🚀 go-pugleaf

Joseph Lovell  <subdjoe@sonic.net> wrote:
>> Bicycles represent about 1000 of the 40,000 vehicle accidents per year.
>
>Where the heck do you get only 1000 bicycle accidents per year and 40k
>vehicle accidents?  US govt. figures show close to half a million deaths
>or inuries (thing that add to the costs of ER/Trauma centers) per year
>in the US by bicycles. Are you maybe talking about bicycle deaths and
>motor vehicle deaths per year?  If so, then the accidental bicycle

Yes, deaths.  Injuries are harder to measure because you only know about
ones requiring medical attention and are recorded.  Deaths are pretty 
accurate, and we know that cycling is 2-3% of the total for vehicles.  
It's fair to assume that injuries are in the same league.  

>> They are even less of a concern than gunshot victims (most of whom either
>> were suicidal, or ones we could do without).
>>
>You are suggesting that people killed or injured by bicycles are less
>dead or less injured than those who are killed or injured by someone
>with a gun?  Or are you saying that since most of those killed or
>injured by bicycles are children they don't count?  Not quite sure where
>you are going with that statement.

I said there are fewer cycling fatalities/injuries in the state, and that
I don't really worry too much about the gunshot victims either.  Guy wants
to kill himself?  Ok.  He can use a gun to do it.  Dead criminal?  No
loss to society.  

>And you failed to address the cost incured by hospitals when uninsured
>people use ERs as primary care centers.  How will a tax that is
>projected to raise $20,000,000 make a dent in that?

I have no interest in that dog.  I'm just correcting your gross misstatement
about cycling injuries.  

-- 
Jason O'Rourke www.jor.com