Colin Blackburn said:Velvet said:Colin Blackburn said:On Tue, 14 Oct 2003 19:30:53 GMT, Velvet <[email hidden]> wrote:
> If you've ever tried using a non-hands-free mobile phone whilst negotiating a roundabout (or
> anything else that requires one hand to steer with, another to change gear/signal with) - you
> soon see just why hands-free is safer than hand-held use.
But that isn't why mobiles are dangerous.
Rubbish. It's not the ONLY reason, but we're not talking about "mobile phones - dangerous or
not", we're talking about "mobile phones
- relative levels of danger dependant on hands-free or hand-held".
Firstly, I apologise. There was meant to be an "solely" in what I typed.
Quoted message said:Quoted message said:
> Common sense, really.
Generally I bad idea to trust to common sense, it's usually wrong.
Given the above proves the point that common sense as applied by me isn't wrong, but you seem to
be doing your best to misinterpret what I've said, perhaps you could elucidate on your problems
with common sense?
Well, I seem to have a lot of people tell me that riding on pavements is safer than the road, it's
common sense isn't it. Some of these people also tell me that I should wear a h*lm*t, after all
it's common sense that a helmet will protect me. That's my problem with common sense. It is used
all too often to argue against something when the evidence says otherwise. I now immediately treat
with caution any statement which ends or starts with "Common sense, really."
Colin
Aah ;-) inserting the 'solely' does totally change what you wrote ;-) Ta for correcting.
I think the riding on pavements vs the road depends on a whole multitude of factors, so common sense
doesn't really apply to that. Gut instinct might tell you riding on the pavement is safer, but it'd
be wrong unless the road is diabolical, and the pavement long and has no driveways/junctions
spanning it, for example - and gut instinct isn't common sense.
The term 'tis common sense, isn't it' is far too widely used these days I think to include the 'I
heard it from so and so, must be true, right?' stuff - rather than them having thought about it and
reached a conclusion themselves (which was what my point of view was).
Looking both ways before crossing a road is common sense (if you don't do it, you're likely to end
up splatted). Cycling with lights on your bike after dark is common sense (don't do it and you won't
be seen). Everyone knows those two are 'common sense'. Cycling with a helmet - that's a more
difficult one, and not common sense. The proof isn't there yet, IMO, and I think unless something is
obvious to the lay-person upon thought, OR something has been widely proven to be the case AND
accepted by a large majority to be the case, it cannot be viewed as 'common sense'.
Enough rambling on this ;-) I'm off to take photos of my brother gliding ;-)
Velvet
