This video WILL make you SLOW DOWN

X 2

Slowing down would not have prevented any of what I viewed ... might have lessened the the injury / damage .... but proper road safety campaigns would be about "preventing" the injuries and damage.

Interesting to note the pedestrian who just stepped out from in between vehicles without checking traffic ....... sad .... but the outcome was to be expected.

I can only echo comments in regard to driving as per the conditions ... and being alert.

How can you say that slowing down would not have prevented some of these? The slower you go the more time you have to react. Some of the drivers shown were simply driving too fast for the situation. The pedestrian stepped out from behind a vehicle but they were on a pedestrian crossing. But at the end of the day it's just another ad, soon to be forgotten.

Before anyone sits behind the wheel of a car for their first driving lesson, they have already had about 16 years of attitude training from their parents. if anyone wants to keep their kids safe; lead by example.

You are dead right mate, I cut people out of cars for a living for more years than I care to remember.

The only way to really prevent these things from happening is for somehow to get through to everyone that the road is a shared resource and everyone has a right to use it in accordance with the law and with common sense.

There is a group within the community the thinks the car is an extension of themselves.

These shock horror ads only have a very limited effect for a short time.

To blame poor roads and bad conditions is counter productive, there are no "Bad Roads" in Aus, just a lot of people who fail to drive to the conditions.

You can drive as slow as you want .... govt can enforce 10kph speed limits country wide ....

But if the driver is too busy playing with a mobile phone, not watching the road, a pedestrian darts in front of the vehicle .... or whatever ....

Then all the incidents in that trumped up video will still occur ...... but with less injury / damage.

Real road safety is about prevention ... not minimisation.

And "attitude" as you mentioned .... particularly driving attitude ... is something that should be addressed.

additionally Rob ....

I wasnt referring to the pedestrian run down by the dangerous driver, weaving through traffic ignoring ped x-ing signs .....

I was referring to the jaywalking pedestrian - portrayed as being hit by the commodore ... in front of a hairdressers, halfway down a street ......


Pedestrian crossings are an anomoly too ....

They dont give carte blanche right to wander in front of traffic any time you feel like it .... Just the same as a 100kph sign doesnt mean you should always be travelling at 100kph.

Oztroopy,

Oh yeah, I see who you were referring to now.

I'd hate to point out that pedestrian crossings technically DO give the pedestrian the right to cross whenever they like. Just like when you drive through a green light. Do YOU slow down and look each way before crossing (like one should)?

I don't really follow your logic comparing it to a speed limit. It would be more like comparing it to driving through a green light. D o you slow down and look both ways before proceeding?

Anyone who doesn't look both ways at a green light before proceeding is one lucky person to have lived so long! Same as anyone who steps out onto Ped X without looking both ways.

Although I have it on good authority that it is unacceptable conduct to run over idiots who don't.

Actually Rob ... you made my point for me ....

Just because its a marked pedestrian crossing or has signals .... doesnt mean you step onto the road without checking.....

If govt traffic departments advertisements have sent the message that it is "safe" to use crossings without looking .... and pedestrians are "entitled" to do so ........ Are all vehicle drivers - really to blame for pedestrian strikes ?????

The speed sign I thought was an easy comparison .... Just because a govt minister proclaims it safe to drive at the posted limit ...... should one drive at that posted limit when theres a herd of cows crossing the road ???

Why not ..... Its safe .... the bloke on TV said obey the signs ..... LOL

Sometimes I think we are dumber than the cows ....


BTW ... anybody else notice that a bunch of the footage looked like police chase footage ....... escapees generally arent interested in posted limits ....

And I wonder how many of those vehicles suddenly vearing across lanes of traffic were drivers with heart attacks, steering failure, toyota made accelerators ( heh heh ) or something .... most seemed to be doing the same speed as the surrounding vehicles too.


Its a good collection of segments to highlight the carnage that occurs in a vehicle accident ..... I'd support it as a video to promote driver awareness .... but not for its "speed" agenda.

hmmm...

So where exactly does the film clip suggest that it is safe to cross a road without looking? I'd say it shows the opposite.

Are you actually suggesting that if someone fails to give way and causes a crash, the other party is to blame?

FollowupID: 694625 Submitted: Friday, Jul 16, 2010 at 15:35
Rob! posted:
So where exactly does the film clip suggest that it is safe to cross a road without looking? I'd say it shows the opposite.
.................................................................

Nowhere that Im aware of .... My comments about ped x-ing "rights" ... are in response to your posted comment below.


