2Wheeltips

If you created a statistical average of every person in the world, the statistically "correct" person would have one boob and one testicle. Goes to show that just because the mathematical equation ads up, it doesn't mean it's correct.

The "science" of statistics is one fickle bitch that cant be trusted. Not to mention the fact that all statistical analysis dispose of outliers. The mins and the max'.



Back in the real world, we are overflowing with outliers. 9/11 was an outlier. Bill Gates is an outlier. Volcanic eruption in Iceland is an outlier. I guess what I'm saying is that in the real world, there is that one in a million that statistics cant (or doesn't want to?) account for which makes all the difference.

So is the case with shark attacks.



Oft cited statistics regarding sharks is that sharks attack in shallow waters. Really? Attack who?

The studies are made by people and so these studies are people centric. Sharks, according to statistical data, will most commonly attack in 3 ft of water. Now that you know this, you can finally take that swimming route to the other coast via the Atlantic.

How many people can a shark find 100 miles away from the shore? Or for that matter, 1 mile away from the shore?

People scarcity outside the shallows makes it hard for a shark to attack if there is nothing to attack. Er go, statistical data would have you believe that you are perfectly safe from shark attacks in case you find your self stranded in the middle of the ocean. Statistically speaking of course.

Another piece of statistical data is that most motorcycle accidents occur within a 12 mile radius of your home. Really?



Could this be another example of the shark tricking the statistician? I think so.

Every time you get on your motorcycle you will pass through the 12 mile radius of your house. The routes beyond that 12 mile point are likely to be different (or at least not consistent), er go, you will spend more time (statistically speaking) within the 12 mile radius than any one spot outside it. Do you think this will skew the results? Most definitely.

Moral of the story? Be careful. Both within the 12 mile radius and beyond and don't believe all the math all the time.

Dino Out

NHTSA has just released accident statistics for 2008 (it takes them 2 years to collate the data).

This info was brought to our attention by the great David Hough, author of Proficient Motorcycling  and other must-read titles

Note that the total motorcycle fatalities continued to climb, even though the fatality rate for 2007 dropped a mere 2%.

Read the details here http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/pubs/811159.pdf

 

hi everyone, im from manila philippines and been driving my bike for almost 5 years now..i got my first honda xrm 2005 but unfortunately after 11 months of use, it got stolen....i got my 2nd bike after a week, same brand too. And as of this time i still have it and been enjoying the ride of my bike and the look of it.
Ive been thinking of writing to set of whats on my mind.....indeed, here in manila, the population of bike users got tremendously high,  because of gas price hike and the worsening traffic condition. But in line of this risening population of bike users is the risening of road accidents....
Ive seen videos of accidents  by bike riders and man, sometimess i cant stand the look of it. Almost everyday when i ride my bike, i meet riders  that ride their bikes as if there is no tomorrow.....and almost everytime they pisses me off...
For me we bike riders have the already the advantage in terms of gasoline usage and time travel and what i cant understand is that some riders use the roads as race tracks, remember we still are prone to accidents because we only have to wheels. And these kinds of attitutude will most likely meet accidents....why not try to use your riding talents and speeding bikes in the proper venue, there are legal race competitions that you can join....in here if you win, you'll be recognize and will be rewarded.....in the streets, you will receive nothing and is prone to accidents......in the proper race venue, if you win you will be put in the magazine coz of recognition, but in the streets.....well, you can also be put in the newspaper, the reason.....ACCIDENT..., well everyone, i hope somehow i have shared whats on my mind.....
safe riding everyone and god bless us all.

A friend of mine recently responded to an accident scene involving a motorcycle (the driver made a left turn in front of the bike). Unfortunately the biker did not survive the crash,  but to make matters worse,  the police and medical personnel had a difficut time identifying the rider and his emergency contact information.
Most of us have our In Case of Emergency (ICE) information in our phones (most newer phones have ICE), but what if we are incapacitatied and our phone is locked or damaged. Even when we ride in a group, how many of us know each others ICE info? I believe all riders and passengers , at a minimum, should carry their ICE information on a laminated card in their wallet,  jacket,  and somewhere on the bike to avoid becoming a John or Jane Doe. This card could also contain a brief medical history, list of medications, and allergies which can be very useful to medical personnel responding to an accident scene.