[Gllug] RMS hurt in fatal road accident?

[David Damerell]

[Score one for every "this is off topic, but here's what I have to
say". Score two for "and I will not reply" followed by a reply.]

On Monday, 4 Oct 2004, Wiehe, Simon wrote:
>Without the petroleum industry there would probably not be computers, things
>like polythene (yes I know it is not biodegradable)

If we like those things - and boy, do I like computers - we might
quite reasonably be distressed at seeing all that useful oil being
just burned away.

>The use of guns, knives, crossbows, bows, arrows and even sticks and stones
>(you can club people to death with these) are also evil. It is not the tool
>but the person using it that is evil.

I would say that there'd be no problem with cars if people didn't
drive them, but of course they consume vast resources in their
manufacture as well.

>More pollution comes from the power station that generates the electricity you
>are using to power the PC you are reading this on than from a car.

And of course the power station is reserved for my own personal use.

[If you mean "per kWh", maybe - but of course my computer uses
considerably fewer kWh...]

>Their use does not discourage investment in public transport. Greedy
>executives do that nicely on their own. Why would anyone use a train to get
>from London to Manchester when it is cheaper to do it by car and uses less
>natural resources per head than the train.

You've read that study comparing the worst case for trains - low
occupancy express - with the absolute best case for cars - fully
populated efficient car driving at constant speed - haven't you?

>Have you ever tried travelling on the London tube in the rush hour ?

Sure, lots of times. It's a lot quicker then driving.

>I cannot argue with the necessity/convenience factor, except when my son
>needed to go to hospital it was by no means a convenience. Me using my car
>meant that I did not take an ambulance away from a more urgent call.

Don't you think in a world without private motor cars, there would be
more ambulances? Then your son could have been transported by a highly
trained emergency driver. Wouldn't that be nice?

-- 
David Damerell <damerell at chiark.greenend.org.uk> Distortion Field!
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