Have you noticed....

[bansobaby]

Safety is an “arms race”. Many years ago someone said the greatest contributor to road safety would be a 12inch steel spike coming out of the steering wheel.

Agreed, and having driven many thousands of miles on African 'roads' in some of a certain Soilhull based carmakers earlier products, sometimes the spike isn't necessary, the seats and the suspension suffice.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

The idea that I could have had a brand new car when i was 20 was ludicrous, but now most young people drive nicer cars than I have. The difference though is I own my car but they buy on finance.

My neighbours have 2 audi's, one is a Q8. I'm 99.9% sure they are on finance which is how they can afford them.

Apparently 70% of new cars now are leased.

 

[Jacob]

Or we, as a society, are behaving less well.
Where once, we had police officers on the beat with limited mobility, we now have officers with cars and radios who can respond much faster.

Beeching just made a report on the railways. The government of the time made the cuts.

https://www.unison.org.uk/at-work/police-and-justice-staff/key-issues/cut-crime-not-police/

 

[Phil Pascoe]

There was a study some years ago which showed what a phenomenal benefit to pollution control buses were. The argument wasn't quite as good when it was finally admitted that it had been worked out per capita and every car was presumed to carry only the driver and every bus presumed to be full.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

https://www.unison.org.uk/at-work/police-and-justice-staff/key-issues/cut-crime-not-police/

Statista - In 2022 there were approximately 164,000 police officers in the United Kingdom, compared with around 155,000 in 2003.

 

[Jacob]

Statista - In 2022 there were approximately 164,000 police officers in the United Kingdom, compared with around 155,000 in 2003.

The cuts in numbers
Between March 2012 and March 2016, police officer numbers dropped from 134,101 to 124,006, a reduction of over 10,000. Greater Manchester alone lost 1201 police officers between 2012 and 2016.
In 2010 there were 79,500 police staff working for forces in England and Wales. By March 2016, this number had dropped to 61,668.
This represents a cut of nearly 23% in the police staff workforce.
The Metropolitan Police has been worst affected, with over 3,000 police staff jobs going between 2012 and 2016.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

We are talking of now.

 

[Jacob]

We are talking of now.

https://fullfact.org/crime/police-numbers/
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-45477960

 

[Homeless Squirrel]

I agree entirely. The only trouble is, none of these things encourage people not to drive - well, apart from a small minority of course. Take the free-to-use electric scooters for example ( I don't know if they're still free, mind). Very popular, but who's using them? My money's on people who don't drive anyway.

Those scooters was never free they and those lime/uber bikes workout expensive

 

[Phil Pascoe]

https://fullfact.org/crime/police-numbers/
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-45477960

But they're still higher that they have been for the last ten years, so you can't argue they're not doing something because their numbers are going down.

 

[Agent_zed]

I agree entirely. The only trouble is, none of these things encourage people not to drive - well, apart from a small minority of course. Take the free-to-use electric scooters for example ( I don't know if they're still free, mind). Very popular, but who's using them? My money's on people who don't drive anyway.

You are probably correct in your thinking that it is currently likely to be people that don't drive currently. But this is partly the point that you are giving people the opportunity to experience a way of travelling that doesn't require a car. If it is easy and convienient then they won't necessarily go on to buy a car or may even get rid of their car if they find it easier without the hassle and costs of car ownership.

 

[Jester129]

Has anyone sat in the dark behind a nice new car with LED rear lights - that includes brakes and indicator lights - waiting at traffic lights? It takes seconds to go blind and get a thumping headache! They need dimmers on them when stuck in traffic. Horrible. You'll see next winter when it's dark at 4p.m.

 

[Spectric]

But they're still higher that they have been for the last ten years, so you can't argue they're not doing something because their numbers are going down.

Like most things it comes down to quality and not quantity, having less but more able coppers that are not tied to a desk, painting rainbows on their cars or playing social workers would deliver more results than just pure numbers.

 

[DrPhill]

Many years ago someone said the greatest contributor to road safety would be a 12inch steel spike coming out of the steering wheel.

The name "Tullock's spike" refers to a thought experiment in which Tullock suggested that if governments were serious about reducing road casualties, they should mandate that a sharp spike be installed in the center of each car's steering wheel, to increase the probability that an accident would be fatal to the driver.

 

[Spectric]

It was also found many years ago by I think MIRA that by making a car warm, comfortable and quiet, then declaring it has safety features like airbags and crumple zones that it made drivers feel more invincible and likely to take risk. This is not how people involved in safety in high hazard enviroments want people to be, they don't want them to feel comfortable and at ease but more on edge and alert so ready to act.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

The name "Tullock's spike" refers to a thought experiment in which Tullock suggested that if governments were serious about reducing road casualties, they should mandate that a sharp spike be installed in the center of each car's steering wheel, to increase the probability that an accident would be fatal to the driver.

The old boy I worked with 40+ years ago maintained there should be a large spike that shot up through the driver's seat to spear unauthorised drivers to discourage vehicle thefts.

 

[Jacob]

It was also found many years ago by I think MIRA that by making a car warm, comfortable and quiet, then declaring it has safety features like airbags and crumple zones that it made drivers feel more invincible and likely to take risk. This is not how people involved in safety in high hazard enviroments want people to be, they don't want them to feel comfortable and at ease but more on edge and alert so ready to act.

Yes and they'd drive much slower if they didn't have brakes! That's when the rot set in.

 

[Spectric]

Unless they were on the downside of a hill !

 

[mwinfrance]

the downside of a hill

There is an upside of a hill , to every downside of a hill, depending on one's point of view.

 

[Jacob]

Unless they were on the downside of a hill !

In gear and switch engine off. Bin there dunnit!