And I'm not sure if your 'but those are accidental' argument makes sense. If the guy falls or drops something it will obviously be an accident as well. Is there really a difference between what he does and me getting on my bike and riding in the presence of pedestrians? I.e. if I really wanted to I could also walk, which would reduce the risk towards others. Should I stop riding my bike for that?
There's a difference of scale, for sure. If you crash onto someone with your bike you won't necesarily kill them, you might not even injure them. But with what this guy is doing, one mistake means uncertain death (he will certainly die, we just don't know exactly how).
Obviously, if he hits someone on the way down, that someone is also dead on the spot. I don't think that's such a big issue though. For me it's just stupid to do something that dangerous for the fame of it, especially if you risk encouraging others doing the same.
People driving around me by car (whether I'm by bike or car or ...) usually also don't benefit me personally. On the contrary. Also there's a ton of car driving going on which to me seems completely unnecessary (e.g. I know people driving to a store 3 times a week, and I know for a fact the products they buy would be just as good if only bought once a week, and I'm not even speaking about the extra emissions of the car). I actually know of accidents caused by people in perfect health which as such in my opinion could just as well have taken their bike out in the sunny weather to go to the bakery 1 kilometre from their house.
Apart from that, being no stranger to extreme sports and random 'weird' behaviour myself, I also think about it in another way: what this guy does is in no way beneficial to me or you but maybe it is beneficial for him. He did this already before sharing it with millions and I'm pretty sure that is not his main driving force. 'Adrenaline addiction' or whatever you want to call it is likely pretty real from him. At least it is for me. And what happens to me mentally when I don't get my shot is not nice. So yes, this behaviour is sort of necessary to be able to function normally and feel alive. Though I do try not to things which might put other people at risk.
The city, which inspects buildings after construction is complete, has no record of having inspected those cables since the garage at Brazos and East Sixth streets was finished in 1981, city spokeswoman Sylvia Arzola said
Using multiple strings of high-tension, half-inch cables as a parking lot barrier in lieu of concrete walls is increasingly common, according to an Austin structural engineer, and is listed as an acceptable alternative in city and international building standards.
http://www.mystatesman.com/news/local/year-old-cables-played...
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/feb/19/winter-weather...
Cranes toppling is also not that uncommon of an occurrence.
Not to mention that you are literally placing the life of you and your fellow riders in the hands of every driver in the incoming traffic...I mean, think about that chance, where 1 in a 1000+ drivers you encounter is doing either one of these..
1. Texting and driving 2. Is drunk 3. Just having a very bad day..
Tell me, what is the justification for taking your family on a joy ride on a highway..
Truth is, the capitalistic society at large encourages vehicle use. That thousands of lives are lost in accidents every year is mentioned, but not highlighted. There are things that warn you about the dangers of smoking. But there are no such thing that prompts you to ask the question, "Is this ride really necessary?" when you are getting into a car.
A lot of things that we do can be attributed to just this selective shunning of society.
Cars have all sorts of safety features, crumple zones, mandatory seat-belts etc. It's more dangerous to be hit by a car than be inside it I reckon, though car-on-car collisions would be an additional hazard to drivers.
> think about that chance, where 1 in a 1000+ drivers you encounter
is 0.001 the actual figure for that probability? larger motorways with counter-flow traffic usually have lane separators.
I'm not sure what "having a bad day" means, but drivers caught drink driving are harshly punished. also, it should be possibly to spot suspicious drivers early on in many instances.
I'd argue whether a driver who was not paying attention is likely to do anything as severe as swerve into counter-traffic harshly enough for the collision to result in severe death or injury.
> the capitalistic society at large encourages vehicle use
As opposed to what kind of society? People like driving cars even if it's not economical.
> thousands of lives are lost in accidents every year is mentioned, but not highlighted
what's that as a percentage of all car use? Dangerous or inattentive driving is the cause of most accidents; the same is not true of smoking. And generally, technology and regulation is improving.
https://www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars/pdf/10lcid_all_deaths_by_...
And the largest part of that has until recently been car accidents (comprising the larger transportation related catagory)
http://www.techtimes.com/articles/164522/20160612/car-crashe...
Now apparently its drug overdose, which is one of those cases where intent (aka suicide) isn't always clear.
But by far the most dangerous thing your average american does everyday is get in a car, and that is by a large margin.
*this is why the focus on "terrorism" and "gun control" both piss me off, seatbelt, airbag, backup cameras, etc laws save more lives every month than all the terrorism related activity in the last couple decades, despite the government spending orders of magnitude more on the latter.
> by far the most dangerous thing your average american does everyday is get in a car, and that is by a large margin
Not true if the frequency is ignored. Landmines kill fewer Americans, but stepping on one is more dangerous than stepping in a car.
Some, yes.
I would fine a world where all risks are forbidden to be very sad. I've climbed plenty of cranes and rope-swinged many bridges and viaducts. Of course it's illegal, but for me that's what brings pleasure to my life. Of course I could fall and pancake on the floor. Of course that'll cost the society. But I work, and I cycle instead of driving to work, so I suppose that I would cost the same in average.
As for the bridges and viaducts, there's either a river underneath (some fish may be harmed), or a plain forest.
So no, no passerby is "put at risk". The risk is very low. It seems dangerous swinging from a crane, but the gear is meant for that. Driving to work is way more dangerous.