this post was submitted on 01 Jun 2024
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xkcd #2940: Modes of Transportation (sh.itjust.works)
submitted 4 months ago by brbposting@sh.itjust.works to c/xkcd@lemmy.world
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xkcd #2940: Modes of Transportation

https://xkcd.com/2940

Explain xkcd #2940

Title Text:

My bold criticism might anger the hot air balloon people, which would be a real concern if any of them lived along a very narrow line directly upwind of me.

alt-text:A chart that categorizes various modes of transportation based on their practicality and danger level:

Zone of Practicality:

  • Trains
  • Airliners
  • Boats
  • Walking
  • Cars
  • Scooters
  • Bicycles

Zone of Specialty and Recreational Vehicles:

  • Motorcycles
  • Helicopters
  • Light aircraft
  • Go karts
  • Skateboards
  • Rollerblades
  • Skis
  • Unicycles
  • Sleds
  • Bumper cars

?????:

  • Hot air balloons

“Hot air balloons are the optimal mode of transportation, if your optimization algorithm has a sign error.”

top 26 comments
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[–] thirstyhyena@lemmy.world 1 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Bicycles are only more dangerous than cars because of cars.

[–] rockerface@lemm.ee 1 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Also, only less convenient than cars because of cars

[–] EddoWagt@feddit.nl 0 points 4 months ago (1 children)

That's just not true, try getting groceries on your bike

[–] parlaptie@feddit.de 0 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Literally how I always do my grocery shopping.

[–] EddoWagt@feddit.nl 0 points 4 months ago (1 children)

For a family or only for yourself?

[–] parlaptie@feddit.de 1 points 4 months ago

I only live by myself but if you need larger shipping trips, there's cargo bikes for that.

[–] Turun@feddit.de 0 points 4 months ago (1 children)

This is wildly dependent on infrastructure. Both for the convenience and danger axis.

[–] cucumber_sandwich@lemmy.world 0 points 4 months ago (1 children)

But hardly for hot air balloons

[–] Turun@feddit.de 0 points 4 months ago

Yeah, the joke and alt text are delivered quite nicely.

[–] snaggen@programming.dev 0 points 4 months ago (1 children)

The fact that airplane travel is safer than cars is a myth invented to promote airplane travel. Well, it is not fully a myth, but to get to that result they measure per mile, and that greatly favor airplane travel. If you instead measure how likely you are to die on your next trip, then the dangers of airplane travel will significantly exceed car travel and other means of transportation.

[–] Electricblush@lemmy.world 0 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (1 children)

This is complete horseshit.

Are you aware how many flights take place every day?

Vs

How many fatal accidents pr flight?

The fact is that almost every time a fatal accident happens in a (commercial) plane anywhere in the world, you hear about it. Because if a plane crashes a lot of people die in one dramatic (and rare) event.

Fatal car accidents litteraly happen every minute of every day. Almost none of them go on the news. (Cause reporting them all would be impossible).

Let me also post some sources, since you did not:

https://injuryfacts.nsc.org/all-injuries/preventable-death-overview/odds-of-dying/

https://www.icao.int/safety/iStars/Pages/Accident-Statistics.aspx/ Air traffic: (3187 fatalities over 10 years)

https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/road-traffic-injuries (1.19 million people every year die on the road)

[–] snaggen@programming.dev 0 points 4 months ago (1 children)

I think you underestimate the number of trips per car per day. Most people will take more trips by car per month than they will fly for their lifetime. In Sweden , a country of 10 million, we have about 150 people killed per year from car accidents, yet most adults travel by car daily. That is millions of trips per day, and only half a death.

[–] Electricblush@lemmy.world 0 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (1 children)

Sweden , a country of 10 million, we have about 150 people killed per year from car accidents

Yes, and how many die every year from plane crashes in sweden?

If we take a relatively big plane (450 passengers) as an example. One has to fall out of the sky every 3. Years to match the car accident number...

3186 deaths over 10 years VS 1.19 million every year.

(This is globally. Sweden and Norway(where i live) will naturally have pretty radically lower numbers then globally when it comes to road safety.)

But look at that air travel number again: 3186. Over 10 years. Globally. Commercial Air travel is fucking safe. Its horrible for the climate. But its safe.

Whatever way you slice those numbers it comes up air travel i safer. Feel free to find actual statistics that contradict me. :)

[–] snaggen@programming.dev 0 points 4 months ago (1 children)
[–] Electricblush@lemmy.world 0 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (1 children)

From your own source:

Since 1997, the number of fatal air accidents has been no more than 1 for every 2,000,000,000 person-miles[c] flown,[citation needed] and thus is one of the safest modes of transportation when measured by distance traveled.

So I guess this is the point you are trying to make?

[–] Turun@feddit.de 0 points 4 months ago

You can argue that "per person miles" is a better metric, but that is completely orthogonal to their initial claim.

[–] Michal@programming.dev 0 points 4 months ago (1 children)

I cant believe bicycles and scooters are perceived as more dangerous than cars. They're slower, offer better visibility, and kill way less people.

[–] awesome_lowlander@lemmy.dbzer0.com 0 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Less dangerous to others, but more dangerous to the users themselves, I suppose.

[–] onion@feddit.de 0 points 4 months ago

Because of cars

[–] MonkderDritte@feddit.de 0 points 4 months ago

With helicopters it's more that they're expensive than unsave.

[–] Jolteon@lemmy.zip 0 points 4 months ago (2 children)

Not sure I'd put unicycles as being safer than bicycles.

[–] Turun@feddit.de 0 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago)

There are basically no unsafe ways to get off of a unicycle. You can fall in any direction and just end up standing next to your unicycle. Compare that to a bicycle "over the handle bars"-accident.

[–] Dave@lemmy.nz 0 points 4 months ago (1 children)

I'd guess it's because unicycles are used in a much narrower range of circumstances. Few people are being hit by cars commuting to work on a unicycle, nor are there many mountain-unicyclists getting injured.

[–] Sidyctism@feddit.de 0 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Which honestly just speaks for the insane amount of training mountain-unicyclists have done

[–] Dave@lemmy.nz 0 points 4 months ago (1 children)

You joke (I think?), but the people I know that do unicycling (including mountain-bike style unicycling, and unicycling Himalayan trails, and crazy stuff like that) do do an insane amount of training 😆

[–] Sidyctism@feddit.de 0 points 4 months ago

I was joking, but i guess now i know what im gonna watch on youtube next