Richard wrote:

Paul Coyne wrote:

There's a rule of navigation that says that regardless of who's in the
right, everyone must do all they can to avoid a collision. But
provided you're obeying this law at sea and the equivalent common sense
on land, your "right to use the highway" will count just fine.

Ahh, but it's that comon sense thing again which is so sadly lacking. What's
the statistic?
90% of pedestrians involved in an accident with a vehicle after the hours of
darkness are drunk?


Even if it were attributed, this statistic is meaningless unless you can
show that there is a causal connection between pedestrians being drunk
and being involved in an accident with a vehicle. And don't appeal to
"common sense", please - "common sense" tells us that the introduction
of compulsory front seat belts saved lives, when in fact it increased
the death rate: see eg Adams, "Risk", UCL Press; and Harvey and Durbin,
RSSJ 149(3), 1986.


Hmm. I find that very hard to believe. However, 'scientific' studies
produced by lobby groups can always find some statsitical data to show
why smoking makes you healthy etc etc.




people driving who are on the phone, reading the paper, seemingly have no
indicators or fog light off switches, who will change lanes and open doors
with no thought whatsoever for the consequences, is astounding. But hey,
none of them are speeding ,so that's alright.


Just where did this discussion go from doing all you can to avoid a
collision, to speeding?



Dunno.


R.