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Originally Posted by Fairmont
(Post 7156054)
Not me. I'm very afraid of lightning.
It kills a lot of people each year. Start with this: It's estimated that 40% of lightning strikes on people go unreported. 91% of strikes are one person alone. 9% involved more than one person getting zapped at the same time. Death by states (from highest to lowest): FL, MI, TX, NY, TN Location of Incident (don't know how bikes fit into this): 40% Unreported. 27% Open fields & recreation areas (not golf). 14% Under trees (not golf). 8% Water-related (boating, fishing, swimming…). 5% Golf/golf under trees. 3% Heavy equipment and machinery-related. 2.4% Telephone-related (use a cordless or cell phone during a storm). 0.7% Radio, transmitter & antenna-related. The most frequent days (obvious one here) is Saturday and Sunday. Next is, for some reason, Wednesday. The above was from the Lightning Safety Institute (didn't know it existed). Below is from National Geographic: Lightning is a killer. It claims more victims each year than do snowstorms, hurricanes, and tornadoes. It keeps a low profile as the second largest weather-related killer, usually striking one person at a time. Only floods, which can wipe out towns, kill more people. According to the U.S. National Weather Service, 73 people die from lightning strikes each year and hundreds more suffer life-debilitating injuries. Memory loss, attention deficits, sleep disorders, numbness, dizziness, and weakness are some of the maladies cited. The highest death rates from lightning in the United States are in Florida, which is known as the lightning capital of the country. According to the service, from 1959 to 2003 lightning killed 3,696 people in the United States. Of those, 425 were in the Sunshine State. (The only state that did not record a lightning death in the period was Alaska). Lightning has injured at least 2,000 people in Florida since 1959. http://www.unitedjustice.com/death-statistics.html You're probably more likely to be murdered. Although we all know that "location location location" matters for murders, lightning strikes, traffic fatalities, and virtually every other way you can die. My guess is that people's natural fear of lightning is their best protector from it. I know I'm afraid to go out in it, even for a couple minutes. If I had to I'd probably ride home in it, in the middle of the lane, as fast as I could. |
Still, even if it only takes 73 a year, I'm not too likely to go out in it. I don't like going out and risking my life, even if the chance is pretty darn small.
However, I do go snowboarding, which takes some fatalities each year. And commuting takes lives as well. |
[QUOTE=Fairmont;7156096]Here are some more interesting stats for fun:
The very first car accident in history happened in New York in 1896. The car hit and killed a bicyclist. Here are some more stats on bike riding accidents from the Bicycle Almanac: Where cyclists die or crash U.S. cyclists are three more likely to be killed than German cyclists and six times more than Dutch cyclists, whether compared per-trip or per-distance traveled. (Reuters, Aug. 28, 2003, by Maggie Fox) Cyclist fatalities occurred more frequently in urban areas (66%), at nonintersection locations (67%), between the hours of 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. (30%), and during the months of June, July, and August (36%). (NHTSA, 2004) Riding on the sidewalk is several more times more dangerous than riding in the street. (William Moritz, 1998) Most deaths on major roads. Fifty-seven percent of bicycle deaths in 1999 occurred on major roads, and 37 percent occurred on local roads. (6) Streets with bike lanes have a significantly lower crash rate then either major or minor streets without any bicycle facilities (38 and 56% respectively). (William Moritz, 1998) Streets with bike lanes are safer than those without. Article also has information about the safety of bike paths. (BicyclingInfo.org, 2004) Texas leads cycling deaths. Texas ranks 14th in number of cyclist fatalities per capita. (5) Four states lead cycling deaths. Four states (California, Florida, New York, and Texas) accounted for 43% of bicycle deaths in 1999. (6) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- When cyclists die Many deaths occur at night. In 1999, 39% of deaths on bicycles nationwide occurred between 6 p.m. and midnight. (9) (more on when cyclists died) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- How many cyclists die Deaths per year. 725, 629, 665, 732, and 693 cyclists died per year in 2004, 2003, 2002, 2001, and 2000 respectively, and were about 89% male. (National Highway Traffic Saftey Administration, and Insurance Institute for Highway Saftey) An average of 16.5 cyclists per million die every year in the U.S. (For motorists, it's 19.9 motorists per million.) (National Safety Council 1988) Cyclists are 2% of road deaths & injuries. The 761 cyclists killed in 1996 accounted for 2% of traffic fatalities, and the 59,000 cyclists injured made up 2% of all traffic injuries. (5) Cycling deaths higher in 70's & 80's. The number of cyclist fatalities in 1996 was 19% lower than the 941 fatalities reported in 1986. The highest number of cyclist fatalities ever recorded was 1,003 in 1975. (5) Cyclists accounted for 12% of all nonmotorist traffic fatalities in 1996. Pedestrians accounted for 86 percent, and the remaining 2 percent were skateboard riders, roller skaters, etc. (5) Cyclists killed SINCE 1932. Nearly 44,000 cyclists have died in traffic crashes in the United States since 1932 &emdash; the first year in which estimates of cyclist fatalities were recorded. (5) Cyclists killed IN 1932. The 350 cyclists killed in 1932 accounted for 1.3% of the 27,979 persons who died in traffic crashes that year. (5) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ************************************************** Interesting data there Fair. Would you please tell us about the Bicycle almanac. Publisher, etc. Never heard of it. thanks. |
Originally Posted by pinkpowa
(Post 7177895)
There are thunderstorms about 180 days in Central Florida. I'm a yearround commuter. Just pedal faster.