FollowupID: 694621 Submitted: Friday, Jul 16, 2010 at 14:29
Rob! posted:..... I'd hate to point out that pedestrian crossings technically DO give the pedestrian the right to cross whenever they like.........................
..............................................................................................................


As for this comment ...

FollowupID: 694625 Submitted: Friday, Jul 16, 2010 at 15:35
Rob! posted:.... Are you actually suggesting that if someone fails to give way and causes a crash, the other party is to blame?
..................................................................

The answer is no ... as I was asking .....

If a pedestrian is of the attitude they have the right to blindly wander on to the road .... as shown in that video.

Is it the motorists fault for hitting them .. ????

Same as the scene in that video where a driver steps out of the vehicle into a traffic lane without checking - and disappears with a thud .... along with the car door.

Whose at fault ..... someone in a moving vehicle who can have the "speeding" title - applied to them .... or the person obstructing traffic ????

oztroopy,

I think you have an unreasonable issue with pedestrians. So I'll take the pedestrian arguement out.

If two cars are driving on a road that comes to an intesection. One car drives through a green light. The other goes through a red light. They crash. Who is to blame?

Dont expect the law to look after you. The law alone will not keep you safe. Take responsibility for your own actions to ensure crashes do not happen.

To put this into perspective for you. - Driving through a green light without checking the intersection thoroughly is relying solely on the law and its putting you at risk.
What`s blaming the other guy going to fix? its too late. Fact is you allowed a crash to occur, if somebody died or was seriously injured, the blame game is not going to fix that.

You are the only person who can avoid your crash.

FollowupID: 694628 Submitted: Friday, Jul 16, 2010 at 16:18
Rob! posted: .... oztroopy,

I think you have an unreasonable issue with pedestrians. So I'll take the pedestrian arguement out.
.............................................................................

Your the one harping on about pedestrians rights ... i was only replying ....

Pedestrians are only part of the driving equation e.g. In fact if you go back and read an earlier post ...

FollowupID: 694613 Submitted: Friday, Jul 16, 2010 at 12:21
OzTroopy posted: .... You can drive as slow as you want .... govt can enforce 10kph speed limits country wide ....

But if the driver is too busy playing with a mobile phone, not watching the road, a pedestrian darts in front of the vehicle .... or whatever ....
..............................................................................................................


You chose to select pedestrians from three or more - possible scenarios and make a thing of it ..... So whats YOUR agenda .....

In fact you appear to be so excited about championing the rights of pedestrians .... you even missed that I had already answered your intersection crash question ...... yet you didnt have an answer about inattentive pedestrians wandering in front of motorvehicles.

BTW .... Inattentive Pedestrians are not ALL pedestrians ... just the inattentive ones ...

And then theres attentive ones, courteous ones, on holiday ones, going to work ones ... and even some good looking ones .... and then theres the ones who like to carry on about how dangerous it is to wander around on a road with all that traffic ......

Just want to make sure you dont think I paint em all the same.


Im done with this ....

Troopy

It's all about attitude and respect for other road users. Whether they are in a car, motorbike, on a horse or a pedestrian. They safest road users are ones who are curtious and predictable but don't expect or demand the same in return.

If that ad instills this to some degree in people that it has done it's job.

Obviously Notso has'nt driven on Bobin Creek rd nor Nowendoc rd just past Wingham NSW.

As a school bus driver, I travel on these roads twice a day, 5 days a week, and believe me, these two roads are'nt just bad, they are rotten, absolutely rotten, and to think that country councils see nothing wrong in a one-lane road through the bush with blind corners and crests,crossing up to 5 causeways with the safety numbers buried under the scrub/bush.

Just before holidays I came towards a 4WD Patrol, well, guess what, he had to reverse 1 klm before I could pass him,oh yeh, school buses have right of way on one-lane bush roads, we don't reverse.

On Nowendoc rd, at places there, the road is so narrow, the council has put up orange safety netting, how this netting is suppose to stop a vehicle from sliding down into the river beats the hell out of me,all along the road next to river is not one strand of cable or fencing to stop vehicles from crashing into the river, and all this on gravel, muddy, slippery clay surfaces.

Again when I meet other vehicles on this "bad road" they must reverse. The road is as wide as a Coaster, now, can anyone please tell me how two vehicles can pass each other on a 2.1 mtr "bad road" in safety, solid wall of sandstone on right, a 3 mtr drop to river on other.

Sorry mate but we are talking Accident Causation here.

If you travel at a safe speed and paying suitable attention on either of these roads, will you have an accident!

Have you ever had an accident on either of these roads, if not why not since they are so bad! Perhaps if you haven't then you were driving with due care and attention?

I reckon you may be at more danger from the "Little Darlings".

