> It is a very interesting topic...I would love to be able to > find some actual accident/injury stats just to see how the > equation works itself out...
Google is your friend: http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/pdf/nrd-30/NCSA/TSFAnn/TSF2001.pdf > I see your point, BUT, wouldn't car accidents be *less* > dangerous and injurious if people in cars did wear helmets? Yes, and less so if we all wore suits of armor, presumably, and even less so if we traded our vehicles for rocking chairs. As Mike mentioned, this is where the law of diminishing returns comes in. Helmets are known to be quite effective in limiting serious head trauma, so it makes sense to require their use, just like we require people to use seat belts in cars - another case where we know something is quite effective. Wearing a helmet (or using a seat belt) is minimally invasive to your freedom, and provides a significant measurable benefit. I would be perfectly happy in a world where, if you chose not to use either and couldn't pay for your own medical care, first responders could let you bleed out on the asphalt, but most people would probably object, so we instead minimally limit our freedoms. And to bring this back to web programming and security, most security problems occur because users are able to do unsafe things, such as double-click on executable attachments or install unsigned ActiveX controls. Obviously, some users could be trusted not to do those things inappropriately, but a successful system has to prevent these sorts of things as much as possible - to balance users' and programmers' desires to get things done against the safety of the users' environment - because most users cannot be expected to also be computer security experts. Libertarian arguments about individual freedom don't get you very far here, because it's so easy for one computer to negatively affect everyone elses' computers. Dave Watts, CTO, Fig Leaf Software http://www.figleaf.com/ Fig Leaf Software provides the highest caliber vendor-authorized instruction at our training centers in Washington DC, Atlanta, Chicago, Baltimore, Northern Virginia, or on-site at your location. Visit http://training.figleaf.com/ for more information! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~| Message: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=i:4:241538 Archives: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/threads.cfm/4 Subscription: http://www.houseoffusion.com/lists.cfm/link=s:4 Unsubscribe: http://www.houseoffusion.com/cf_lists/unsubscribe.cfm?user=89.70.4 Donations & Support: http://www.houseoffusion.com/tiny.cfm/54
