How safe were cars 96 years ago?

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by Xist

Having said all of that, if they are not the police, and I see any firearm in a public place, I am breaking line-of-sight, calling the police, and putting as much distance between me and them as possible.

It only takes one bullet to ruin my day.

You'd spend all your time calling the police if you lived in Oregon/Washington then, and the police would be indifferent unless you also reported the person as threatening.

Open carry barely registers to me, and when it does, I assume the person has created a safe zone around them.

Concealed carry is much more common, and should concern people way more than open carry, especially since that is almost exclusively the way criminals carry. My many friends (and my sister) that carry, all do so concealed (and permitted). You wouldn't know they were carrying unless you knew to look for it. Open carry is the only legal way to possess a firearm in Oregon without a permit.

Originally Posted by freebeard

School shooters always use long arms and the news always complains about muzzle velocity.

In that door-to-door environment wouldn't two hand-guns be more efficient? A Glock 20 holds 15 rounds. I think it's about shaping the news.

And pharmaceuticals.

I'd take a rifle over a handgun at longer distances, but indoors a handgun is probably the best bet, or a carbine rifle.

Training is where it really counts though. A well trained individual is more likely to win vs untrained/poorly trained individual regardless of the firearm of choice.

Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr

IIRC nowadays most of the murderings in the U.S. are performed with hammers and baseball bats. But you know, calling a cheap hunting rifle modded in the tool shed of a psycho teen's dad an "assault weapon" is way more effective as a clickbait than addressing the real issue. Just like blaming spoons and forks for making people become fat.

Firearms are the most common implement of murder in the US. However, hands and feet kill more people than rifles and shotguns annually.

Murder has more to do with culture than it does access to weapons. Japan has a higher suicide rate than murder rate, and that is a cultural thing.

Of course, all of the recent political rhetoric was just that; political. There is no reason involved in these tribal displays of virtue signalling.

You're absolutely right though that humans don't worry in proportion to the most likely threats to their well-being. If US citizens really wanted to protect their lives, they wouldn't lead the world in obesity, the leading factor in many adverse health conditions. Cardiovascular disease and cancer are the top killers.




Annual US deaths per disease:

Heart disease: 633,842
Cancer: 595,930
Chronic lower respiratory diseases: 155,041
Accidents (unintentional injuries): 146,571
Stroke (cerebrovascular diseases): 140,323
Alzheimer’s disease: 110,561
Diabetes: 79,535
Influenza and Pneumonia: 57,062
Nephritis, nephrotic syndrome and nephrosis: 49,959
Intentional self-harm (suicide): 44,193

[spacemanspif]

Originally Posted by freebeard

I’ve seen people jump into traffic during funeral processions, not yield to fire trucks with lights and sirens on, and pull so many more stunts around 18 wheelers and dump trucks. I’d love to see a square like this in America during the Friday evening rush hour in summer time when everyone is trying to get to the beach....

[Xist]

"Motor-vehicle deaths for January through June of 2017 totaled 18,680." http://www.nsc.org/NewsDocuments/201...tes-June17.pdf

So, three times as many people die from car accidents than murder.

What about vehicular homicide? Does that count double?

[freebeard]

redpoint5 — I notice the buses don't slow down at all.

redpoint5 — I've found a middle ground, made famous by Zoe on Firefly and Steve McQueen: The Mare's leg level-action pistol.

[basjoos]

The introduction of tempered glass, steel bodies, collapsible steering columns, seat belts, and seat headrests did a lot to reduce fatalities in automobile accidents. Crush spaces and airbags were the most recent innovations. Imagine being in a wreck in a car with wood splinters flying everywhere along with shards of plate glass and with a rigid steering column that slammed up through the driver's chest when you ran into something.

[freebeard]

Imagine drifting gravel roads on wheels with wooden spokes.

[Xist]

Imagine carbon fiber shards flying in an accident.

[redpoint5]

Imagine having drinks while internetting and not wearing a seat-belt because cars are designed not to crash rather than to crash well.

[jamesqf]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

Imagine having drinks while internetting and not wearing a seat-belt because cars are designed not to crash rather than to crash well.

Yeah, then your "intelligent" driverless vehicle navigation does something like this Cars stranded on Dog Valley Road when Google Maps suggests alternate route to I-80 | KRNV and you freeze to death in the snow. Donner Party for the 21st century, anyone? (Oh, and last time I was up that road in the summer, you didn't get a cell signal past the first mile or so, so good luck calling for help :-))

[Xist]

I used to bring my sleeping bag when I went on road trips, in case I broke down. If I ever find my sleeping bag I will keep it in my car.