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/key/HTML/tstmhazards.htm according to the forecast the next 5 days will all have thunderstorms, and heavy rain :twitchy::rolleyes: |
Originally Posted by ThreLittleBirds
(Post 7181434)
+1 to that. It rains every single day in the summer, actually it is raining here right now.
according to the forecast the next 5 days will all have thunderstorms, and heavy rain :twitchy::rolleyes: |
Originally Posted by Pinyon
(Post 7177930)
I work on a college campus, and two graduate students were struck by lightening last week. One died right there, and the other is still in a coma. You can ride the same day that it is storming, but DON'T ride during an event. We used to hide-out under bridges, or stop somewhere for a drink or a bite to eat during thunder storms when I lived in Florida...
http://www.jacksonholestartrib.com/a...97006268da.txt |
Originally Posted by rumrunn6
(Post 7177249)
Riding in heavy rain is STUPID.
Please remind me the next time I do it. Thank you very much. |
Hey aren't rubber tires insulators?
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Originally Posted by rumrunn6
(Post 7183519)
Hey aren't rubber tires insulators?
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So, let me get this straight... Every year in the US:
Approximately 70 people die from lightning Approximately 700 die while riding a bike Approximately 14,000 die in falls Approximately 43,000 die in car accidents I'll take my chances with the lightning on the bike rather than take the stairs in the parking garage to get into a coworker's car. |
I've seen a guy get hit by lightning. It was on Daytona Beach. One not too large cloud rolled in from over the ocean. The first lightning strike hit a guy about 75 yards from me. He dropped like a rock & never moved after that. He was picked up by an ambulance within a few minutes. My guess is that he died immediately.
Of course, I'm pretty wary of lightning. But, I commute to work most days on a bicycle & don't check weather reports. And this time of year in Florida, there is rain & lightning storms almost every day. |
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Originally Posted by FreddyV
(Post 7148555)
Who lets that stand in their commuting way?
I know I do. Yesterday I thought it would be great weather for bike commuting. Nice and warm, sunny. So I'd pack up the panniers and head to work by bike. Not... It's raining quite hard right now. That doesn't bother me too much. There's also a thunderstorm hanging around here, that just won't blow over. I have to ride in a bunch of totally open roads, which doesn't really make me feel comfortable. Anyone know of any commuters getting hit by lightning? |
I'll go if there is a threat of storms (it paid off big time this week), but I'll seek cover if I get close to a storm. This really isn't enough according to the experts, though, because they say that lightning can strike ten miles from the center of the storm. A good way to tell if there's electrical storms is to tune to an AM station. You will hear the RF discharge sounding almost like a "cough" of static. If you here it pretty clearly, there's an active storm within 20 miles +/- 20 miles :)
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Originally Posted by harleyfrog
(Post 7177285)
rumrunn6: I used to ride my Harley to work (40 miles each way) and had a few thunderstorms. Oh, and rain drops hurt at 50 mph!!! :eek: But the scariest were the times I rode in the rain at night. That, my friend, is insane.
Video 1 HOLY CRAP!! Thanks for sharing, drjava. |
Originally Posted by nmanhipot
(Post 7185812)
Dude, you're so funny. You have any pictures of the Fredkenstein?
http://lh3.ggpht.com/eric.speas/SHI8...jpg?imgmax=512 Of course, subject to (several) future upgrades and enhancements. ;) |
Hello old thread. It's gorgeous (high 70's and sunny) right now. 50% chance of T-storms tonight. I'll risk it. It's only 4 miles. What's the worst that could happen? :innocent:
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