I sympathize with Kinopio's perception, that those who cause harm behind the wheel are rarely (if ever) held to account in the same way they would if the harm they did were committed through some other agency. It might be more accurate to say, though, that we give a lot of leeway to what we call "accidents", which are in fact the outcomes of carelessness. I'm not so sure that cars really have some specially privileged status: is the standard really more rigorous when someone is "accidentally" killed by a gun, or a jetski, or an acetylene torch that starts a fire?
Kinopio, your arguments might be sounder if you examined this angle of things. Are we really more forgiving of car "accidents", or is the problem in how we don't hold people responsible for carelessness no matter what the agency?
Please don't experiment with gravity and lethal projectiles. Shooting a gun in the air is a terrible idea. Bullets don't evaporate when you can't see them anymore.
Sometimes it's amazing what a sudden application of the laws of physics can do to an automobile.
Last year right here on UHub someone posted a photograph of a car that was vertical (balancing on its front bumper) up against the wall of a brick building. After much discussion someone finally concluded the guy had probably parked on a patch of ice, and was revving the engine with the car in reverse trying to get it moving again. Tires spinning at 70mph but the car inching along because of ice. (Everyone's had their car stuck on ice/snow before; watch your speedometer next time you try to just give it more gas to get moving and see how fast you're wheels are actually spinning.) Suddenly the tires hit the pavement, the coefficient of friction vastly increased, and now 70mph actually meant 70mph. The car slammed into the sidewalk curb behind it within a tenth of a second, the car bounced upward, and drove itself right up the side of the building, coming to a rest on its front bumper.
Comments
What a safe driver.
What a safe driver.
Really
Really reflects well on our Commonwealth's licensing process.
Deadly weapons for all, no
Deadly weapons for all, no strings attached!
Kinopio, confused by simple concepts.
A gun is a deadly weapon. That is it's SOLE purpose. A car is a means of transportation... you know, for people to get to work. Grow up.
Sigh
I sympathize with Kinopio's perception, that those who cause harm behind the wheel are rarely (if ever) held to account in the same way they would if the harm they did were committed through some other agency. It might be more accurate to say, though, that we give a lot of leeway to what we call "accidents", which are in fact the outcomes of carelessness. I'm not so sure that cars really have some specially privileged status: is the standard really more rigorous when someone is "accidentally" killed by a gun, or a jetski, or an acetylene torch that starts a fire?
Kinopio, your arguments might be sounder if you examined this angle of things. Are we really more forgiving of car "accidents", or is the problem in how we don't hold people responsible for carelessness no matter what the agency?
Here's an experiment for you
Shoot a gun in the air. Hurt no one.
Compare what happens to you to what happens to a driver who was negligent or belligerent.
Terrible idea
Please don't experiment with gravity and lethal projectiles. Shooting a gun in the air is a terrible idea. Bullets don't evaporate when you can't see them anymore.
Umm....
Umm...how?
how, indeed
That's what I want to know, too!!
Sometimes it's amazing what a
Sometimes it's amazing what a sudden application of the laws of physics can do to an automobile.
Last year right here on UHub someone posted a photograph of a car that was vertical (balancing on its front bumper) up against the wall of a brick building. After much discussion someone finally concluded the guy had probably parked on a patch of ice, and was revving the engine with the car in reverse trying to get it moving again. Tires spinning at 70mph but the car inching along because of ice. (Everyone's had their car stuck on ice/snow before; watch your speedometer next time you try to just give it more gas to get moving and see how fast you're wheels are actually spinning.) Suddenly the tires hit the pavement, the coefficient of friction vastly increased, and now 70mph actually meant 70mph. The car slammed into the sidewalk curb behind it within a tenth of a second, the car bounced upward, and drove itself right up the side of the building, coming to a rest on its front bumper.
The more you know.
Closer to Inman Sq. than Harvard Sq.
Happened between Hovey Av. and Leonard Av.
There should be a law
against flipping you car upside down on Wednesdays in January. That would've nipped this mess in the bud.