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Re: Segways banned in Britain
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Originally Posted by Courtneyb1023
...I guess with the percentage of overweight people in this country specifically, anything that gets us up and moving is a plus.
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You may have hit on the real long-term market driver for Segways and any future similar personal mobility devices -- obesity. Yesterday I heard an NPR piece citing recent research that shows 25% of today's Americans are obese, compared with 7% in some reference year (20 years ago, I think).
Right now the Segway is seen by most people as toy for well-heeled technology enthusiasts. In a few years it may be seen as a mobility aid for fat people.
[BTW, at 72" height and 215 lb., I am clearly overweight and borderline obese by CDC standards. So maybe I'll be one of the Segway-riding fat people myself.]
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A few years of stress is worth a lifetime of opportunity. - omegasis25 [more] 
24-08-2006, 10:59
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