Driving dangerous roads

[DiscoMick]

I read the story below and noted I couldn't see a section here about driving techniques on dangerous roads, so I wondered if this might start a discussion.
In this case, I guess the obvious point is to slow down, although we don't actually know how fast they were going, but it's still a good rule.
Inexperience on outback roads might have been another factor.
The photos show deep wheel tracks, so I guess if the vehicle went sideways it might have caused it to roll.
I know many on here have driven the Tanami, so they might like to share their experiences.

Mother of backpacker killed on outback WA-NT Tanami Road wants greater awareness of the dangers - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) (https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-02-15/grieving-mothers-plea-after-son-killed-on-tanami-road/10812252)

[AK83]

I drove it about 20 years ago(I think '98 or 99) .. easy drive, I don't remember any issues other than corrugations.
I think there was also a single lane bitumen section (maybe near Rabbit Flat) .. a bit vague on that bit, but as always on outback roads .. take it slower than you think feels comfy, will help preserve life/limb/vehcle/fuel/etc.. .. and enjoy the scenery!

Done in my RRC.

[edddo]

Driving roads like that for hours does require concentration and some knowledge of your vehicles handling characteristics.
A campervan with skinny wheels possibly overloaded ( but not necessarily) would be easy to lose control of if it slipped into those ruts.
An inexperienced driver ( esp in Australian roads like this) in a less than ideal vehicle- it is a statistical certainty that this will happen from time to time.
It's no ones fault really...but the Tanami track is far cry from a UK freeway or a Euro autobahn.

[DiscoMick]

Yes, I can't imagine a Wicked campervan being very well suited to a corrugated Outback road. They look dodgy enough on bitumen.

[AK83]

It was a "Wicked" campervan.

Have you ever followed one on a choppy road?
Shocks dead in the water .. may as well be filled with water.
Cheap hire vehicles usually means skimping on some aspects of maintenance, and most of the backpackers that hire them wouldn't know a failed shock if it hit them in the head!

So it's not hard to imagine a clapped out overworked banger, barely any suspension remaining .. on a corrugated dirt road, skipping sideways madly, hit even a medium rut .... does it surprise anyone what happened in the above story?
What's surprising is that it's not more common.

[trout1105]

The road itself is Not "dangerous" by any means, Letting inexperianced drivers using inapropriate vehicles to use that road IS "Dangerous"[bigwhistle]

[manic]

You are not allowed out there in a wikid van. It's made clear on the rental agreement/handover.

http://www.wickedcampers.com.au/images/icons/aou-2017.jpg .

If they can ignore the rental agreement, they can ignore road signs too. Upping rental age from 21 to 25 would of helped in this case but 25 year olds will get up to same mischief, as will 30 year olds.

Add GPS trackers to rental vehicles and they won't be able to get away with it.

[87County]

Media report indicates that the the deceased's unfortunate mother said he was a good driver.

It seems that a lot of people don't know the meaning of "slow down" and "refrain from overloading".

[scarry]

If you talk to guys that maintain those roads,grade them,etc,they say once they are graded nice and smooth,more accidents occur because people then drive way too fast.

And the main ones that have the accidents are the overseas tourists.

Its a sort of dam if you do,dam if you don't.

[B.S.F.]

A few years ago, driving a series 1, I managed to overtake a truck on the Strzelecki track. He only managed 40km/h, I shot past him doing 50. An unforgettable moment.
.W.

[strangy]

Retrieved many tourists minus friends and loved ones numerous times.
The statements are all sadly the same.
“ such good/experienced drivers blah blah
blah.”
Then the bits that prove them idiots.
The expected destination or speed answer any question.
Best yet. Two Euro couples on holiday.
Traveling at 110 in a hired vehicle on popular tourist unsealed road.
Took seat belts off to enjoy the freedom of the out back.
Lost control rolled several times.
One of each partner left to go home without the other.
Lessons don’t get harder than that.
It’s the same old story every time with only the participants changing.
Hard for grieving family to cope with and easy to call people like me cynical.
It is nothing to do with the road.
It is rarely a failure of the vehicle.
It is because the pace desired is unable to be processed by the driver for the actual conditions.
People just stuff up sometimes.

[megz]

My guess would be swerving at speed to avoid an animal, oversteering and over she goes.

In Australia we take for granted our ability to expect and compensate for wildlife at dusk and into the night. We know it might get a little ugly to steer straight but we know that a sudden swerve is a whole lot uglier. In an instant this poor kid probably just wanted to save the life of an animal and in doing so lost his own.

[scottc]

Drive to the conditions peoples...
includes skill, vehicle capabilities and road conditions etc.

Unfortunately younger people who learn in modern cars with all the safety gear come unstuck when ABS, traction control etc get confused by conditions they are not really designed for. So when things go pear shaped it often gets ugly.

Gotta admit sometimes I wonder how I managed to get to the greybeard stage with the crap we used to do in cars.[bighmmm]

[DiscoMick]

Agree that safety systems in modern vehicles may cause us to overestimate the ability of the vehicle and ourselves to handle dangerous conditions. We can cruise along over a terrible road in relative comfort in a modern vehicle, while in an old clunker it would have shaken our teeth out to do the same speed. Of course, underneath the modern vehicle is also being hammered and will eventually fail. So I guess the storel to the morey is to slow down and enjoy the scenery.