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Friday, July 6, 2012

How many babies does it take to stuff a green pepper?

I have no idea but maybe this person who emailed me does.

from: j.kelley
to: cj@thiscrazytrain.com
date: Wed, Jul 4, 2012 at 4:31 PM
subject: go and seatbelts


Can you tell me why it's only transportation on roadways and in the air that require use of seatbelts? Ever notice how there are no seatbelts on trains or buses or boats? Please advise. I've been considering a petition to GO Transit about seatbelt implementation on their buses and trains.


from: CJ Smith
to: j.kelley@xxxxxxxx.com
date: Wed, Jul 4, 2012 at 5:11 PM
subject: Re: go and seatbelts


Good question. In fact, you've actually asked the most authorized person in Canada this question. Double the fact, there's no one better!!! It all comes down to traffic, speed, design and risk. Do I feel buses should have seatbelts? Yes! But they don't. Why? Traditional buses, such as school and GO buses, are designed differently than cars. The seats are designed to act as barriers. It's been suggested through studies that seatbelts would actually add to injuries. Wide-format buses, such as the TTC buses that have bench seats facing each other, are death traps in my opinion. Too much aisle space. Too much opportunity for people to be thrown around.
Seatbelts are good for one thing - to restrain and secure. When your car hits another car, or a tree, or a wall, or rolls over, a seatbelt keeps you from being thrown from the vehicle due to the suddenness of the stop. A GO train takes a loooooonnnnnnggggg time to slow down. Very rarely would a train come to a sudden stop. Even if it hit a bridge, it would probably keep going. Most likely, the ones who would be injured are the ones who are standing and sitting on steps. Airplanes have belts to prevent passengers from becoming moving projectiles in the event of a sudden drop in altitude and severe turbulence. Much like a rollover in a car, a moving body can do a lot of damage to other passengers in a plane.
There's a lot of research on Google about the use of seatbelts. Good luck with your petition. I don't think you'll have much success considering there is so much debate and research that has been done against it.


from: j.kelley
to: cj@thiscrazytrain.com
date: Wed, Jul 4, 2012 at 5:17 PM
subject: Re: go and seatbelts


Boats?


from: CJ Smith
to: j.kelley@xxxxxxxx.com
date: Wed, Jul 4, 2012 at 5:19 PM
subject: Re: go and seatbelts


Google?


from: j.kelley
to: cj@thiscrazytrain.com
date: Wed, Jul 4, 2012 at 5:21 PM
subject: Re: go and seatbelts


What about the fact that people in wheelchairs have to strap the chairs in on trains and buses?


from: CJ Smith
to: j.kelley@xxxxxxxx.com
date: Wed, Jul 4, 2012 at 5:22 PM
subject: Re: go and seatbelts


Are they wearing belts in the wheelchair? Perhaps to stop the chair from rolling around over other passengers' feet?


from: j.kelley
to: cj@thiscrazytrain.com
date: Wed, Jul 4, 2012 at 5:27 PM
subject: Re: go and seatbelts


So will you help with my petition because I also think it's time the Government of Ontario mandate that drivers and passengers wear helmets in cars and buses. They want to make it mandatory for cyclists. It should be mandatory for everyone.


from: CJ Smith
to: j.kelley@xxxxxxxx.com
date: Wed, Jul 4, 2012 at 5:28 PM
subject: Re: go and seatbelts


How many babies does it take to stuff a green pepper?


from: j.kelley
to: cj@thiscrazytrain.com
date: Wed, Jul 4, 2012 at 5:40 PM
subject: Re: go and seatbelts


Why would you ask me that?


from: CJ Smith
to: j.kelley@xxxxxxxx.com
date: Wed, Jul 4, 2012 at 5:41 PM
subject: Re: go and seatbelts


I don't think you're for real.


from: j.kelley
to: cj@thiscrazytrain.com
date: Wed, Jul 4, 2012 at 5:42 PM
subject: Re: go and seatbelts


You're the one talking about killing babies and stuffing them into peppers. Why would you ask me that?


from: CJ Smith
to: j.kelley@xxxxxxxx.com
date: Wed, Jul 4, 2012 at 5:42 PM
subject: Re: go and seatbelts


I said no such thing and the correct answer is none. A pepper is too small to stuff a baby into.


from: j.kelley
to: cj@thiscrazytrain.com
date: Wed, Jul 4, 2012 at 5:43 PM
subject: Re: go and seatbelts


You're weird.

8 comments:

TT said...

It's ridiculous to have seat belts on trains and boats. I think you're right this guy isn't for real.

Sylv said...

I will sign that petition as soon as it is mandatory for cyclists to wear seat belts.

C.J. Smith said...

And motorcyclists!!!

Bicky said...

Hey, I just want cyclists to not bring their frickin' bikes on the train during rush hour... and obey the rules of the road. Yeah, let's get them to buckle up while they're at it...

On the baby stuffing a pepper front, I read it to be like how many lawyers does it take to change a lightbulb. How many babies does it take to stuff a pepper? Who knows? Babies put everything in their mouths so it would take a lot to get them to stuff a pepper.

I think the humidity has gotten to me.

Anonymous said...

Yeah, you go C.J.!

And you never specified baby humans in the green peppers...what about baby cattle and piggies? Those are really yummy in green peppers mixed with rice and tomato and spices...

Squiggles said...

I read the Baby/Pepper the same way Bicky!

As for the writer? Holy Nanny State Batman! Apparently, you can legislate stupid.

And, I think until the train actually leaves the tracks and hits the bridge, things should remain status quo. Or maybe use the "money" that Nanny State wants wasted on seat belts to go towards adding cars and trains so everyone can get a seat to start with. No sense in having belts if half the people are standing.

TomW said...

There was a study in the UK a few years ago looking at whether or not trains should have seatbelts. It concluded they should not, because if a train derails and overturns, passengers can end up suspended in the air. This hinders rescue efforts.

When cars hit things, the car stops very quickly, but you keep going at 100km/hr (or whatever the speed was pre-crash). Without a seatbelt you hit/pass through the windshield (or the person in front of you in if you're in the back). Trains in crashes take far longer to slow down, so the seatbelt doesn't save you from much.

Matt said...

My guess is that it has something to do with the frequency of passenger boarding/de-boarding (if de-boarding is a word?). On a plane, aside from the speed and turbulence factors, you’re pretty much captive until it lands. On a train, subway, streetcar, bus and anything else I’ve forgotten, there is frequent “passenger” exchange which would make seatbelts impractical. Not to mention that in most cases, if you are lucky enough to get a seat, the seats are not exactly ergonomically designed for you to be fiddling around for a seatbelt next to your fellow commuter’s ass cheek.