[ExI] Atlantic article on human reengineering with very strong reactions

[BillK]

On Fri, Mar 16, 2012 at 5:32 AM, spike  wrote:
> Ja, but the problem is that everyone will not.  Some will ride in little
> slow half tons, some will just stay with the old tried and true Detroit V8.
> The Detroit is expensive to run, but there are some things it does very
> well.  It is fast, comfortable, carries a lot of apes, can be taken cross
> country, etc.  What we really need is a way to separate the two, in order to
> keep the lightweights safer.
>
> We can do this, but the older bigger cars will pose a safety hazard to the
> new small guys.  We will need to resurface half of the roads and rethink
> maintenance.
>
>

Road accident stats are very complicated. That's why there is so much
discussion about them.

Head-on crashes between a small car and a SUV are relatively rare.
SUVs often are in single vehicle accidents, usually involving a
roll-over.

Small cars are mostly driven in cities, so are usually involved in
lower speed accidents. Minicars are not the vehicle of choice for
1,000 mile cross-country trips. ;)

Minicars are modern and have better designed accident protection than
any ten-year old vehicle.

It is not only the driver you have to consider. There are passenger
and pedestrian injuries as well.
If I am a pedestrian, I am far more likely to survive being hit by a
small car than by a SUV. Especially if the SUV is fitted with bull
bars, which are lethal for pedestrians.

The most dangerous feature in any car is the driver. Once the cars
drive themselves, accidents will become really rare.

Will there be campaigns for human freedom? 'Bring back death on the
roads! It's our right!'.


BillK