[*BCM*] The movement that divides us

[Adam Rosi-Kessel]

On Mon, Jun 05, 2006 at 04:54:10PM -0700, turtle wrote:
> So Adam, what do you believe CAUSES crashes?

All I'm trying to point out is statistics, and transportation statistics
in particular, are prone to misinterpretation.

Even the well known fact that air travel is the safest form of
transportation isn't true under all measurements -- depending on whether
you measure per mile, per hour, per trip, etc., you get a different
result.

I don't really the know the answer, but I do think:

- Not all "illegal" riding behaviors are equally dangerous. Breezing
  through a red light at 15-20 mph is obviously more dangerous than
  coming to a full stop, looking around, and going through if no one is
  around.

- There are plenty of highly dangerous riding behaviors that are
  perfectly illegal. For example, in many parts of the country, riding on
  the sidewalk is permitted. Subject to my own proviso about distrusting
  statistics, I have seen statistics that suggest that sidewalk riding is
  about the most dangerous thing you can do.

- My gut unsubstantiated feeling is that the most important factors are
  skill and experience. Maybe highly skilled and experienced cyclists are
  more likely to follow the law strictly, although I'd guess that's not
  the case. Like with many risky activities, the key is being highly
  aware of your surroundings, reacting quickly to the unexpected, having
  a strong sense of the limitations of yourself and your tools, rather
  than how well you follow the rules.

A