onewheeldave said:*Concerning laws governing what adults do where safety is concerned, I
share your unease, but two things make me not want to automatically
dismiss such laws-
1. the number of logically dodgy arguments put forward against them
(the '-everything- is dangerous..' being a prime example.
2. -Consequences-- seat belts again being an example, when belt
wearing was a choice, may drivers (probably the majority) choose not
to belt up; so many died unnecessarily in accidents. Now, in places
where belt wearing is a legal requirement, most do belt up, and, as a
result, have found that there's nothing wrong with it; in fact, most
drivers, on occasions where they may forget to belt up, will get a
feeling of being very insecure.
Most important, since the law was brought in, may lives have been
saved.
*
Whether or not a law will protect me or not is not the point, there is
a saying about giving up some personal freedom for any amount of
security and, by letting the government dictate our actions, when it
does not directly affect the safety of others, is letting the government
remove the -possibility- of choice for -the governments perception- of
safety. If you don’t think that the government would prohibit things
like getting out of bed, getting into bed, taking a bath (Oh, my god,
that’s dangerous!) and breathing to protect us from hazards that we, the
innocent, uninformed public, don’t know about, then, I’m sorry, but you
haven’t been watching. A high percentage of accidents happen in the
home, therefore if there are no homes then the number of accidents will
be reduced (this thought brought to you by govspeak). Remember, big
government is where the backwards motorcycle was conceived as safer, it
steered at the back and was driven in the front. They actually spent
hundreds of thousands of our dollars to build it before they asked -any-
motorcyclists what they thought. Think about driving your car
backwards, turn, and putting on the brakes, can you say out of control
at -every- stop and corner? Please, please, don’t try this; it’s just
that the people who conceived the cycle didn’t. Big government is the
only known life form that has many hands and no brains.
Helmet -*laws*- have been shown to be counterproductive – areas that
have instituted helmet laws have had the effect of reducing the number
of cyclists by as much as 60%, which means instead of extending lives by
19 years (by cycling without a helmet) in exchange for one year (by
wearing a helmet), people choose to not cycle thereby losing the health
benefits that would get them the 19 years. The government seems to feel
that this is a good thing, that some people will die 19 years sooner.
Even if you stipulate that if everyone wore helmets they’d get 20 years
of longer, healthier lives instead of 19, but some choose not to cycle
instead.
There is still some question of whether or not bicycle helmets are
actually effective or not. Lawmakers don’t seem to realize that
requiring helmet usage is not the same a deciding to wear one. Did you
know that the research shows that wearing a helmet reduces injuries to
areas -not protected by the helmet- by 75%? Would this figure be larger
if broken down into choice vs. required? I think it would. If I decide
to wear a helmet, it means that I have a mindset that leads me to make
decisions that will reduce the chance of injury, if I’m -required- to
wear a helmet I don’t necessarily have the same mindset. Given this,
does requiring helmet usage actually do anything? Even for motorcycling
there is some question; the most vaunted studies are questionable, the
incidences of motorcycle deaths were already on a downward trend before
the -first- helmet law in the country (USA) was passed and the trend
actually -flattened- a bit for the year after the law was passed.
Do I not use safety belts or helmets? I’ve worn safety belts since the
middle 1950s (long before they were standard in any car) and won’t ride
10 feet with out a helmet; I just don’t believe that -LAWS- requiring me
to are appropriate or effective.
--
brian.slater - Nellfurtiti, the Wonder Cat
Brian C. Slater
AKA: Snoopy
Ok, I am now officially in my normal state of -advanced- confusion.
Don't try to confuse me, it won't make any difference.
"To not decide is to decide" - undecided
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