Whats going on at SH2 10th, April around 5:00pm

[Zapf]

anyone know what happened at SH2 around 5:00pm on Sunday the 10th?

as we were coming back from the taupo track day, we saw a police car blocked off the Southbound SH1 to SH2 intersection, and then within the next 10mins we saw 5 more cop cars and 1 ambo heading that way

[MikeL]

That would be about the time I came back from Coromandel...
Must have been the police helicopter that spotted me along the Kaiaua straights and radioed ahead...

But I eluded the bastards, hehehehe...

Don't know about the ambo, though, unless they were anticipating something...

[Sensei]

Hummm lot's of cops /Ambo . I'd say crash after a chase maybe
SENSEI

[dveus]

We were diverted through kaiaua --> kawakawa bay, made for a long trip home. Towing a trailer through those roads isn't much fun.

[Ixion]

The Usual.

SH2 maungatawhiri. Big Crash. ... no doubt another fatality on the DEATH ROAD.

I am not intending to be insensitive here (and my condolences to all those affected by fatalities on that road). But, I wish someone would explain to me why there are so many crashs on that stretch of road. I have ridden and driven on it may times (many hundreds I guess), without ever even an "oh shit" moment.

The road itself seems fine, nothing treacherous, the traffic doesn't usually seem any more idiotic than everywhere else . Only tricky thing is sunstrike , but that is the same on any east west road.

What is it about that stretch of road? Am I just incredibly lucky, or is there some "this + this + this" combo that's a killer ?

[Sensei]

Not a bad quess . Not hard tho Hope everyone pull through . I take it they were on Bike's ?? or car
SENSEI

[MikeL]

I have to echo Ixion's comments here. I rode along that stretch of road about 4:30 today. The traffic was relatively light, the weather was perfect and apart from the low sun angle visibility was good. The road configuration, surface, width, curve radii, whatever, don't seem any different from other roads. The only explanation I can think of for the high accident rate is improper overtaking due to impatience and consequent head-on collisions. But can that account for all the accidents???

[Jackrat]

I have to echo Ixion's comments here. I rode along that stretch of road about 4:30 today. The traffic was relatively light, the weather was perfect and apart from the low sun angle visibility was good. The road configuration, surface, width, curve radii, whatever, don't seem any different from other roads. The only explanation I can think of for the high accident rate is improper overtaking due to impatience and consequent head-on collisions. But can that account for all the accidents???

I drive that road several times a week in a truck, and yes I think impatience does account for the vast majority of the accidents.
I've got to the stage were I don't pull over to allow cars to pass or get a better veiw of what's coming because they normaly try to pass without looking first.I lost count of how many times I've pulled over a bit and the ideot
in the car behind me has pulled out straight into on coming traffic.
Also once they've pulled out,on coming traffic or not,they won't pull back.
I've seen it happen a number of times where a driver has started a passing move,seen the on coming traffic an just put their foot down forcing other traffic to move out of their way.
A double yellow line and no passing lanes the whole length of the road, combined with genuine enforcement would save many lives every year.
But on a more happy note,I had a driver in a late model BMW pass me at the very end of a passing lane down there last week.He came from quite a way back an really had to gun it to get by me.When the camera flashed I reckon he was still doing 130-140k,
Ha ha ha :killingme :niceone:

[FROSTY]

no accident-no fatalities--i pushed my (fucked0 van in to the middle of the road and set fire to it. :whistle:

[Ixion]

I drive that road several times a week in a truck, and yes I think impatience does account for the vast majority of the accidents.

Thing is though, I've not seen more than the "usual" amount of dodgy overtaking/close calls/"what the f*** are you doing" stuff on that road.

Sure, there are impatient idiots out there, but there are on all roads.

What is it about *this* road.

Everytime I go over it Mrs Ixion gives me a lecture about how unhappy she is that I'm going to be going on that "dangerous road". So I pootle along it, being even more of a nana than usual thinking "Dangerous road. Must keep my eyes open for, uh open for, uh watch out for - hell what am I supposed to look out for on this road". And never see anything that would explain the crash rate.

[sAsLEX]

What is it about *this* road.

tired aucklanders, or those commuting to auckland/south???

[Gremlin]

maybe its really considerate cagers from auckland sacrificing themselves (in a nice beautiful spot of course) for the sake of clearing up our roads a bit??? :ride:

Then again, maybe I was a bad boy for mentioning considerate and cagers in the same sentence... :puke:

[Lou Girardin]

I am not intending to be insensitive here (and my condolences to all those affected by fatalities on that road). But, I wish someone would explain to me why there are so many crashs on that stretch of road. I have ridden and driven on it may times (many hundreds I guess), without ever even an "oh shit" moment.

The road itself seems fine, nothing treacherous, the traffic doesn't usually seem any more idiotic than everywhere else . Only tricky thing is sunstrike , but that is the same on any east west road.

What is it about that stretch of road? Am I just incredibly lucky, or is there some "this + this + this" combo that's a killer ?

