Health and Mental Hygiene study that
examined fatal bicycling accidents in New York City from 1996 to 2005.
http://www.latimes.com/business/auto...027-story.html
( referring to fatalities ) 28% of riders age 16 and older had blood
alcohol concentrations of .08% or higher, the level at which someone
is considered impaired.
I googled on "bicycle fatalities+cyclist who have high BAC" and there
were 1,050,000 hits.
Thanks for digging out the numbers.
So, if about 25% of bicycle fatalities were due to drunk cycling, and
all the various suggestions for improving infrastructure, facilities,
and services were 100% effective at eliminating the remaining
non-alcohol related bicycle fatalities, we would still be dealing with
a sizeable number of cycling fatalities. Wonderful.
Of course, the experts know the cause of all this drunk bicycle
riding. It's the increase in bicycle commuting:
"More bicyclists, many helmetless and drunk, dying"
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-bicycle-deaths-trends-idUSKCN0IU23Y20141110
"The reason is there’s simply more biking,"
"We know what’s going on out there," he said. "There’s a
lot more commuting by adults."
So, there you have it. Selling bicycles to drunk drivers is
increasing fatalities, while about 25% of bicycle commuters ride
drunk. Brilliant observations and logic.
I have a different theory. My palatial office is located next to a
bridge which is heavily used by the homeless to travel between the
local homeless shelter and the panhandling areas. Almost all of them
ride shiny new bicycles, all most likely stolen. I've come very close
to hitting bicyclists when leaving my office at night because they
tend to wear dark clothes, have no bicycle lighting, ride on parts of
the street where I would not expect them, and tend to ride rather
erratically. None wear helmets. I've had a few confrontations and
found about 25% to be drunk, drugged, and/or mentally defective. What
chance would you think these homeless bicycle riders have in traffic?
If the bicycle accident statistics included data by economic status,
the picture might be clearer.
Maybe a bicycle lock with a built in breath analyzer?
Bicycle dealers should run a background check on prospective buyers
for prior cycling under the influence convictions?
--
Jeff Liebermann
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060
http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558