Speaking of bikes, i agree with some of your points. But it all depends on who is riding it, how they are riding it, and how much self control they have. But all this is just common sense... everyone knows if you an idiot on a bike, you are more likely to have an accident regardless of what you ride, and if you are safe and vigilant it doesn't mean you are more likely to have accident on a bigger bike. So it's all relative.
Also, the statement that a smaller bike is safeer going 60kmh than bigger bike in 100kmh is irrelevant... and also relative. You can't apply this in general, because different people will be choosing bikes to fit their style of riding, trip conditions, different types of terrain, speed etc. You can't say that it's better to ride a small scooter every day on a freeway, than a big visible and louder bike. But then, a scooter may be safer option riding on metropolitan roads. So you just can't generalise here and provide an universal answer and say one is better than the other. In fact if you look up bike safety references, the most important thing is the gear and training.
I do disagree what you said about the 9 months experience. Given that most riders I know do not regularly commute with their bikes, and use them for leisure and weekend touring, I believe that most riders do not ride every day. So in one year a non regular rider would have covered WAY less hours on the bike than the one riding every day (as well as weekend touring) - giving him way longer exposure to different weather and traffic conditions - hence experience.
i think by the end of this thread we'll be launching each other's kites...
there are less disagreeable things in each reply.
And hence since the laws are based on average ****heads who do what you said, then even innocent have to suffer... which is why some of them choose to bend the rules every once in a while to adjust the balance in the universe.
but have to disagree with you. A larger bike will be much safer than a scooter, due to the difference in wheel size. The larger the wheels the easier it is to handle the bike, up to a certain size of course. Scooters with those small wheels are just not made to go over 80km/h.
but have to disagree with you. A larger bike will be much safer than a scooter, due to the difference in wheel size. The larger the wheels the easier it is to handle the bike, up to a certain size of course. Scooters with those small wheels are just not made to go over 80km/h.
There is enough whinging here about Australia being the land of cotton wool to make an Englishman proud.
:
but have to disagree with you. A larger bike will be much safer than a scooter, due to the difference in wheel size. The larger the wheels the easier it is to handle the bike, up to a certain size of course. Scooters with those small wheels are just not made to go over 80km/h.
:
Nope, it's been proven to your satisfaction - there's a difference.
To quote an old saying "lies, damn lies and statistics". Speed kills is an arguament that's purile in it's oversimplicity. If you apply the same logic, you should travel less because that increases the chance of an accident - "leaving the house kills"; you may get injured kiting, ergo "kiting kills", etc.
And I did say *freeway* i.e. big road, central margin, separated traffic. Head on's are rather rare on those. Nor did I suggest it's always safe to travel at that speed. like everything in life, 'it depends'. I'd also sumbit that there are times when it's positively homocidal to travel at the posted limit...
You're obviously better than the average melbourne driver who seems unable to see past the end of their nose - I completely agree you should be able to. I'm merely making the point that speed ain't the whole story - an attentive driver is still safer than an inattentive one, to hell with the speed they're going at.
And no, I don't think so - this post was about silly cotton-wool wrapping laws, which includes *some* (not all) speed limits - that was a small part of the original post. The apologists/speed kills brigade seem to have seized upon one small aspect of this to turn it into a speed kills therefore if you ever exceed the limit you may as well eat babies kindof arguament.
We could turn this into a debate on the nature of power (the authoritarian kind), which would be far more interesting than speeding. But let's just say the world exists in shades of grey - those that see black and white (in any arguament) are generally dangerous :)
bugger all this talk of speeding and cotton wool - I admire your honesty in listing restricted access to porn as the number one infringment of your freedoms. 