The road is fine. It's just that it's used by "oh shit" drivers. A prime example was Michael Kings accident, no excessive speed, dry road, easy bend and he still drove straight into the trees. Sooner or later the Govt will have to realise that we have badly trained, badly tested and just plain bad drivers.
I don't think putting double yellows the length of the road would help much. As it is, people make risky overtaking manouevres now because they know that there's a yellow line ahead. And in their wisdom Transit put double yellows the length of the safest places to pass.
Everyone except Transit NZ knows that the road urgently needs an upgrade to four lanes.

[Ixion]

One of sunday's crashes here involved a motorcycle . Anyone know anything ?

The other one (Granny says) was two cars BOTH TOWING TRAILERS colliding head on.

WTF. How could two trailer-towers collide head on. What on earth were they thinking of.

Occurs to me that is one thing about that road. Compared to most open road there's an awful lot of towing vehicles. Is that part of the problem?

[750Y]

yesterday there were 2 accidents there. the first at 4;30-5ish was bike t-boned car at lyons rd(hunua turn-off) just after mangatawhiri. it was my 72yr old mother in law coming to my place who turned right across the bikes path. the guy was status 2, they were gonna call out the chopper but downgraded him to status 3 and sent the ambulance.
not long after that there was a 2 car head on near to the waikato side of the bottom of the bombays.

[750Y]

Just an update on the rider. He was taken to middlemore hospital on the Sunday Night & walked out monday morning a bit bruised but otherwise ok, no broken bones/cuts etc. He is a very lucky guy. The cop said he was wearing all the protective leather gear. the mother-in-law was very relieved to hear this as were we.
I brought the car home last night & it is a write-off by the looks.
Just a warning/reminder to everyone travelling at dawn/dusk,... keep in mind the phenomenon of sunstrike which affects drivers ability to see us even more than usual.

[FROSTY]

Just a lil question here guys--Was it one of ours????
Time was about right for one of the auckland groups.

[750Y]

the bike was heading south.

[bugjuice]

the road was still closed when Death and I were driving back, can't have been far from 8pm I guess.. Those roads we were diverted down were a challenge, that's for sure!!

[bugjuice]

Just a lil question here guys--Was it one of ours????
Time was about right for one of the auckland groups.
not if the crash was before 5pm. Well, wouldn't have thought anyway. People started to leave around 4ish, and the accident was well over an hour away easily more..

[DEATH_INC.]

the road was still closed when Death and I were driving back, can't have been far from 8pm I guess.. Those roads we were diverted down were a challenge, that's for sure!!
Do you remember which road it was?Wouldn't mind trying it on the bike sometime....

[bugjuice]

Do you remember which road it was?Wouldn't mind trying it on the bike sometime....
dunno, I was asleep..

[NinjaBoy]

Do you remember which road it was?Wouldn't mind trying it on the bike sometime....


If it was the one at the road block then it was the Miranda/Kauia turn off. Its the road that you can turn right at the Petrol station at Kauia instead of heading stright ahead to Miranda.

6Chris6 and I were waiting in the queue from 8-8.30pm and it added an extra hour to our trip home to my place in Botany Downs.

[Gazzar]

From SH2 we were sent off down a small goat track though to SH1 :brick:
we droped first bike off at about 9.30 and last one at about 1.30 then we cleaned up the truck and droped it back to the airport . I got home and into bed about 3.30 and was back up at 6.00 and at work at 8.00 so it was a hard day :whocares: book me in for next trackday. :2thumbsup THANKS FROSTY.

[loosebruce]

Do you remember which road it was?Wouldn't mind trying it on the bike sometime....

Dunno the name, but Island Block Rd joins onto it, shouldn't be too hard to find at all, looked pretty kick arse for a bike, some big eh crests through there too........... Round 2 ding ding.

[spudchucka]

I don't think putting double yellows the length of the road would help much.
I'd like to see drivers air bags replaced with a David Tua powered boxing glove that gave the driver a decent left hook every time they strayed over the centre line.

[bugjuice]

Do you remember which road it was?Wouldn't mind trying it on the bike sometime....
the only way I'd remember it was that it wasn't too far from the Coro turn off heading to Auckland. Wouldn't know how many kliks, but would know it if I saw it again. Would be a pretty good road for sure. I'll try to find it on a map and post it tomorrow

[Pixie]

I'd like to see drivers air bags replaced with a David Tua powered boxing glove that gave the driver a decent left hook every time they strayed over the centre line.

I read recently that there is a car on the market that detects when it's wandering across the center line or the shoulder line .It causes the driver's seat to vibrate either the left or right side of the seat to wake the driver up.
I'd suggest wiring a taser to it instead.
It has been suggested that the best safety device that can be fitted to a vehicle, to ensure that it is driven carefully,is a 6 inch ,sharpened,steel spike,positioned in front of the driver's forehead. :niceone:

[Krusti]

I'd like to see drivers air bags replaced with a David Tua powered boxing glove that gave the driver a decent left hook every time they strayed over the centre line.

Oh yeah all we need is more unconcious drivers on the wrong side of the road! :killingme