Hey Tonks

[tonksy]

I...don't...know...

 

[Inkara1]

That reminds me of the Worst Case Scenario Daily Survival Calendar I bought myself for Christmas. Some of the days, it has a "which is your worst case?" question with no definitive answer.

For Wednesday, January 24:

Which is your worst case?
Being in a car with no brakes
- or -
being on a runaway train?

Be aware:
* You can't move to a safer crash position before impact in a car.
* You can't steer the train.
* If you pull too hard on the car's hand brake, you can put the vehicle into a spin.
* If you apply the brakes on a train, there is the possibility of derailment.

 

[tonksy]

Car definitely...trains derailmants are nasty and the car has a seat belt. I'dd take the spin of the car anyday.

 

[Professur]

Anyone driving a manual would pick car. I can stop mine without brakes fairly easily, given that I survive the event that I was braking for in the first place.

 

[Luis G]

Given enough distance both can be stopped without using the brake system.

 

[chcr]

Given enough distance both can be stopped without using the brake system.

True enough, but the train has a lot more kinetic energy than the car does. I'd take the car.

 

[Professur]

Given enough distance both can be stopped without using the brake system.

The car can be stopped a helluva lot faster than ambient friction will manage. Although, not quite as fast as the average brick wall.

 

[Luis G]

I know, we just need some extra data to know which one to choose.

Personally, I'd go for the car.

 

[Inkara1]

That's all the data given. That's intentional, according to the calendar it came from.

 

[unclehobart]

Car. It has airbags all over the place... and not having a certain sense of control of destiny is just too unnerving. At least in driving a car you have the ability to try a multitude of techniques to slow down. A train is a heckuva lot trickier... unless the train is just grinding along at less than 15 mph. In that case I would just hop off.

 

[Professur]

Neither my car, nor the pickup have any airbags at all.

 

[unclehobart]

Unless the wife is in the car... then you have at least 2.

 

[Professur]

No air there.

 

[unclehobart]

A little surgery can fix that.

 

[BB]

train.

plenty of beer in the buffet car - and depending what you are travelling past, easier to jump out of rather than crash.

 

[Professur]

On BritRail, I might have gone that way. With the EuroTrash that's taken it over.... I'd rather walk.

 

[unclehobart]

Eurotrash insofar as the riders or Eurotrash insofar as upper management cutting everything to the bone?

 

[Professur]

EuroTrash in so far as you've got to check on a german website for the London-Glasgow schedule and can't get ticket prices in Sterling. Fuck 'em.