Honda UK ask the British goverment for a baleout...

[Mega]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wiltshire-18996759

Note the(Threat) last line.

Mike

[GRG55]

Re: Honda UK ask the British goverment for a baleout...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-wiltshire-18996759

Note the(Threat) last line.

Mike

Your thread title is worthy of the late News of the World...where's the baleout (sic) request??

And where's the "threat"? The last line is a typical response from a union rep looking to the government to "do something" to save his membership's jobs.

Jim D'Avila, regional officer for the Unite union, said: "The recession is biting deep and big successful companies like Honda are struggling to maintain a sensible level of production to retain everyone's employment. "Something governmental has to happen otherwise people's jobs are going to be at risk long-term."

Just like the USA, it's going to be a very long time before Europeans buy anywhere near as many cars as they did during the bubble years.

At least Honda has the option of moving their customers down market...





...or up market...

[sunpearl71]

Re: Honda UK ask the British goverment for a baleout...

Is there a trend developing here?

See this news item about Tata Steel's plea to the UK Govt to help clear obstacles in the economy, including government levies higher than in France and Germany.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-18988592

[Chris Coles]

Re: Honda UK ask the British goverment for a baleout...

Ultimately, the problem carries right across the Western economies.

A combination of government rules designed to assist their increasing grip on rising levels of borrowing from the financial markets while at one and the same time, maintaining tax income from the major financial corporations; has brought us all to the point where everyone has forgotten that it is only recently that government has become the source of funding for just about everything. Research; Development; Job creation; you name it.

While, on the other hand, for those that could afford to do so, many trillions of what would have been productive investment back into their local communities; has instead, been "Off shored" to keep it out of the hands of guess who? Government!

The only way out of this is for the trillions to be re-invested back as new productive investment. For financial institutions to return to funding long term research, development, and new small businesses.

Food for thought!

[Mega]

Re: Honda UK ask the British goverment for a baleout...

There are TOO many car factory production..........time to shut some!!

[BadJuju]

Re: Honda UK ask the British goverment for a baleout...

I would really, really like to see people transition to motorcycles. Forget cars! Trade that bulky, costly mess for something that costs $2,000-4,000 for really, really good entry level motorcycles. Go from 20 mpg to 80-100 mpg. Insurance can be really cheap. Got mine for $150 a year without any driving experience. Maintenance is easy and generally accessible for most people. And they are just fun.

[c1ue]

Re: Honda UK ask the British goverment for a baleout...

Got mine for $150 a year without any driving experience.

That's because if a motorcycle gets into a serious accident, more than likely there will be no hospital bills to pay:

http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/810990.PDF

“Per vehicle mile traveled, motorcyclists are about 35 times more likely than passenger car occupants to die in a traffic crash.”

[BadJuju]

Re: Honda UK ask the British goverment for a baleout...

Crashes are very rare events and you can influence the rarity of them greatly. Somewhere around half of all motorcycle crashes are caused by drinking. Furthermore, many of the deaths and injuries that do occur could have been prevented by wearing proper gear. Way too many people forego proper helmets or leathers. As it is, the only thing I feared on the road were other vehicles. If more people drove motorcycles, the roads would be safer.

[c1ue]

Re: Honda UK ask the British goverment for a baleout...

Crashes are very rare events and you can influence the rarity of them greatly. Somewhere around half of all motorcycle crashes are caused by drinking.

I agree crashes are relatively rare, but 35 times the fatality rates is non-trivial. Also, removing half of the drinking related rates doesn't really drop the higher chance of death into the realm of the sanguine.

However, your numbers are wrong. The same report notes that only 28% of fatalities were drunk, and more than half (59%) were wearing a helmet.

Other disturbing trends: the fatality rate for motorcycles is actually going up even as passenger car fatality rates are going down.

[lakedaemonian]

Re: Honda UK ask the British goverment for a baleout...

