Thread: Look out for all the coppers on the road

Originally Posted by abaddonxi

Here are the statistics for NSW
Crash statistics

Search through the documents for phone. Close enough to zero to be negligible.

Simon

Thanks Simon. Note that all statistics show that 2007 was the safest year on record, and that the downward trend has continued during the rise in popularity of mobile phones.

A point worth noting is that assigning a cause to any event, including a road accident, is almost always a gross simplification. Any event has multiple causes, and selecting a single cause, such as mobile phone use, alcohol, speeding, driver training, road conditions, weather, vehicle design, vehicle condition as the "cause" of a particular accident probably says more about the reporter's preconceptions than anything else. The accident may have involved all of the above, and changing any one of them would have prevented the accident from occurring.

Some factors have a tendency to be reported more often because they can be measured or assessed easily - these are things such as blood alcohol, speed (in some circumstances), vehicle crossed to the wrong side (but why did it?), etc. Factors that may have been critical but are more difficult to assess, such as vehicle design, road design, driver emotional state, drugs for which no test is available, rarely get a mention.

John

Delving a little deeper into statistics - in 2007 mobile phones are listed as a contributor to no fatal crashes and eleven out of about 34,000 injury crashes. I think this supports my original contention that mobile phones are not a major cause of road deaths.

John

Happy bunch of christmas campers arnt we

Cheers

Richard

maybe not deaths JD,,
but accidents?

I reckon they contribute to accidents.

Originally Posted by 69gs

Happy bunch of christmas campers arnt we

Cheers

Richard

Very interesting thread. There seem to be so many variables. I wonder though, if maybe people don't drive as well as they used to? Have any of the "older" drivers on the forum noticed a change of driving pattern over the last say 20 odd years?

Originally Posted by Numpty's Missus

Todays paper has an article about drink driving in Qld over the Christmas period

They say:compared to last year.
The road toll is down
Drink driving is up 20%. 97,000 motorists have been breath tested and 736 of them arrested
Speeding is up 12%

That is a strike rate of 0.76%. Hardly worth the time and expense. Certainly shows that the motoring community are well aware of the importance of staying sober whilst driving.


As to the member who received a lecture from a copper for the "life threatening offence" of driving 14k's over the limit on a clear highway I say this. The copper was doing his job by enforcing the law but was clearly out of order in giving the lecture. It is not his place to do so, and the offence was clearly not "life threatening". The copper should have issued the ticket and left it to the driver to dispute the issue and make his case before a magistrate.

One does wonder at the mentality of a police force that zealously enforces speed limits in localities where the speed limit is clearly ridiculous. I have seen radar traps hidden behind piles of gravel or in long grass and scrub beside long straight Western Queensland roads where there is barely another vehicle visible either ahead or behind. Given that all trucks and most locals have two way radios fitted the revenue raised must have been negligible.

First off let me say I have nothing against the "fuzz" "coper's" "woolpers" "flat feet' and all the other names the police are referred to, one of my oldest mates is a senior sergent.....

I do have a problem with some of the road rules, a lot of the speed limits are so stupid it makes it easy to speed, and if anybody can tell me how a spelling mistake improves road safety and is worth 3 points and a large fine ...well I'll eat my hat.

with the amount of serious crime shootings stabbings drugs etc etc surly those who are paid to protect and serve would be better employed directing there energy's to wards stooping these offenders than fineing somebody who hasn't got a seat belt on or hiding behind bridge supports with raider gun....

And as my mate keeps telling me so long as traffic infringements make up a large part of state revenue it will only get worse.... and don't forget tony the rules are made for the stupid people on the road, not those who can actually drive.