Mike Sales wrote:Flinders wrote:axel_knutt wrote:Seatbelts are a good example of the converse: a counterproductive law that got introduced against all the evidence just because it was popular.
I'm not sure I 'get' that- what was counterproductive about it?
The seat belt law did not affect the death rate in cars, but the number of cyclists and pedestrians killed and injured increased.
http://www.john-adams.co.uk/category/seat-belts/
The evidence from states which already had a seat belt law was concealed. See Adams's website also.
I see what you mean. I didn't realise you were including other road users as well as those in cars. I take your point: large 4x4s are very dangerous for pedestrians, for two reasons, one is they are badly designed for pedestrian safety to start with, and the other is that they make drivers feel so safe and separate from the plebs that it turns some of them into selfish, dangerous morons who ignore any laws they fell like ignoring.
The answer is in the first case to make people wear seatbelts but also enforce all the other road laws as well, and in the case of 4x4s, force better design standards, and also enforce all other laws.