At 02:31 PM 07/16/2003 -0500, dave wrote: [snip] if an accident is something >that can't be statistically foreseen an event can only be called an >accident if had no chance of occurring. I would argue that the >definition of accident refers to an individual event being "unforseen >and unintenional" while allowing that events of that kind may occur.[snip]
I think you're splitting hairs to say that only events with zero chance of being predicted could be called unforseen. If your behavior significantly raises the statistical likelihood of something happening (even if the likely consequences are not 100% certain), then I think you can say that the consequences could be foreseen. this is the basis of the statement everyone has probably made at some point in their life, "s/he should have seen that coming" or something like it. More to the point, if drinking alcohol raises the statistical likelihood that you crash your car, did you have an "accident"? NO, you suffered predictable (albeit not certain) consequences of your actions. Was the crash intentional? Certainly not, but does that make it an "accident"? I think not. The same logic applies to the consequences of using a cellphone while driving (or, for that matter, engaging in any "dangerous" activity, including professional bike racing, waving a running chain-saw around a busy street, or shouting "fire" in a crowded theater) the point is that if you call the consequences of negligent behavior an "accident," whether or not is was intentional, you're implying that the person engaging in the negligent behavior is not at fault, when clearly they are at least partially responsible. And the Federal and State DOT's (and the FHWA) stopped calling "crashes" "accidents" over a decade ago, at least partly to recognize that 4 of 5 crashes are at least partly the fault of a driver. > Do you have the specific URL at http://www.vtpi.org/ for the biased >language? see in particular a box titled: Biased Transport Planning Language (Wright, 1996) in http://www.vtpi.org/tdm/tdm55.htm _______________________________________________ Bikies mailing list [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.danenet.org/mailman/listinfo/bikies
