Kenya used to use Datsun, Toyota & Peugeot small pickups as bush taxi’s. These “matatu’s” (the name means “30 cents” in Kiswahili) had a tall cover over the bed. I’ve ridden in them with 21 people in the bed, three standing on the rear bumper and four on the bench seat in the cab. 28 people! I have seen them with 35 people inside.
Those older Freepers remember piling 12 or more kids into a neighbors station wagon (remember those) to go to the lake, pool or beach on a summer day. Or a pickup bed, for that matter.
Safety is an individual choice. Some individuals accept greater risk than others. Even the nanny state cannot control all human behavior.
Our nanny state lets HIV positive folks roam freely, not even restricting employment in the food service industry.
“The EEOC’s guidelines on the employment of food service workers make clear that HIV is not a food-borne disease and that an employee’s or potential employee’s status as HIV-infected is not alone a sound basis on which to base hiring or employment assignment decisions. “
http://www.hivlawandpolicy.org/resourceCategories/view/5
How many can related tales of disgruntled cooks or waiters spitting on a meal? Yet dental professionals often wear face shields to protect themselves from patient saliva.
The CDC says “Blood, saliva, and gingival fluid from ALL dental patients should be considered infective. “
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00023587.htm
As for me, I’d prefer pickup trucks full of people to having HIV patients fixing or serving my restaurant food. If I choose to ride in a pickup bed (or any vehicle) I can check out the driver’s mental & physical state of being. I cannot do that at a restaurant.
Well stated and I agree. And I’ll bet that you have some good stories about your work