High performance cars and young drivers

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by wanglemoose

banning big horsepower is not the answer, after all it was only a scoobydoo, an idiot is going to crash just as fast in an excell. i drove a 500rwhp supercharged 304 in a vk commodore round on my p's for 3 years and am still here despite spending a lot of time on highways doing over 250kph. its the simple matter of how and when you drive fast that is the major cause of crashes, along with driver training. me personally, i grew up racing rally cars so getting used to 200kph on the dirt makes doing it on the bitumen easy. that being said with learning on closed rally courses gave you a lot more respect for how dangerous cars can be when you get it wrong. these kids today get no training on how to control a car properly before they are given a license, they also keep the mentality of "i can drive, just look how good i do it on the playstation" driver training is the only thing that will save lives, you can crash a smart car and die just as easily as a 500hp turbo skyline.

---

Well wanglemoose drivers like you in your younger days kept me in a job for over 30 years pulling them from wrecks.You were just lucky as with that behavior on the roads no wonder many youngsters are now pushing up daisies.Wait until you have to pick up the pieces from one that their reckless speed caused.. only then will it sink in and believe me it hurts.
John.

Obviously high performance vehicles should be banned... :D

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by wanglemoose

banning big horsepower is not the answer, after all it was only a scoobydoo, an idiot is going to crash just as fast in an excell. i drove a 500rwhp supercharged 304 in a vk commodore round on my p's for 3 years and am still here despite spending a lot of time on highways doing over 250kph. its the simple matter of how and when you drive fast that is the major cause of crashes, along with driver training. me personally, i grew up racing rally cars so getting used to 200kph on the dirt makes doing it on the bitumen easy. that being said with learning on closed rally courses gave you a lot more respect for how dangerous cars can be when you get it wrong. these kids today get no training on how to control a car properly before they are given a license, they also keep the mentality of "i can drive, just look how good i do it on the playstation" driver training is the only thing that will save lives, you can crash a smart car and die just as easily as a 500hp turbo skyline.

---

So because you survived to tell the tale, the statistics are all wrong?

I'll tell that to the parents of the next 19yr old that I have to do a death notification for..... :mad:

In the past twenty years our state has almost halved the road toll. I'd attribute at least part of that to the restrictions placed on what vehicles a young inexperienced driver is allowed to get around in, and the number of passengers they can legally carry.

Monash University have done an interesting research about this issue
The PDF doc is HERE

Curtin University have another article here:

High levels of public concern about the lethal combination of young people and powerful cars are not justified, according to recent road safety research.

So, looks like to me that education and training have to be the best solution.

Make licenses much harder to get and much easier to lose. Need to break the thinking that driving is a right, once that changes I think attitudes to driving will start changing across the whole spectrum of drivers, not just p-platers.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MEANZ06

Obviously high performance vehicles should be banned... :D

---

As the saying goes, ban low performance drivers, not high performance cars.

Yeah that works foolish people...

I wasn't easily insured for V8 years ago as they were "too powerful"...

But my XR6 (not turbo) could blow its doors off....

Get this V8s are too powerful idea out of your heads - it's like saying 4wd = fuel guzzler... It shows a lack of understanding and...........

I've had a "FourTwo" up to deadly speeds.... Imagine my bulk in one of them!!!! It can still kill you!


Train people properly, penalise harshly for ****ing up and people just *may* get the idea!

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by MEANZ06

Obviously high performance vehicles should be banned... :D

---

World would be better if we banned "Low Performance Humans" :D

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Tombie

World would be better if we banned "Low Performance Humans" :D

---

How do I "thanks" more than once? ;)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Tombie

Yeah that works foolish people...

I wasn't easily insured for V8 years ago as they were "too powerful"...

But my XR6 (not turbo) could blow its doors off....

---

26th December 1997... was heading out to meet up with some mates after the christmas, was early so decided to take the country roads to kill some time. Came round a corner and into the path of two teenagers racing each other side by side, one in my lane. Long story short, my car was sent through two dry stone walls, and I hit hard enough to rip the drivers seat clean from the car. "Walked away" with a broken shoulder, a fractured eye socket, and blind, completely for two weeks, and on one side for another three months. But, I walked away.

Quote all the statistics you want, but I can guarantee you 100% that if the kids in the oncoming vehicle had a more powerful vehicle, they'd be driving it full throttle, and I'd not be here right now. Absolutely no doubt about that. And I'm sure there are a few others here with similar stories.

Driver education is paramount, absolutely, but teenagers by definition will test the limits of whatever situation they are in - after all, we're all invincible when we are 17, right??? And I don't see a problem in restricting first time drivers to low powered vehicles for a year, or two, or perhaps staggering the licensing system in such a way that you have to work your way up to a license for a high powered vehicle.

If we were talking about motorbikes instead of cars, would you let your 17 year old have an 1100cc bike as their first motorbike?? And if not, why not??