And it's impossible to enforce/penalise tailgaiting with revenue cameras..

Which is why I feel safer driving in Asia and other places that have limited road rules and signs. A great proportion of people here believe exactly what Mr Borger says and so drive completely oblivious to their surroundings. In many other countries where there is a lack of rules etc, you really have to be attentive!

Off-Track,

Excellent point about other countries where road rules are more of a guide than strictly followed. Italy and France are two other good examples.

Drivers learn to be more attentive. Scary but attentive.

I was always taught that you have to assume all other road users are out to get you and will do stupid things just despite you. You learn to look out for and anticipate driving mistakes and give yourself as much time to react as is practical.

I am not an especially skilled driver and I expect most people if they were actually assessed would be the same, but I am experienced and always careful. Everyone makes driving mistakes ALL the time. What is important is how people react to mistakes.

The other major thing I was taught was courtesy. If everyone was courteous, road rage wouldn't exist and there would be fewer accidents. Everyone seems to be in too big a hurry to be courteous.

Alarna I feel for you. He needs to watch it. The one with the mother and son squashed together brought tears to my eyes. Others have put this clip down maybe they are speeders them selves. I use to work with the aftermath (inspecting vehicles, taking family to retrieve personal items) of motor incidents and sure felt like belting some that come in to see their damage as if they concured Mt Everest and survived. I think ego is the problem!!! One did mention above that kids have 16 years of learning from such parents, its scary.

You got a tough problem there Alarna, I was always a 'very quick' driver that took the shortest route to anywhere because there was far less traffic. Now with the grey nomad brigade I am more concentrated on saving petrol, seeing how far I can go on a tank of juice, especially when towing the caravan.

You do get to do some of the driving and that is a positive, unfortunately we can't help here but I would talk to your Dad about it, of course this has issues with family friction as well but you don't want to be 'scared' to go out. Give Dad a call ....

Regards
Paul H

Yep ..... scary stuff indeed Alarna.

But how fast is he driving ????

You only mention going 5kph faster .... Surely 5kph is not enough to need the phone in your hand preset to 000 ????

If someone cant drive at 105kph .... They certainly shouldnt be driving at 100kph.

Perhaps its not the actual vehicle speed that is the problem but rather ....

His driving style is that of an aggressive driver - with a bad driving attitude ... Which is a totally different situation to someone who just happens to have the speedometer needle slightly past the number on the dial.

For your own peace of mind, prevention of further trauma to young minds about vehicle speed .... and unnescessary 000 phone calls ........ It would probably be a good thing to discount the urban myths perpetuated by govt doctrine and pedestrian council type organisations about "speeding" .........

Much better to impress upon the littlies that daddy is a bad driver and that they shouldnt grow up to be drivers like him.


Your best action might be just to refuse to get in the vehicle unless you drive.


BTW ... That extra 10kph over 100kph on a trip .... It doesnt actually get you somewhere 10 minutes quicker for every hour you travel.

All it does is help maintain an average speed of less than 100kph, and offsets slightly .... Some of the road conditions encountered on 100kph roads that require a driver to slow down at times - to speeds anywhere between 0kph and 100kph.

Anybody who thinks that a 100kph speed zone means 100kph, actual point A to point B -travel speeds, needs to swap the keyboard for a steering wheel.

G'day Alarna,
Sorry for the situation you find yourself in.
In my opinion, if his driving is as dangerous as you have said, then I think you are almost at a basic human instinct level: "self preservation". If not for yourself, then surely for the life and health of your 2 precious children.
You MUST take whatever steps you deem necessary to preserve the lives of yourself and kids. If that means LEAVING your "abusive" husband, then that (in my opinion) is what you have to do. Okay, so you maight say the term "abusive" is a bit over the top......but think about it for a moment; he is endangering your lives!!!!!
The only other alternative is to INSIST that he not drive a vehicle with you and/or the kids on board. If he wants to drive alone and risk his own life (and sadly, the lives of other road users), then there isn't much you can do about that. BUT, you CAN refuse to get into a vehicle with him.....and that is what i would be doing.
It's the same with teenage kids.....they need to be prepared to refuse to get into a friends car if that friend is drunk/high or is known to be an unsafe driver.
Sincerely
Roachie

Alarna,

What more can I say...I'm flabigasted.....your bloke sounds like a real "hero"....one of those mucho-mucho men that (thinks he) is made of steel and expects everybody else to conform to his point of view.

It's only a matter of time before his foolish ways catch up with him.

Have you thought of having a quiet word with the local constabulary? It would be far better to dob him in and get him booked, than to suffer some of the other possible consequences.....

