another darwin candidate

[Reaper90]

. if the kill switch isn't necessary, why then do they require it on race bikes?

Totally different environment. Motorcycle on the street, the logical thought process would say you're likely gonna crash at a much lower speed than a race bike (unless you're behaving in a highly illegal manner) and the chances of there being a catastrophic fuel spill from a ruptured fuel tank are higher in a race environment crash. The purpose of the kill switch (at least all of them I've ever been familiar with) is not just to kill the engine, but to disconnect all electrical power to the engine and harness, effectively reducing the chanced of an electrical spark that would ignite spilled fuel.

Not something that is needed badly enough to mandate for streetbikes. You would assume if there's an accident on the street there won't continue to be 100+ mph bike traffic in close proximity to the wreck as there would be on a racetrack, so the kill switch is a little more important in a race for that reason as well.

Why not require roll cages in street cars also?

Well, that one's obvious.

[Reaper90]

is it as much as a doctor? no. there is more physical and mental risks at a fire scene then there are with a knife in hand. a hose line could blow and take your legs off, a beam could fall from above and crush you... you could be a pulling a victim out but be 30 seconds to late getting them and not know it until you get them out.

 more to putting out a fire then spraying water from a hose... probably just as stressful as putting a blade into someone for the first incision knowing if you slip you could end it for them...


saddening how people dont see the risks involved... if you lived down the road from me i sure as hell wouldnt respond if i knew your house was burning.

Congratulations on an EPIC collossal failure of reading comprehension, sir. 

First, I believe EMTs, firemen, police, etc are all paid far too little considering the worth of their jobs and the risks associated with them. Nowhere in what I said did I state otherwise. All I said was that in my opinion Doctor's aren't paid too much given the amount of education, training, and liability required to be able to perform their job.

How many firemen or policemen do you know who have to carry multi-million dollar malpractice insurance policies, go to school for 10+ years and train for several additional years just to be able to get a job (plus be at the top of their class in undergraduate study just to be able to take the advanced study), and have to deal with government and insurance agency beurocrats just to collect their pay?

You find me a doctor willing to work for fireman or policeman pay and I'll tell you I don't want that SOB near me with so much as a stethoscope or tongue depressor.

[MaSonZ]

Remove the parentheses idiot.

"If one is going over thirty MPH the emergency brake will snap like a dry twig."

Now do you see where there is a problem?

beg to differ... first hand expierence proves it works at 55  ended up upside down in the woods...but had it not been manually released it wouldve stopped us...

[Maverick]

I said that I wasn't sure of whether or not the parking brake would snap like a twig.  Allow me to offer a quote:

Your reading comprehension is quite, quite poor.  In fact, it's as if you didn't even read the parenthetical which clearly stated my lack of knowledge on the topic.

-Penguin

Speaking of reading comprehension here. Go back and read the post I made. If you will recall I asked where you drew that conclusion from.

The other post you quoted was not directed towards you as it was a reply to cap.

[Penguin]

I drew that conclusion from a little book I got, called 1,001 rules of thumb.  It stated that if you shifted in park at over thirty miles per hour, you would break the parking pawl.  If you were going under thirty miles per hour, you would be peeling your face from the windshield.

-Penguin

[Shuffler]

I drew that conclusion from a little book I got, called 1,001 rules of thumb.  It stated that if you shifted in park at over thirty miles per hour, you would break the parking pawl.  If you were going under thirty miles per hour, you would be peeling your face from the windshield.

-Penguin

Actually it won't lock up... it'll just click till it stops.

[CAP1]

I drew that conclusion from a little book I got, called 1,001 rules of thumb.  It stated that if you shifted in park at over thirty miles per hour, you would break the parking pawl.  If you were going under thirty miles per hour, you would be peeling your face from the windshield.

-Penguin

most cars will not go into park when moving forward that fast.

[Penguin]

Well, I guess that rule of thumb was wrong.  Anyway, have we reached a conclusion as to the inadequacy of a parking brake to stop a car moving at around 20 miles per hour?

-Penguin

[CAP1]

Well, I guess that rule of thumb was wrong.  Anyway, have we reached a conclusion as to the inadequacy of a parking brake to stop a car moving at around 20 miles per hour?

-Penguin

no, because it will stop you sufficiently to prevent an accident. putting the car in park will not. trust me.......i've done a lot of stupid stuff when i was young...including trying that.

[Plawranc]

If your not wearing a helmet or seatbelt in something going 50-MPH. You deserve to die. Your IQ is low enough to warrant you being removed from the Gene Pool.

[Rob52240]

If your not wearing a helmet or seatbelt in something going 50-MPH. You deserve to die. Your IQ is low enough to warrant you being removed from the Gene Pool.

This is the kind of malarkey that would be taught in schools if the nazis had won the war.

I can't speak for every country but the US was initially founded as a place to have freedom.  Not wearing a helmet or a seatbelt does not infringe on the rights of anybody and I think it's ridiculous that we consider it criminal in some states to ride without one.  
The bottom line with me is that people seem to fail to realize that the human body was never intended to go any faster that we can run.  Travelling at any speed above 10-15mph can be dangerous and accidents can happen at any time.  There is no way to prevent all accidents/injuries and until Superman takes over for Captain Hindsight, we need to realize this as a society.

[dedalos]

I can't speak for every country but the US was initially founded as a place to have freedom.

Yep, initially 

[RTHolmes]

I cant really see any reason why helmet laws are required in the US apart from the cost to other people in term of unpaid medical bills. I understand in some states its only an offense if you dont have medical insurance, which seems fair. I can only imagine pretty bizarre and extremely unlikely scenarios where lack of a helmet could endanger other people. in the UK it makes sense because the medical costs are usually paid for by the taxpayer. I guess there could be a waiver if the rider has private medical insurance which would cover it.

seatbelts otoh are different, purely because of the danger unrestrained people present to others in the car in the event of an accident. if anything its more important for rear seat passengers to wear them, as they present the most danger.

[CAP1]

most hospitals or medical emergency treatment centers will bill the person they treat, if they have no insurance. they can, and i think will put a lien on ones property should they not pay. they get their money.

[Penguin]

I cant really see any reason why helmet laws are required in the US apart from the cost to other people in term of unpaid medical bills. I understand in some states its only an offense if you dont have medical insurance, which seems fair. I can only imagine pretty bizarre and extremely unlikely scenarios where lack of a helmet could endanger other people. in the UK it makes sense because the medical costs are usually paid for by the taxpayer. I guess there could be a waiver if the rider has private medical insurance which would cover it.

seatbelts otoh are different, purely because of the danger unrestrained people present to others in the car in the event of an accident. if anything its more important for rear seat passengers to wear them, as they present the most danger.

There is a way that not wearing a helmet can harm someone else.  Here is a perfect example.  You are driving down the road, happy as a clam.  You come to a four way intersection, and by your own negligence get into a crash with a motorcyclist.  The motorcyclist is catapaulted from his/her motorcycle, and hits his/her head on something (e.g., another car, the road itself) and is killed or horribly disfigured.  If they were wearing a helmet, this wouldn't have happened, and you would pay far less to cover their medical expenses.

As you can see, there is a significant advantage to mandating safety gear.  This advantage is a lack of vehicular manslaughter charges levied against you.

-Penguin