Thread: Why Do We Have Crashes

Originally Posted by UncleHo

G'day Folks ... Note: I could be wrong, but that is what Evan Green tought me

That's my 5c worth
cheers

As an aside - in 1974 - I took Evan Green on his first "Range Rover off road experience" in a Leyland Aust demonstrator.

There. That's my claim to 15 minutes of fame.

Diana

Originally Posted by UncleHo

driving technices for FRONT and REAR wheel drive are totally different,

If you drive appropriately for the conditions there shouldn't be any difference as to whether you are in a front wheel drive, rear wheel drive or all wheel drive.

I think the majority of drivers wouldn't know or care what wheels were driven in their vehicles.

had a near miss about 2 hrs ago, duel lane, me in right doing 70km coming up to about 5 cars in a row in left lane doing about 60kmh. the last vehicle in left lane was a flat tray, he decides he is coming into the right lane as I was level with the tray, front of my rangie (left hand bull bar) ended up just under the tray forcing me to drive up the curb to get out of his way. As I sit here now and think about it, this guy had no bloody idea what he had just done and just never seen me. Felt like sticking the foot down and spinning him around. cheers
blaze

Originally Posted by Bulldog

P platers are too inexperienced. No one has told them that driving can actually be a dangerous thing... See, in computer games, big car crashes are exciting, they don't cost anything and it usually only takes a few seconds before your on the road again . I played those games too, but somewhere along the way i figured out that driving in real life is not a game.

I'll agree that P platers are too inexperienced - but where do they get the experience, other than driving, in all conditions.

Originally Posted by Bulldog

Maybe if they met some people that had been in serious "accidents" they might think twice. The thing that amazes me is the ones that have been in serious "accidents" and STILL drive like they're in a computer game. And then everyone gets all upset when they get killed next time.

On Tuesday night my daughter had a minor bingle in a roundabout (unfortunately in my Defender)
On Wednesday afternoon she learnt that someone she had just met recently had been killed in a crash - I think that was a sobering thought for her. She was also able to identify that fatigue was also probably a big factor.

Originally Posted by Bulldog

Ever noticed that every news report about a P plater death involves a Commodore? IMHO P platers should be banned from driving ANY "cool" car regardless of its power. That way they won't want to go fast, cos they'll look uncool anyway!

Not able to drive the Defender (supercool according to Top Gear)

Originally Posted by Bulldog

I work with a P plater who tries to tell me that he can't help going fast (sees if his Commodore can reach the maximum on the speedo) and drives at stupid speeds every day. *When* he dies, i won't be going to his funeral.

Hands up those that haven't done that at some time during their younger years . I remember telling my kids that I could get the old Datto 1600 up to 100mph between Engadine and Loftus. Looking back not a very smart thing to do and their reaction was appropriate. I suppose a bit different to doing it every day, but is that the situation or is there a fair amount of 'bull****' (on his part) associated with that statement, don't forget you are really only just out side his peer group.

Originally Posted by Bulldog

FYI i am not old and bitter about young drivers. I am 28.

Research is starting to prove that you are NOW about the right age to be mature enough to get a license - but I don't think that will be practical, or more to the point palatable to the politicians that make the laws (or to the population).


Martyn

Who of us haven't noticed the bad driving by "Driving Instructors" when they are in the signed car by themselves?

Sometimes I think it's the blind leading the blind, especially when they allow bad driving manners & habits to develop when they have pupils.

Originally Posted by 4bee

Who of us haven't noticed the bad driving by "Driving Instructors" when they are in the signed car by themselves?

Sometimes I think it's the blind leading the blind, especially when they allow bad driving manners & habits to develop when they have pupils.

Who hasn't noticed bad driving instructors with students under instruction.

Around my way they usually have Chinese pictograms or Arabic script on their signs - but geeeezzz do they make me angry. Think nothing of letting students drive with wheels on both sides of unbroken lines, double park in the street, even the Telstra ad seems mild to some of them around here.

Diana

Exactly my point, Diana.

Around here the "Learners" from the big smoke are taken up a fairly narrow, steep hill to Mount Lofty Summit.
Not only do they cautiously drive slower (that's fine) & create a tail back, but when they do reach the only place they can pull off & allow traffic to pass, it seems as though they are never advised by the instructor to do so.
Not only would it teach the student courtesy, but I suspect the learner wouldn't also mind a breather from the concentration.

Everyone wins.

I'm sure no-one doubted JDNSW's assertion that statistic show that the accident rate has been going down rather than up.
I wonder though how many people realise just how strong that trend had been.
My reading of the graph below is that in 1978 there was one death for every 27,400,000 vehicle kilometres traveled.
In 2004 there was one death for every 108,300,000 vehicle kilometres traveled.
So for every kilometre you traveled in 1978, you were four times as likely to be killed as you are now.
Or another way of looking at it there were four times as many deaths in 1978 as there are now when you consider the greater distances traveled today.
Even if you don't allow for the extra travel there were twice as many people actually killed on the roads each year in the 70's as there are now.


There are some more statistics here if anyone else is in the mood to dispel a few illusions or confirm a few prejudices about road safety.
Crash statistics