[PRCo] Re: Indian cultural differences

[John Swindler]

I knew that China was over 100,000 and US was under 50,000 with about half due to alcohol.  But comparing by population is a distortion.  How about a death rate per miles driven??  That should give a better indication of highway safety.  In the end, some societies place a much higher value on human life.
 
John
 
 
> From: fwschneider at comcast.net> Subject: [PRCo] Re: Indian cultural differences> Date: Sat, 6 Dec 2008 14:28:33 -0500> To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org> > http://www.driveandstayalive.com/info%20section/statistics/stats- > multicountry-percapita-2004.htm> > Most recent data I could find was 2004. "Close enough for govmint > work."> > Yes, China killed 107,077 people on their roads in 2004 but that is > out of a population of 1.3 billion people. India lost 90,000 out of > a billion people. We lost 42,636 out of 293.5 million.> > China had 8.26 fatalities per 100,000 people, India had 8.33 and we > had 14.53. What is astonishing is that we have far more miles of > multi-lane express highways than China or India and they are > inherently safer than city streets. Our insistence on high speed > driving and getting there first is wiping us out. And our lousy > training of our drivers does not help either.> > Surprisingly, the worst death rate was Russia with almost 25 deaths > per 100,000 population. The only had about 20 miles of expressways > in the entire country. I suspect there it has a lot to do with the > prevailing attitude that if you get caught going through a stop sign > or speeding, you bribe the cop and go on driving the same way. I > photographed an accident between a truck that turned left in front of > a streetcar. The replacement truck came up and emptied all the > cargo so it couldn't be impounded. The the police were called. > Then I watched the money changing hands. Then everybody went on > their way and a ten car blockade of streetcars cleared out.> > Germany, with a motor vehicle registration rate about the same as > ours but with people driving about half as many miles per year as we > do and with a tremendous number of miles of express highways (very > well designed ones) with no speed limits outside of rural areas, has > a fatality rate half that of the U. S. A. Their rate is 7.09 per > 100,000.I've always maintained that the Germans do a fabulous job > teaching their kids how to drive and I think the death rate proves > it. (The only more populous country with a lower rate is Japan.) > Germany don't believe in letting mom or dad or Uncle Harvey teach you > how to drive. You want to get a drivers license, you pay a driving > school $2,000 and they will you teach you. And they will do it right.> > > > On Dec 6, 2008, at 1:27 PM, John Swindler wrote:> > >> >> > So what's the annual highway death toll in India??> >> > For instance, it was a surprise couple years ago to learn that > > China has about twice the number of highway fatalities as the US.> >> > John> To: pittsburgh-railways at dementia.org> From: > > fwschneider at comcast.net> Subject: [PRCo] Indian cultural > > differences> Date: Fri, 5 Dec 2008 18:51:55 -0500> > For those of > > you who did take the time to look at some of those you- > tube > > videos of India, the rucus of automobile horns on the streets is > > > different from here. As our guides and bus drivers explained it to > > > us, blowing the horn in India doesn't mean, "Get out my way you > > F--n > S. O. B., I have the right of way." Rather it means, "Hello > > friend, > I'm here and I don't want you to get hurt. Please don't > > walk in > front of me."> > A horn never wears out in the United > > States. I suspect it is a > renewable part in India because you do > > not drive two blocks in town > without using it.> > There was a > > case in Lancaster last year where a lady who was drunk > went down > > the wrong expressway ramp and ran head on into a car coming > the > > other way. She killed two men. Last month she was sentenced > to > > two terms, each of ten year!> > s to be served consecutively. In > India, if you want to pull onto > > a non-limited access expressway from > a home or gas station and > > you are on the westbound side but want to > go eastward, you simply > > drive east against the current of traffic > until you have a place > > to cross over to the other lanes. That is > much more expedient > > than driving a mile out of your way and turning > around. And an > > Indian expressway will have cattle sleeping on it, > elephants > > carrying burdens, trucks, cars, motorized rickshaws, > bicycles > > (except where they are on bridges through towns and then non- > > > motorized vehicles may be prohibited but you still can't restrict > > the > sacred cows), and perhaps even a camel caravan in the west. I > > > even saw a man walking down the middle of an expressway with > > water > bottles on his shoulders ... it was explained that he was > > carrying > water from the Ganges to another river to appease his > > god in the hope > of a better monsoon to end a five year drought. > > By the !> > way, I never > saw an accident on the roads in India. The first one I> > saw in two > weeks was after I got off the plane in New York ... > > then I saw where > a dufus of a truck driver had hit an expressway > > ramp too fast and > rolled a semi onto its side! That was within > > 4,000 feet of JFK > airport. >> > _________________________________________________________________> > Send e-mail anywhere. No map, no compass.> > http://windowslive.com/Explore/hotmail? > > ocid=TXT_TAGLM_WL_hotmail_acq_anywhere_122008> >> > 
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