Originally Posted by Treespeed
Your analogy is missing the component of drivers, unless you want to talk about sharks?
I know you are fond of insistintg that as cyclists we should focus most of our energy on the things we have control over, our behavior and not the behavior of drivers. But I would argue that education of drivers on our rights and responsibilities as cyclists would help alleviate some of the run-ins and accidents that cyclists encounter. Yes, we do a good job of educating by cycling well and acting like vehicles, but we still hear stories of motorists, "teaching cyclists lessons" by running them off the road and I would further argue that even one of these stories is one too many. In what other aspect of life is the penalty for inconveniencing someone bodily harm or death? A thought provoking analogy, but still missing a very important variable.
I disagree. If you generalize "drivers" as any "potential hazard which is out of the diver's/cyclist's control" then I would say that drivers (two r's) definately exist and are present on any scuba dive.
But I think this is a very interesting analogy. If a diver somehow gets in trouble, they analyze what went wrong and try to fix or prepare for it so it doesn't happen again. Divers (or for that matter, anyone in a profession or hobby where risk is high - such as mountain climbing) put a LOT of effort into safety preparation. My experience is that with cycling this is not the case; risk exists but the preparation and thought about safety is often exiguous at best. It may be because cycling is thought of as a common activity and is endorsed by everyone, for everyone: What's the difference between cycling in my neighborhood and cycling on a traffic-heavy road? I know how to ride a bike - I've been doing it all my life - it'll be fine.
I'm not a proponent of bicycle registration and license endorsements (as some are), but that analogy has got me thinking - it redefines the problem.
(btw, kind of a side note - this came up in another thread: MA law puts bicycle registration in the hands of the towns and cities - the towns are allowed to adopt bicycle registration systems - as far as I know, none have)