I agree crashes are relatively rare, but 35 times the fatality rates is non-trivial. Also, removing half of the drinking related rates doesn't really drop the higher chance of death into the realm of the sanguine.

However, your numbers are wrong. The same report notes that only 28% of fatalities were drunk, and more than half (59%) were wearing a helmet.

Other disturbing trends: the fatality rate for motorcycles is actually going up even as passenger car fatality rates are going down.

Motorcycle accidents and deaths would be trending up in the wealthy west as sales/ridership has exploded in the last 10-15 years depending on location(although sales have come off the boil in the last few years), but the population of road registered bikes is what matters.

Are the rise in fatalities based on total or proportional numbers?

[GRG55]

Re: Honda UK ask the British goverment for a baleout...

My medical doctor friends refer to them as "donorcycles"...

[flintlock]

Re: Honda UK ask the British goverment for a baleout...

My medical doctor friends refer to them as "donorcycles"...

Thats a good one! Can I borrow that?

The only problem I have with riding a bike is all the big cars and trucks out there, and their driver's brains which dont seem to see motorcycles very well. If not for that I might even own one. The perfect cheap fun ride,at least in good weather. But the reality of three kids and a wife, and my desire to remain alive, means i'll stick to 4 wheels, surrounded by steel and airbags.

Man do I miss that youthful feeling of invunerability. I lost a friend on HS graduation day to a motorcycle crash. Drinking was involved. I Used to live across the street from some real diehard biker types. The type that dont even own a car. Long beards,etc. They assured me if you rode long enough, you would have some bad accidents. They had lost several friends. Another friend wrecked his bike on the way to sell it (because his wife was worried about him riding). But I am having a hard time remembering any friend dying in a car accident, unless I count the time an old lady killed my friend Witt, who was killed directing her into a garage bay. She Hit the gas instead of the brake. 35x sounds right to me.

[flintlock]

Re: Honda UK ask the British goverment for a baleout...

Crashes are very rare events and you can influence the rarity of them greatly. Somewhere around half of all motorcycle crashes are caused by drinking. Furthermore, many of the deaths and injuries that do occur could have been prevented by wearing proper gear. Way too many people forego proper helmets or leathers. As it is, the only thing I feared on the road were other vehicles. If more people drove motorcycles, the roads would be safer.

Agree, but its not like Vietnam where everyone is on a scooter. Combination of large trucks and SUVs and cell phones , all sharing the road with bikes makes me cringe. A lot of geezers out there also with fat wallets but little experience, buying too much bike.

[lakedaemonian]

Re: Honda UK ask the British goverment for a baleout...

My medical doctor friends refer to them as "donorcycles"...

I ride often and have been spending increasing amounts of time with ER staff.....it's definitely a common expression for ER staff down here....IF not entirely true....if only because serious motorcycle accident trauma victims don't have much worthy of donation if it's bad enough.

I reckon I will always ride as long as I am physically able........nothing worth doing in life is without risk.

Having said that I've been jumping out of a fair few airplanes this year.....that has made motorcycle commuting in a small city seem extremely tame by comparison.

We have a system called ACC, which is a government owned insurance scheme.....paid for by employers(premiums based on workplace/industry risk) car registration, and motorcycle registrations.

Unfortunately, bicycles are not registered and horses are not registered...nor are farm bikes(they are considered farm machinery but count as motorcycle accidents when they occur).

Knowing a fair few horsey people......the numbr of accidents that occur with horses is far more than I would have thought.......they are downright dangerous! I think I'll stick to iron horses.

[lakedaemonian]

Re: Honda UK ask the British goverment for a baleout...

Agree, but its not like Vietnam where everyone is on a scooter. Combination of large trucks and SUVs and cell phones , all sharing the road with bikes makes me cringe. A lot of geezers out there also with fat wallets but little experience, buying too much bike.

A few months back in SEA I was once again stunned at the organized chaos of a jillion scooters and trucks and bikes and cars on the road......so many times I thought....amazing.....no accidents.....until I saw one....rather nasty.