High performance cars and young drivers

I find it interesting that there are many posting in this thread about how bad the standard of driving is - yet accident rates as well as road death rates continue to decline, as they have for many years, and for many age groups road trauma is a lower risk than, for example, suicide. (This holiday period NSW had a substantially lower number of deaths than last year, despite the increase in population and traffic, but the number is already so low that this is probably a meaningless statistical fluctuation.)

While there will always be room for improvement, there is little evidence to suggest that improved driver training is useful - the problem is not that drivers don't know what to do; the problem is that they don't do it! And while it is almost certainly the case that, for example, elderly drivers could not pass a test without study, the fact that this is statistically the safest group on the road must suggest that the actual test does not really test what matters (and the same comment could be made about other groups - I just used the most extreme as an example.

John

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Originally Posted by robbotd5

I wonder what vehicle manufacturer pioneered the three point seat belt, was the first to fit one and generously did not patent the invention???;););)
Regards
Robbo

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Probably Mercedes or SAAB or Volvo. They were the early adopters in the safety systems of vehicles.

Phillip Adams (I think) had a thought that everyone would drive a lot better and pay more attention to how they were driving if they were strapped to the front of the vehicle, so the first thing that hit anything would be themselves ;)

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Originally Posted by disco2_dan

...also what ever happened to keep left unless overtaking????? I swear no one does this any more and I get filthy looks or abused for "informing" them that's its actually a law not a surgestion lol

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It's the law only if the speed limit is 80km/h or more ;)

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Originally Posted by spudboy

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Phillip Adams (I think) had a thought that everyone would drive a lot better and pay more attention to how they were driving if they were strapped to the front of the vehicle, so the first thing that hit anything would be themselves ;)

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Well any rider (with brains) take more care in the road because they know that in a motorcycle their body is the bumper bar.

IMO people should learn and ride a bike before drive a car. It help the driver to learn to be aware of the road conditions and what happens in front and behind them.

I know that there are many fatalities because rider stupidity but no one can help these kind of people.

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Originally Posted by spudboy

Probably Mercedes or SAAB or Volvo. They were the early adopters in the safety systems of vehicles.
...

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While seat belts have been used from time to time since about the end of the nineteenth century, as far as I know, the first large scale use of them was by the SMHEA in their entire fleet, which included the largest Landrover fleet in the world, starting about 1950. Mandating the use of them as a firing offence resulted in the injury and fatality reduction that led to Australian states mandating seat belt fitting and later wearing nearly twenty years later. However, these belts were all aftermarket, and I think that Volvo was just about the first manufacturer to fit them as standard, although they were optional from some US manufacturers earlier, possibly as early as the forties. Seat belt standards did not appear until fitting became mandatory. The first seat belts I fitted in 1962 were made by a manufacturer of aircraft seatbelts and parachutes - "Light Aircraft Australia" rings a bell. In 1963 I acquired my first Landrover - fitted with seat belts in 1955 by SMHEA, removed by the dealer I bought from, I replaced them as soon as I got it.

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Originally Posted by JDNSW

While seat belts have been used from time to time since about the end of the nineteenth century, as far as I know, the first large scale use of them was by the SMHEA in their entire fleet, which included the largest Landrover fleet in the world, starting about 1950. Mandating the use of them as a firing offence resulted in the injury and fatality reduction that led to Australian states mandating seat belt fitting and later wearing nearly twenty years later. However, these belts were all aftermarket, and I think that Volvo was just about the first manufacturer to fit them as standard, although they were optional from some US manufacturers earlier, possibly as early as the forties. Seat belt standards did not appear until fitting became mandatory. The first seat belts I fitted in 1962 were made by a manufacturer of aircraft seatbelts and parachutes - "Light Aircraft Australia" rings a bell. In 1963 I acquired my first Landrover - fitted with seat belts in 1955 by SMHEA, removed by the dealer I bought from, I replaced them as soon as I got it.

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According to wikipedia...

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American car manufacturers Nash (in 1949) and Ford (in 1955) offered seat belts as options, while Swedish Saab first introduced seat belts as standard in 1958.[5] After the Saab GT 750 was introduced at the New York Motor Show in 1958 with safety belts fitted as standard, the practice became commonplace.[6]

Glenn Sheren of Mason, Michigan submitted a patent application on March 31, 1955 for an automotive seat belt and was awarded US Patent 2,855,215 in 1958. This was a continuation of an earlier patent application that Mr. Sheren had filed on September 22, 1952.[7]

However, the first modern three point seat belt (the so-called CIR-Griswold restraint) used in most consumer vehicles today was patented in 1955 (US Patent 2,710,649) by the Americans Roger W. Griswold and Hugh DeHaven,[8] and developed to its modern form by Nils Bohlin for Swedish manufacturer Volvo—who introduced it in 1959 as standard equipment.

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Originally Posted by Treads

It's the law only if the speed limit is 80km/h or more ;)

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Yes but the second part of rule 130 states:
The driver must not drive in the right lane unless—
(a) the driver is turning right, or making a U-turn from the centre of the
road, and is giving a right change of direction signal; or
(b) the driver is overtaking; or
(c) a left lane must turn left sign or left traffic lane arrows apply to any other
lane and the driver is not turning left; or
(d) the driver is required to drive in the right lane under rule 159; or
(e) the driver is avoiding an obstruction; or
(f) the traffic in each other lane is congested; or
(g) the traffic in every lane is congested.
Penalty: 2 penalty units.

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Originally Posted by robbotd5

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Originally Posted by Mick_Marsh

Funnily enough, no.
I too am a safe and courteous driver so I know how to drive around Volvo drivers.

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Looking at the list of cars you own I highly doubt that.:o:)

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Rob, where is the list of the cars I own? I can't find it on this site. Perhaps you can pop up a link.
At last count, I own eighteen cars, trucks and trailers ............ I think.

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Originally Posted by JDNSW

I find it interesting that there are many posting in this thread about how bad the standard of driving is - yet accident rates as well as road death rates continue to decline, as they have for many years, and for many age groups road trauma is a lower risk than, for example, suicide. (This holiday period NSW had a substantially lower number of deaths than last year, despite the increase in population and traffic, but the number is already so low that this is probably a meaningless statistical fluctuation.)

While there will always be room for improvement, there is little evidence to suggest that improved driver training is useful - the problem is not that drivers don't know what to do; the problem is that they don't do it! And while it is almost certainly the case that, for example, elderly drivers could not pass a test without study, the fact that this is statistically the safest group on the road must suggest that the actual test does not really test what matters (and the same comment could be made about other groups - I just used the most extreme as an example.

John

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John,

I agree. Much of what you raise here about driver behaviour is supported in this academic paper which has studied driver behaviour in developing countries:

Reducing motor vehicle crash deaths and injuries in newly motorising countries

What will people do....? WHATEVER they believe they can.

BBC

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Originally Posted by Treads

It's the law only if the speed limit is 80km/h or more ;)

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And or it's sign posted to do so (keep left unless over taking)