Thread: Isn't it time to get serious and start cruching cars?

Would that work?
How do you stop some teenagers thinking:

• It wont happen to me?
• I am a good driver?
• The cops aren't around?
• I've only had a few ####. (insert tabs/drinks/puffs)
• I'll give them all a thrill

Crunch their car and they'll find another.

I grew up with a lot of friends driving too fast, too drunk in unsafe vehicles. Luckily they survived (although a few prangs). Is it worse now? I dunno.

Education should start in school.

Said it before and I'll say it again... if the government was really, really serious about curbing speeding then 130km/h speed limiters would be and ADR requirement on all new cars sold in Australia. Limiters would also be compulsorily retro-fitted (at own expense) to the car of anyone who scored their 2nd speeding offence within a 12 month period and be required by law to operate in order to get a roadworthy certificate.

Now I have had this argument a million times before, so to save the breath of those who will jump all over this idea... no, a 130km/h limiter will not stop excessive speed in a built-up area (the news reports I read said the car was travelling at 140km/h and 130km/h wouldn't have made much difference to the outcome). But it will stop arbitrary hooning at speed just because the vehicle is capable of it.

If anyone has a valid reason why their car should be capable of speeds in excess of 130km/h on a public road, then I would like to hear it (Ambos, Cops & Firies need not respond here).

As an aside, one thing that bewilders me is that car companies are not allowed to show speed in any of their advertising, yet they still try to one-up each other with more power and higher published top speeds for their products. I fail to see the point in a 325kW HSV Clubsport unless it's being sold for racing.

Originally Posted by Sleepy

Would that work?
How do you stop some teenagers thinking:

• It wont happen to me?
• I am a good driver?
• The cops aren't around?
• I've only had a few ####. (insert tabs/drinks/puffs)
• I'll give them all a thrill

Crunch their car and they'll find another.

I grew up with a lot of friends driving too fast, too drunk in unsafe vehicles. Luckily they survived (although a few prangs). Is it worse now? I dunno.

Education should start in school.

It is worse now, there are more motorists on the road.
A hoon spends lots of money on there "pride a joy" so do their mates, but why soup up the VN Commodore of Ef Falcon or Nissan etc lower it, put a noisy exhaust performance system into it and blue print and balance, put boost gauges and what ever on their cars only to drive sedately?
NO! they want to see how fast their machine will go, it is showing off to mates comparing the level of testrone their vehicle can acheive.
I can't see many accident fatality reports of a KE70 Corolla wrapped around a tree.

It's the same as a 4WD owner, putting swampers on, having a 6" lift, dislocating suspension only to drive around the city..... they will want to see how their rig performs, so they go bush,where it's meant to be, the young hoon is the same he wants to see how fast his car can go. But instead of booking into a race track he decides to do it in on the streets.
Imaging if the 4WD drives mounted steps in Melb to check their articulation or race around the lawns of the botantical gardens and parks to get off road? There would be public out cry
I notice that it seems to be the young male drivers, you don't see too many females with Frangpanni stickers on their vehicles wrapped around trees or poles

For many years there has been an education programme in Queensland schools for grade 12's ,run by the Firies,Ambo's and Police on driver education. Its entails as vividly as possible lectures , archived footage of accident scenes and an actual road accident exercise on all things that teenagers can expect if they speed and its subsequent consequences.It requires parents written permission to attend and the permission of families of any accident victims used in the archival footages. It is as real as can be possible but when it was being set up some footages were toned down which was a pity as they would have had a deadly impact which was what the services were trying to attain.
Do other states have such a programme.It has had a good measure of success here in Queensland.
John.

Originally Posted by Sleepy

Would that work?
How do you stop some teenagers thinking:

• It wont happen to me?
• I am a good driver?
• The cops aren't around?
• I've only had a few ####. (insert tabs/drinks/puffs)
• I'll give them all a thrill

Crunch their car and they'll find another.

I grew up with a lot of friends driving too fast, too drunk in unsafe vehicles. Luckily they survived (although a few prangs). Is it worse now? I dunno.

Education should start in school.

good point really ...im of the belief that none of this is good ..but i grew up with the same stuff happening every day ....we have rolled a car whilst negotiating a not so 2wd suitable track in the bees creek NT but to this day the only persons that know about it are the drivers parents ..and this was just one of the misdirections that could have been a lot more fatal, that my parents to this day have no idea about ....FGS...anyone can view a you tube video of a young guy on he pee's doing track and hill climes that even i wouldn't attempt on a bad day ....lisencing is very much to blame especially in an instance like that ..but in saying that we all were glad it wasn't that way when we were that age....

IMHO ..no more is happening in these instances that didn't happen or you knew of happening when most of we were growing up....is just that tech has us on the edge of the seat just waiting to view/hear about the next bad thing that 20 years ago we wouldn't have been aware of .....

INHO..no life lost is acceptable ..but any life lost is a sad sad day ....but to blame teenagers about things that we know fare well happened when we were young and stupid is a bit pointless...

Also IMHO..there should be a nation wide 0 alcohol limit for driver full stop ....if its an offense to drive whilst under the influence of Mull or other drugs then the same should be applied to alcohol full stop ....

cheers

Not sure it is worse now. (I'm talking about 70's/80's)

There was no limits on V8's or passenger numbers. Most of these accidents happen late at night without too many cars on the road.

My point is as long as some teenagers think they are invincible, stuff like this will happen. Not sure what you do about that.

I think solmanics idea is ok (wouldn't worry me anyway) - although hitting a tree at 130kmh would still do some damage. I am sure it wouldn't take long for someone to bypass this system too.

simple solution

Ban and crush all cars, revoke all drivers licences and issue bikes and public transport passes.

The environment will benefit, there will be less need for oil. I bet people will still die on the roads, even riding deadly treadleys.

[quote=It'sNotWorthComplaining!;1160882]It is worse now, there are more motorists on the road.

A hoon spends lots of money on there "pride a joy" so do their mates, but why soup up the VN Commodore of Ef Falcon or Nissan etc lower it, put a noisy exhaust performance system into it and blue print and balance, put boost gauges and what ever on their cars only to drive sedately?
NO! they want to see how fast their machine will go, it is showing off to mates comparing the level of testrone their vehicle can acheive.

Again ..no more relevant that an XD falcon with a 350chev stuffed in it or a HQ with a 253 ......you see it all the same just that they have abs and we had jack ....it really is no differant....IMHO..

Cheers