Brian,
It is some points in the following, http://energysavingnow.com/biofuels/kazman.shtml http://energysavingnow.com/biofuels/kazman1.shtml http://energysavingnow.com/biofuels/kazman2.shtml In the last link it is several links to statistical material on what you ask for. Hakan At 18:04 14/04/2004, you wrote: >Hakan and Keith, > >I've been reading this thread with interest, and certainly agree >with the points being brought up. As for americans not being >inherently bad drivers, my take is that the problem is almost the >opposite. Many believe that they are inherently better drivers, >therefore taking unnecessary risks. Add to this the fact that >many "ugly americans" feel that their time is much more valuable >than that of anyone else on the road, and therefore others just need >to get out of their way. Many of these people buy the big SUVs in >order to emphasize to others how important it is that they stay out >of their way, and use them as tools of intimidation. If you don't >believe this, just drive at or near the speed limit on any US >interstate, even staying in the right lane at all times. >Anectdotal, I know, but I have had enough experiences with this to >be convinced that it happens on a daily basis. Which brings me to >the question which brought me to writing this drivel. Are you aware >of any studies that look at percentages of traffic fatalities are >caused by oversize vehicle vs small vehicle collisions. I think >that this would be interesting. > >The other Brian > >--- In biofuel@yahoogroups.com, Keith Addison <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Hi Hakan > > > > >Keith, > > > > > >It is worth mentioning that they survive with less accident >fatalities than > > >US, what ever criteria you base it on. In some cases two third >less, like > > >Switzerland and the Scandinavian countries. It is also worth >mentioning > > >that the speed limits in Europe are generally higher than US. I >like to > > >think that the large difference has much to do with the vehicles. >The > > >Europeans and the Japanese might be very much better drivers, but >that the > > >Americans are that bad, I do not belive. > > > > Neither do I. > > > > >The difference is to too large, to > > >be only explained by general driving skills and safety >consciousness. > > > > I've never seen a satisfactory explanation, one that fully fits >the > > fact, and it is a fact. > > > > >For > > >many years, at least three decades, Mercedes and VOLVO has been >world > > >leaders in car safety and at the same time fuel consumption in >its class of > > >cars. > > > > > >To find an explanation for the large difference between US and > > >Europe/Japan? It cannot only be that the Americans do not know >how to > > >drive, it must also have something to do with knowing how to make >cars also. > > > > Maybe, but I doubt it's just mechanical. The type of cars? > > > > >I know that I probably upset nearly the total male population in >US, it is > > >nothing that is so sacred as a man and his car, but we have to >look a bit > > >on the realities also. > > > > LOL! I think you may have just hit the reality though, in your >usual > > inimitable style. Let's upset 'em a bit >more... "Male", "sacred"... > > Men are dumb, eh, we all know that, dumb and gullible. Could there >be > > a case for saying that in the US the car is much more an extension >of > > the male ego than is the case in Europe and Japan? Of course you >find > > such attitudes in Europe and Japan, but seldom to the same degree, > > and it's not nearly as systemic, institutionalised, "normal". It's > > laid on thick as treacle in every aspect of the US car culture >apart > > from Ralph Nader. Especially in the marketing. > > > > I'd said this about the alleged accident-proneness of small cars: > > "It's held that they're *inherently* more dangerous, and that a >large > > proportion of the fatalities involving them are single-car > > accidents." And it got ignored. True or not, what you definitely >can > > say about small cars is that there's a lot less ego-food in them >than > > in a huge blundering unstoppable phallic symbol like a Suburban or >an > > Explorer. That would make fertile ground for this kind of anti- >fuel > > economy spin, and it sure did "take", didn't it? Emasculation! > > > > Male ego and traffic are not a healthy combination. It's something > > you go through as a teenager, at that painful stage when chasing > > girls doesn't work very well unless you have a car, and not just >any > > car. (Maybe less so in Europe and Japan.) Some people get stuck > > there. I suppose chucking a hundred billion or so cleverly spent > > dollars at it every year, year after year, could get an entire > > culture stuck there. It seems soccer moms (whatever they are) buy >big > > SUVs too, and there might not be any direct statistical >correlation > > between high accident rates and overactive male egos, but there > > wouldn't have to be any such correlation if that type of approach >had > > helped to swamp the market with such vehicles. > > > > Maybe bigger vehicles are indeed safer. Brian said Americans buy >them > > for that reason, which I doubt. Whether they're safer or not, I'm > > sure they make you *feel* safer when you're driving them. That >would > > surely be a false security, it would mean you'd drive less safely. >So > > even if they are safer, they end up being more dangerous. Someone > > once said road accidents could be eradicated if cars had no safety > > features at all, were very fragile, made of thin, see-through >glass, > > with little sense of being enclosed, and built very close to the > > ground. (And zero sex-appeal.) That could be true. Not that we'll > > ever find out, LOL! > > > > Best > > > > Keith > > > > > > >Hakan > > > > > >At 15:42 13/04/2004, you wrote: > > > ><snip> > > > >Now how come you don't know that, engineer's acumen and all, >and I > > > >do, sans engineering, and I'm not even an American and have >never > > > >lived there? And if it's true, then how do you explain all these > > > >hundreds of millions of stubbornly surviving Europeans and >Japanese? > > > >Especially as they're generally more safety conscious than >Americans > > > >are (and less spun)? > > > ><snip> > > > > >Biofuel at Journey to Forever: ><http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html>http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html > >Biofuels list archives: ><http://infoarchive.net/sgroup/biofuel/>http://infoarchive.net/sgroup/biofuel/ > >Please do NOT send Unsubscribe messages to the list address. >To unsubscribe, send an email to: >[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > >---------- >Yahoo! Groups Links > * To visit your group on the web, go to: > * > <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/biofuel/>http://groups.yahoo.com/group/biofuel/ > * > * To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: > * > <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > * > * Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the > <http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/>Yahoo! Terms of Service. ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~--> Buy Ink Cartridges or Refill Kits for your HP, Epson, Canon or Lexmark Printer at MyInks.com. Free s/h on orders $50 or more to the US & Canada. http://www.c1tracking.com/l.asp?cid=5511 http://us.click.yahoo.com/mOAaAA/3exGAA/qnsNAA/FGYolB/TM ---------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Biofuels list archives: http://infoarchive.net/sgroup/biofuel/ Please do NOT send Unsubscribe messages to the list address. To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/biofuel/ <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
