Another pathetic dim witted tweeting driver...

[glenn forger]

Six out of thirty million isn't "the vast majority".

 

[Archie_tect]

I am going to keep on saying this, so sorry. She is a kid. 17. I would guess quite a few of us have kids of this sort of age. She has passed her test. Got Mum's car. Adopted Top Gear attitudes because she doesn't know any better. imagine she is your daughter for a moment. What are you going to do?

Imagine for a moment that her parents may hold similarly expressed forthright views... and all her friends since she is confident enough to say such things without being challenged by her peer group...

 

[nickyboy]

Any advance on one?

Three hundred and seventeen. I keep a little notebook in my breast pocket for precisely this reason. It was only a matter of time before someone asked me for supporting evidence

 

[Apollonius]

I did say that. As a former teacher I am aware that kids reflect their parents' attitudes. How can the public be educated against what the Times called "geriatric adolescent" attitudes?

 

[Archie_tect]

Six out of thirty million isn't "the vast majority".

Never said it was a majority Glenn, just being helpful - you asked for examples.

 

[glenn forger]

If you ask car drivers they all will claim that two abreast is an ignorant way to ride and not considerate of other road users.

Based on one example?

 

[Archie_tect]

You can try to educate people to think a different way, but telling people things is unlikely to change their opinions- it needs shock therapy. You can't shock ignorant people into thinking riding 2 abreast is either advisable or sensible, or even legal, any more than you can get them to drive slower voluntarily because it save fuel and helps to prevent collisions.

 

[nickyboy]

You only need a small sample to be able to say, with statistical confidence whether the vast majority of a whole population exhibits certain characteristics.

If you had a bag with 30million balls in it and I said the vast majority were white, how many would you need to pull out to determine whether I was right or not?

 

[Archie_tect]

To be fair nicky, Glenn would have to take out 15,000,001 because, unless you knew the answer and weren't guessing, that's the only way to be certain.

 

[nickyboy]

I think there needs to be a CC "lets understand basic statistics" thread.

 

[Archie_tect]

Very good.... first one to statistically define 'vast' gets this coconut... [it's not a real coconut]

 

[Archie_tect]

At least this diversion has deflected the IT underground from dissecting poor old Chloe's life apart.

 

[jefmcg]

Car drivers certainly can be idiots about two abreast. I remember riding 2 abreast with a friend in Berkshire, and passing cars kept tooting. So I moved behind her, but the same distance from the kerb as before, ie we were now actually taking up more space on the road, but we weren't "two abreast". Nary a peep from any further motorists.

 

[John the Monkey]

There was a time that a majority of people believed the earth to be flat; that the sun revolved around the earth.

They were not correct (or incorrect, for that matter) simply because they were numerous.

 

[Archie_tect]

Ah but how many people thought the world was flat?