I wish there was more i could do or say to make your situation better....

Good luck

Roachie

Thanks Roachie yeah he is one of those. but becasue hes a "never happen to me" bloke no amount of anything sinks in. yesterday when we went to the forest he was very well behaved (maybe he read my post) but along the lines of him he wont get a blood pressure or test done becasue "thers nopthing wrong with him" although hes over weight snores like a freight train and its constantly sick.
i just live with the thought that in 15 years hes never had an accident, and when hes not being a wanker or a speed freak he is a good person to drive with. we had a great trip home (excpet my badgering casue he cant change gears LOL) but as soon as we got back into the suburbs it was swearing and carrying on...

Agree'd but, carelessness and speeding are the biggest factors in road traffic accidents.

I'm not outlawing other factors, I.e. road surfaces... but I see far more idiots on the road than I do oil slicks...

I, thats me not rentacampervan.com.au, just think some companies and car manufactures "glorify" speeding, creating "mods", "super fast cars" and distractions to put in our cars (subwoofers, sat navs, etc). When do any of these companies actually make us realise how dangerous driving can be?

Think about, if there was 4 inch metal spike on your steering wheel instead of an air bag, wouldn't we all drive better??

Here we go again!

“there is simply no real evidence that slowing down reduces the road toll”

I suppose you can cite evidence for this based on independent research which has been peer reviewed?

Why search for this evidence when anecdotal hearsay supports your argument just as well.

Common sense and a modicum of understanding of physics and human physiology may disagree with this statement.

Before making such a comment, I suggest you look at the following factors

The reaction time of the human body, the response time of an average driver (reaction and response are not the same), distance travelled at different speeds during the response time, the G forces imposed upon a human body at each speed during a collision and the G forces that the human physiology can handle without injury. Do the calculations with a car doing 130 kph vs. 100 kph

I suggest you take into consideration the fact that the average driver on this forum is just that; average. In fact, 75% of us are either average or below average drivers for this forum.

You may be an above average driver and believe you can drive safely at any speed, but you have to be an above average driver for every second you are behind the wheel.

I agree that the ads are a bit of a waste of time, changes to people’s driving habits occur when they finally understand that they are not God’s gift to the highways and they develop a bit of imagination, insight and empathy (i.e. they mature)

FollowupID: 694917 Submitted: Monday, Jul 19, 2010 at 11:51
Campervans posted: ................... Think about, if there was 4 inch metal spike on your steering wheel instead of an air bag, wouldn't we all drive better??
................................................................................


You could be onto something there Campervans ....

Perhaps its time for ADRs to change ... Airbags and other silly, skill depleting, computer control "safety" features be abolished .....

Might just work .... since most now seem to think they are indestructible due to vehicle safety features ....

More careful driving might occur with the knowledge that the features were no longer in place.

Its certainly no more stupid an idea than sprouting "speed kills" .... and ignoring the actual causes of accidents.

Hi Guys

I think we have had a discussion along these lines before so will just leave the odd reference rather than go into it like http://www.roadsense.com.au/facts.html

What I find intriguing , but not enough evidence to prove just yet is that it appears that enforcing some of our sillier speed laws may actually be adding to the road toll.

We agree that each of us has anecdotes that support our positions but that these do not amount to real proof.

My own latest is that I have just driven more than 1000km non stop (aren't thermoses wonderful) across N.T. at 130kmh average in a transport stage and then 2 days across the Nullabor at 90kmh in explore mode and have no illusions about which drive caused loss of road concentration.

FollowupID: 694942 Submitted: Monday, Jul 19, 2010 at 15:33
Robin Miller posted: ....... What I find intriguing , but not enough evidence to prove just yet is that it appears that enforcing some of our sillier speed laws may actually be adding to the road toll.


Since the death of young fella in the family a while back ... i have got quite cynical about our NSW rules and regulations.

Youthful exuberance and a number of other things - was certainly a factor in his case ... but "speeding" wasnt.

One rule that particularly disturbs me is that young drivers are not allowed ... as Learners - to be TRAINED - to drive at 100kph highway speeds ... nor are they allowed to drive at 100kph until they get an appropriate coloured P-Plate.

Seems a shame that all those "learning" years at a govt enforced 80kph on highways .... MAY well create a false mindset - that its unnescessary to slow down for corners ......

Thankfully, Vict. still seems to have some smarts in regard to learner driver speed limits.

Ain't that the truth!!!!!

We need to instigate a test (in order to gain a licence) that includes negotiating a skid-pan, high speed braking whilst negotiating a stationary object (eg: a stryofoam "person") etc, like they do in the advanced driver training courses.