Reply to post: Re: Human nature

Re: Human nature

@ Symon

"They should ban selt belts and airbags and put a massive barbed spike sticking out the middle of the steering wheel."

It is amazing the hatred of drivers by what is most likely someone who drives. I hear it often that a spike on the steering wheel would be good, often by people thinking of themselves as pedestrians or cyclists (push bike). The thing is while there are bad drivers (of course there are) people like to harp on about how it is the driver with the dangerous weapon. But would you believe it on the roads? How many pedestrians step in front of your car without looking (at least 2 on the way to work this morning)? How many push bikes running red lights and pulling blindingly stupid manoeuvres (many I have seen just this week)? Yet it is the driver who is to blame automatically because people assume the metal shell, even when travelling at expected speeds and using caution, should be able to stop in an instant and drivers should be telepathic. I wonder if you advocate spikes on the front of the vehicle to deter lack of attention when crossing a road or cycling through lights, but spikes aint needed (the car can already be lethal) and that doesnt stop idiots.

There are good people and bad people regardless. Some are behind the wheel, some are walking, some are cycling. But to blame drivers automatically for all these people is stupid. 'If the car wasnt speeding the person might not be dead' compares with 'if the person looked before running into the road they might not be dead'. We all need to be aware and competent.

As for this 'safety' feature I expect it to be confused by the massive mistake that is our road system, occasionally designed to catch people out and the rest of the time just ends up that way. If such a feature does actually work I expect tax's to shoot up as the cash cow of the 'speed trap' fails to make enough money (or they will be more crafty at tripping people up).

We have a road system hostile to drivers. Speed limits reduced to make up for bad planning and stupid/suicidal people (occasionally for actual reasons of reducing accidents). Speed traps which in some cases really are designed to make it severely easy to be caught out and roll in the money, as well as dubious practices. High tax's against drivers and the automatic assumption the driver is at fault. There is a decent list of attacks on drivers, because it is a necessity.