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#11
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Great Cycling Advocate Killed by repeat Drunk Driver
Well, not to beat this to death Steven, but, I didn't say I worried. I said
I feared. I said my worst fears in driving. And, more deaths are caused on the roads in the US by drugs and alcohol use then any other: The number of people killed in alcohol-related crashes has risen slightly since 1999 ending years of steady decline. Last year, 17,448 were killed, accounting for 41 percent of all U.S. traffic deaths. http://www.ghsa.org/html/media/mediacoverage/121802.htm So, if you are going to die in a traffic related incident, you have a 41 percent chance it will be by a drunk. This statistic doesn't include drug related, which puts it over 50 percent by those impaired by drugs or alcohol So, if I were to worry, I guess it would have been by something that was the most common cause of death. Now, as far as bicycling goes, I don't worry at all. It's too damn fun to be worrying. "Steven M. O'Neill" wrote in message ... iLiad wrote: "Steven M. O'Neill" wrote in message ... iLiad wrote: A drunk driver is one of my worst fears in driving (much less cycling), as there really isn't anything you can do about it. My granparents were killed by a drunk driver. No matter how alert, and safe you are, if someone swerves across the road at you, there isn't much time to react. So if a sober person were to kill you, you'd die happy? And you drew this conclusion how? I didn't, really. Just trying to point out that it's silly to worry most about something that isn't the most common cause. -- Steven O'Neill www.bridgetolls.org |
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#12
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Great Cycling Advocate Killed by repeat Drunk Driver
It is an international statistic that your safest bet in cycling is to cycle
on minor roads. I do. You are 6 times less like to be killed on a minor road, as on a major one. |
#13
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Great Cycling Advocate Killed by repeat Drunk Driver
"Gearóid Ó Laoi/Garry Lee" wrote in message
... It is an international statistic that your safest bet in cycling is to cycle on minor roads. I do. You are 6 times less like to be killed on a minor road, as on a major one. Please don't quote statistics without a link to the source of said statistics. Otherwise it is just hearsay. If you can provide the source, it would be appreciated and provide credibility to your position. I would be more likely to believe this statistic if it were applied to automobiles. But I have doubts about it being true for cyclists as many cyclists avoid major roads anyway. It seems the data would be seriously skewed. But please, provide a link if you have one. Thanks, Buck |
#14
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Great Cycling Advocate Killed by repeat Drunk Driver
iLiad wrote:
The number of people killed in alcohol-related crashes has risen slightly since 1999 ending years of steady decline. Last year, 17,448 were killed, accounting for 41 percent of all U.S. traffic deaths. http://www.ghsa.org/html/media/mediacoverage/121802.htm It's nice to see that alcohol-involved (maybe a passenger had alcohol in his system) has been replaced by alcohol-related (a vehicle operator or pedestrian had alcohol in his system) but it would be nice to know how many were drunk, how many were impaired, and how many just had a dose of cough syrup last night. It would also be nice to know if the alcohol-related person had anything to do with causing the death. Mitch. |
#16
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Great Cycling Advocate Killed by repeat Drunk Driver
In article ,
Buck s c h w i n n _ f o r _ s a l e @ h o t m a i l . c o m wrote: "Gearóid Ó Laoi/Garry Lee" wrote in message ... It is an international statistic that your safest bet in cycling is to cycle on minor roads. I do. You are 6 times less like to be killed on a minor road, as on a major one. Please don't quote statistics without a link to the source of said statistics. Hear, hear. For what it's worth, the one study I remember off the top of my head having a comparison between "major" and "minor" roads is this summary of a survey of LAW members-- http://www.bicyclinglife.com/Library/Moritz2.htm which finds the major roads slightly safer. (See "major w/o bike facilities", "minor w/o bike facilities", in table 5.) --Bruce Fields |
#17
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Great Cycling Advocate Killed by repeat Drunk Driver
David Kerber wrote:
