02-16-2019, 11:45 PM
Long time ago, in a gallaxy...
My first job had me driving, twice a week on average, to a customer installation some 180 km from the office. The road was known as "the way to hell, both ways". I was driving a tiny fiat600 car (third owner), with the engine at the back and a miniature luggage compartment up front. (The disigner's idea was that your luggage will be a "natural crumple zone" and will protect you in case of a frontal collision. Since all I had in there was a couple of diagnostic manuals and a test-tool kit, I did not feel protected at all).
I installed a seat-belt and rode with my motorcycle helmet on. On both counts, I was considered certifiable. Specifically, to prefer to be strapped into the vehice instead of "being thrown clear" from the wreck is something I never heard the end of. ("If what you did made any sense, wouldn't the car manufacturer put those in?")
In the 30-odd customer support personnel office, in my three years on that job, we had one of my colleauges killed on the road, tho injured and a whole lot of minor traffic accidents.
I've never driven a car with a helmet on since, or the motorcycle without one, regardless of the legal consequences of my actions. However, I refuse to pack a cell phone on solo hikes in the mountains. My sentiment that this would completely destroy whatever emotional benefit I derive from hiking up into those mountains makes me, in the eyes of my mountaineering friends, certifiable.
You just can't keep all the people happy all the time...
My first job had me driving, twice a week on average, to a customer installation some 180 km from the office. The road was known as "the way to hell, both ways". I was driving a tiny fiat600 car (third owner), with the engine at the back and a miniature luggage compartment up front. (The disigner's idea was that your luggage will be a "natural crumple zone" and will protect you in case of a frontal collision. Since all I had in there was a couple of diagnostic manuals and a test-tool kit, I did not feel protected at all).
I installed a seat-belt and rode with my motorcycle helmet on. On both counts, I was considered certifiable. Specifically, to prefer to be strapped into the vehice instead of "being thrown clear" from the wreck is something I never heard the end of. ("If what you did made any sense, wouldn't the car manufacturer put those in?")
In the 30-odd customer support personnel office, in my three years on that job, we had one of my colleauges killed on the road, tho injured and a whole lot of minor traffic accidents.
I've never driven a car with a helmet on since, or the motorcycle without one, regardless of the legal consequences of my actions. However, I refuse to pack a cell phone on solo hikes in the mountains. My sentiment that this would completely destroy whatever emotional benefit I derive from hiking up into those mountains makes me, in the eyes of my mountaineering friends, certifiable.
You just can't keep all the people happy all the time...