[PRCo] Re: Indian cultural differences

[Schneider Fred]

I walked to the kitchen, thought for a minute, came back.   A  
distortion?

We are accustomed to believing that accidents should be compared to  
miles driven.  That is a valid concept when the only vehicles in the  
street are motor vehicles.   I think, John, that it is an invalid  
concept when motor vehicles must also share the street with numerous  
bicycles, pedestrians, elephants, camels, sleeping cows and so forth.

The Indians are, in effect, playing baseball, basketball, hockey and  
transporting water from one river to another on their backs and you  
are trying to tell me we should all conduct this according to the  
rules used when playing poker?    I don't think we can do it that  
way.   I think all we can really do is say here is a street and it is  
where so many people were killed in a year.

You need to go there and see it John.   I'll tell you like a friend  
of Marie's told her.   Going to India is like getting another Masters  
Degree.   You see things and learn things you never in your life
imagined you would see.   But none of it fits into the nice neat mold  
you used for western culture.   When you, as an American, say the  
Indians should drive on our highways more like we do, you have no  
idea how much they have already adapted.   NO IDEA.

On Dec 6, 2008, at 4:33 PM, Schneider Fred wrote:

> I'm tired of searching the internet.   Your turn to try to dig out
> mileages.
>
> On Dec 6, 2008, at 2:55 PM, John Swindler wrote:
>
>>
>>
>> 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
>>
>>
>>>