In article , says... iLiad wrote: http://www.ghsa.org/html/media/mediacoverage/121802.htm From what I've read, in accident statistics, "Alcohol-related" means that the alcohol contributed in some significant way to causing the accident. A drunk pedestrian on the sidewalk who is killed by a reckless driver who loses control on the road and runs up on the sidewalk and kills said drunk pedestrian is not considered an "alcohol- related" accident. In the link above, this definition was given: NHTSA defines an alcohol-related fatality as any that occurred in an accident where a driver, pedestrian or cyclist had alcohol detected in their blood. In most states, it is legal to drive with less than 0.08 percent blood alcohol content. After seeing that definition of the alcohol relationship with the 17,000 deaths, we see this quote on the same page: "We have very little evidence that a significant number of people are dying from cell phones, yet we know that more than 17,000 people died from drunken driving," Mitch. |
#18
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Great Cycling Advocate Killed by repeat Drunk Driver
Mitch Haley wrote:
David Kerber wrote: In article , says... iLiad wrote: http://www.ghsa.org/html/media/mediacoverage/121802.htm From what I've read, in accident statistics, "Alcohol-related" means that the alcohol contributed in some significant way to causing the accident. A drunk pedestrian on the sidewalk who is killed by a reckless driver who loses control on the road and runs up on the sidewalk and kills said drunk pedestrian is not considered an "alcohol- related" accident. In the link above, this definition was given: NHTSA defines an alcohol-related fatality as any that occurred in an accident where a driver, pedestrian or cyclist had alcohol detected in their blood. In most states, it is legal to drive with less than 0.08 percent blood alcohol content. After seeing that definition of the alcohol relationship with the 17,000 deaths, we see this quote on the same page: "We have very little evidence that a significant number of people are dying from cell phones, yet we know that more than 17,000 people died from drunken driving," It's not illegal so no one ever follows up with an investigation (cell phone records could be used to prove it - but there's no reason to). Annnnd ...... as it is now; who would admit to it? Nearly every close call I've had in the last few years has involved a driver with their cell phone clamped firmly to their head and NOT paying attention. My daughter, when driving an Access Ride bus said that bus drivers talk about seeing that inattention due to cell phone usage all the time. Seen many cars changing lanes without a blinker? In my experience, odds are very high that the person is on their hand held cell phone - too busy - too mentally occupied - to reach the blinker lever. I have a friend who was hit by a cell phone toting driver and and suffered a serious back injury. This may all sound anecdotal, but I've seen enough to know that cell phones are a unique hazard and their use while driving should be banned. -- ***************************** Chuck Anderson • Boulder, CO http://www.CycleTourist.com Integrity is obvious. The lack of it is common. ***************************** |
#19
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Great Cycling Advocate Killed by repeat Drunk Driver
Mark Hickey wrote in message . ..
Mark Hickey Habanero Cycles http://www.habcycles.com Home of the $695 ti frame That's a good price. I'll take one! Make mine 3"x2.5" ovalized main tube, set up for a 47" wheelbase, 44" X-seam and dual 650C wheels, with mounts for an M5 carbon seat. Gee what a coincidence, those are the same measurements as a Bacchetta Aero frame. What are the odds? g |
#20
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Great Cycling Advocate Killed by repeat Drunk Driver
"Gearóid Ó Laoi/Garry Lee" wrote in message ...
It is an international statistic that your safest bet in cycling is to cycle on minor roads. I do. You are 6 times less like to be killed on a minor road, as on a major one. Even without the footnote, I can see where this statistic may be accurate. When I go out do do my favorite 37 mile exercise loop, it's 90% country roads, but I still have to do a few miles on major suburban roads to get to those country roads. Heavy traffic certainly complicates matters since drivers often can't see any further than the Texas-sized SUV that they're tailgating. Sometimes I worry not so much about the vehicle right behind me, as the 3 or 4 behind him/her. When cars number 1, 2 and 3 get in the left lane to pass me, will car number 4 see his golden opportunity to pass the whole pack on the right? This is usually not an issue on the farm-to-market roads, where my only harrassment comes from (generally harmless) dogs. One problem with country roads, however, involves those country roads that lead to a liquor store, since Lubbock has no package stores within the city limits. IMO it's a stupid law, since it tends to put people into the position where they have to drive longer distaces when they run out of alcohol half-way through the party and they're already half schnockered. But Lubbock was founded (and is still run) by Baptist and Church of Christ types, who (at least officially) disapprove of SINFUL things like alcohol. Nevermind the fact that Jesus drank wine like people drink Pepsi nowadays. Bill Anton 2001 Vision R-40 SWb 26x26 OSS Lubbock, TX, USA |
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