Comments on: A Risk Worth Defending http://ijar.chiggins.com/2008/07/16/a-risk-worth-defending/ Fri, 22 Jan 2010 02:10:14 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=abc hourly 1 By: amsterdamize http://ijar.chiggins.com/2008/07/16/a-risk-worth-defending/comment-page-1/#comment-46 amsterdamize Mon, 21 Jul 2008 17:42:23 +0000 http://ijar.chiggins.com/?p=156#comment-46 appreciate that! And you're more than welcome and happy to show you The Dark Side when in da hood ;-)! appreciate that! And you’re more than welcome and happy to show you The Dark Side when in da hood ;-)!

]]> By: chiggins http://ijar.chiggins.com/2008/07/16/a-risk-worth-defending/comment-page-1/#comment-38 chiggins Thu, 17 Jul 2008 23:14:57 +0000 http://ijar.chiggins.com/?p=156#comment-38 Yeah me too. There's things about SoCal that I love dearly, but honest to god drivin' there gives me a jaw grind. I lived in SF for a while, and every time I was in that part of the East Bay, I enjoyed bein' there. It's in the short list of cities that come up when the West Coast comes up. Yeah me too. There’s things about SoCal that I love dearly, but honest to god drivin’ there gives me a jaw grind. I lived in SF for a while, and every time I was in that part of the East Bay, I enjoyed bein’ there. It’s in the short list of cities that come up when the West Coast comes up.

]]> By: Smudgemo http://ijar.chiggins.com/2008/07/16/a-risk-worth-defending/comment-page-1/#comment-37 Smudgemo Thu, 17 Jul 2008 22:42:08 +0000 http://ijar.chiggins.com/?p=156#comment-37 I get the feeling you'd like Berkeley/Oakland a whole lot more than you cared for SoCal. I get the feeling you’d like Berkeley/Oakland a whole lot more than you cared for SoCal.

]]> By: chiggins http://ijar.chiggins.com/2008/07/16/a-risk-worth-defending/comment-page-1/#comment-36 chiggins Thu, 17 Jul 2008 13:56:11 +0000 http://ijar.chiggins.com/?p=156#comment-36 Marc, Thanks much, spent some time at your blog and enjoyed myself thoroughly. If we're ever in your neighborhood, we'll have to look you up to get personal instructions on the local Unwritten Cycling Laws. Cheers! Marc,

Thanks much, spent some time at your blog and enjoyed myself thoroughly. If we’re ever in your neighborhood, we’ll have to look you up to get personal instructions on the local Unwritten Cycling Laws.

Cheers!

]]> By: chiggins http://ijar.chiggins.com/2008/07/16/a-risk-worth-defending/comment-page-1/#comment-35 chiggins Thu, 17 Jul 2008 10:54:48 +0000 http://ijar.chiggins.com/?p=156#comment-35 Jim, <a href="http://gristmill.grist.org/story/2007/10/8/143547/109" rel="nofollow">this</a> is the article that Ezra Klein had linked to in his post, I thought it was worth reading. The summary: <ul> <li>Bicycling is much safer than people believe.</li> <li>the bigger the steel box, the safer you are when there is a collision (which begs the question of why people don't abandon their cars for buses, trains, and Bradley Fighting Vehicles).</li> <li>Bicycle fatalities between 99 and 04 killed an average of less than 800 people per year, while around 40,000 died in auto crashes per year in the same period.</li> <li>you're actually safer on a bike than on a car on a per hour basis.</li> <li>Because people perceive bicycling as dangerous, a high proportion of cyclists are less risk averse than most people. Therefore, the aggregate statistics include those "daredevils", and law-abiding risk-averse cyclists may be in even less danger than the stats would lead one to believe.</li> <li>The risks of cycling are offset by the reduced risk of not cycling, when health statistics are considered.</li> <li>We're not as safe as our European counterparts, mostly due to their superior educational policies and infrastructure.</li> </ul> It's worth reading, and it should be noted that these statistics don't speak to the variation in cities. D.C.'s not bad for biking, though I actually felt safer biking to work in New York believe it or not. And there's no way in hell that I'd have done Venice Beach to West Hollywood every day, though I know people who swore it was okay. I just didn't have any confidence in Southern California drivers to not kill me. Oh, and don't call me Shirley. Jim, this is the article that Ezra Klein had linked to in his post, I thought it was worth reading. The summary:

  • Bicycling is much safer than people believe.
  • the bigger the steel box, the safer you are when there is a collision (which begs the question of why people don’t abandon their cars for buses, trains, and Bradley Fighting Vehicles).
  • Bicycle fatalities between 99 and 04 killed an average of less than 800 people per year, while around 40,000 died in auto crashes per year in the same period.
  • you’re actually safer on a bike than on a car on a per hour basis.
  • Because people perceive bicycling as dangerous, a high proportion of cyclists are less risk averse than most people. Therefore, the aggregate statistics include those “daredevils”, and law-abiding risk-averse cyclists may be in even less danger than the stats would lead one to believe.
  • The risks of cycling are offset by the reduced risk of not cycling, when health statistics are considered.
  • We’re not as safe as our European counterparts, mostly due to their superior educational policies and infrastructure.

It’s worth reading, and it should be noted that these statistics don’t speak to the variation in cities. D.C.’s not bad for biking, though I actually felt safer biking to work in New York believe it or not. And there’s no way in hell that I’d have done Venice Beach to West Hollywood every day, though I know people who swore it was okay. I just didn’t have any confidence in Southern California drivers to not kill me.

Oh, and don’t call me Shirley.

]]> By: jimthill http://ijar.chiggins.com/2008/07/16/a-risk-worth-defending/comment-page-1/#comment-34 jimthill Thu, 17 Jul 2008 07:26:31 +0000 http://ijar.chiggins.com/?p=156#comment-34 Surely there is a study out there that reveals that bicycle commuters have a longer life expectancy than that of the average motorist. On average, 600 or so Americans get killed annually while riding a bicycle. Take away the number of kids getting run over in the driveway and wrong-way, no-lights types, and I suspect we're left with a tiny number of skilled adult cyclists who manage to get themselves killed. Surely there is a study out there that reveals that bicycle commuters have a longer life expectancy than that of the average motorist.

On average, 600 or so Americans get killed annually while riding a bicycle. Take away the number of kids getting run over in the driveway and wrong-way, no-lights types, and I suspect we’re left with a tiny number of skilled adult cyclists who manage to get themselves killed.

]]> By: amsterdamize http://ijar.chiggins.com/2008/07/16/a-risk-worth-defending/comment-page-1/#comment-33 amsterdamize Wed, 16 Jul 2008 21:17:07 +0000 http://ijar.chiggins.com/?p=156#comment-33 excellent post, and you don't even have to address all the geo-political and economical aspects. More cyclists = safer. Segregated infrastructure = necessity. Safety = nothing to do with helmets. Cycling = not dangerous, it's liberating. Pedestrians = at higher risk and should be wearing helmets in that light. I'm still at awe with all this fear mongering and its critical/logical thinking deficiency. you've probably seen this graph already... http://cyclehelmets.org/ cheers, Marc excellent post, and you don’t even have to address all the geo-political and economical aspects. More cyclists = safer. Segregated infrastructure = necessity. Safety = nothing to do with helmets. Cycling = not dangerous, it’s liberating. Pedestrians = at higher risk and should be wearing helmets in that light.

I’m still at awe with all this fear mongering and its critical/logical thinking deficiency.

you’ve probably seen this graph already…

http://cyclehelmets.org/

cheers,
Marc

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