Easter road toll was the worst in 16 years

[smoky]

The Easter road toll was the worst in 16 years, 10 deaths
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10636572

National Police Headquarters' Inspector John McClelland said many of the deaths had been preventable;
"I think there are people making bad decisions, particularly with overtaking - not allowing enough room to get past vehicles and things like that,"
When you read the reports on the accidents, you’ll see the majority of deaths occurred with overtaking, or with poor road conditions, one was a foreigner trying to overtake a truck with on coming traffic.
Yet the dumb arse police in the country ignore the obvious and trot out the ol message they are pre programmed to default to;
"There've been a few fatalities involving suspected speed and alcohol”
Note the word ‘suspected’ but no facts

Isn’t any accident unintentional and generally the result of a poor decision?
Wouldn’t you expect any accident when overtaking to involve speed?

Rather than state the moronic obvious shouldn’t they be investigating the contributing factors and the criticality of those factors?
Surely the most critical cause of most of these accidents is the fact we have shit roads that have only a very limited provision for safely overtaking – unlike most developed countries?
We have campervans, old people, Asian drivers, tourists, huge trucks, too many trucks, more trucks all clogging up our so called state highways and main arterial routes (not picking on trucks, but the single carriage way they block up) frustrating the hell out of average motorists, who end up taking unacceptable risks to get past.

I would back the police when they implore us to be patient on the roads and to make better choices – if they were also lobbying the powers to be about creating more room on our roads for overtaking, if they would also stop their wanky pathetic practice of ticketing traffic for speeding when they use what few overtaking lanes there are.
The Police are short sited and moronic in thinking the sole answer is to slow down and be patient! It won’t be long before they have covered the entire state highway 1 with double yellows (no overtaking at all) and reduced the speed limit to 80.

They should remove their heads from their over stuffed colons and help increase the quality and safety of our roads, rather than fall back on lame one liners like “speed kills”

[yungatart]

Why do people feel the need to overtake, I wonder...could it be that they have been stuck behind Joe and Mabel travelling at 85 km/h for miles. Joe and Mabel are totally oblivious to the fact that there is a 2 k long tailback behind them, of course. Frustration kicks in and......
And despite utterances by TPTB prior to this weekend that they would be targeting slow drivers, I never saw any evidence of it.

On TV1 news last night one of the reporters was out and about with the cops, doing laser checks....one speed was stated as 92. I would think that would be on the higher side of the average speed on todays roads. People have bought lock stock and barrel the "Speed kIlls thing" and are terrified of driving at much above 90

[rainman]

I would back the police when they implore us to be patient on the roads and to make better choices – if they were also lobbying the powers to be about creating more room on our roads for overtaking,

Two facts may have escaped your attention:
1. Roads are expensive
2. We're skint

Best option is just to drive to the conditions (aka slow down on a poor road), eh?

[kwaka_crasher]

They must have all exceeded the speed limit. Speed kills, not shitty driving. I know because the gubbermint told me so.

[slofox]

On my way back from the ride yesterday, I happened in behind a laden SUV on Owairaka Valley Road. This guy was fairly booting it - I clocked him (briefly!) at 140km+ before allowing him to disappear into the distance. Then came up behind him again as he closed on other cars ahead. He followed them through the twisty bit and then overtook two cars (with maybe 50-100 metres between them) in one blast. Uphill. Approaching a blind crest. With what turned out to be a sharpish left hander just over that crest.

I backed way off - I didn't want to be hit by flying heads-legs-arms etc when he hit whatever was coming over the top of the hill. (Nothing as it turned out. Lucky for him. And everyone else.)

Whenever I see driving like that, I know why there is a road toll...

[CookMySock]

Isn't any accident unintentional and generally the result of a poor decision?No.

It's like getting angry and out of control and then hitting your wife - the hitting is not when control was lost - that happened a lot earlier. Perhaps drivers are stressed or tired - only they know, and only they can do something about it, and do something soon before they lose control and loose their ability to choose. Perhaps some understanding of this process would assist - it's pretty clear to me many people are unable to

Overtaking is only used when someone doesn't want to wait. Why do they not want to wait? Maybe they are following a combine harvester at 35km/hr.. but probably not. More like they are following traffic at 95k when they were previously travelling at 115k, and they feel frustrated, and even angry that their rights and freedom are impacted on.

One of the best things about motorcycles is I do not need to speed. I can fit through even the smallest gaps without having to pull out and belt it harrrd past the traffic, whereas cars must pull out and muster a good turn of speed before they get back in - the more speed - the safer. On bikes this does not need to happen - it's much safer in my opinion.


Surely the most critical cause of most of these accidents is the fact we have shit roads that have only a very limited provision for safely overtaking – unlike most developed countries? We have campervans, old people, Asian drivers, tourists, huge trucks, too many trucks, more trucks all clogging up our so called state highways and main arterial routes (not picking on trucks, but the single carriage way they block up) frustrating the hell out of average motorists, who end up taking unacceptable risks to get past.Sure, but what is the real problem? People don't have to get past. Waiting won't hurt them.

I submit that it's the impatience, one-upmanship, and then the road rage the causes the problems, aside from the genuine driver "oopsies", but I have no data to back that up.



The Police are short sited and moronic in thinking the sole answer is to slow down and be patient! It won't be long before they have covered the entire state highway 1 with double yellows (no overtaking at all) and reduced the speed limit to 80. They should remove their heads from their over stuffed colons and help increase the quality and safety of our roads, rather than fall back on lame one liners like "speed kills".I think that's wrong.

I think the world would be a much better place if people took ownership and control of their emotional state, and not just on the road either.


Steve

[Daffyd]

"We have campervans, old people, Asian drivers, tourists, huge trucks, too many trucks, more trucks all clogging up our so called state highways"

And the gummint has just announced they're going to increase the maximum size of trucks from 44 tonnes to 53, and bigger still with special permits!

And for the road toll... you can't protect people from their own stupidity!

[jim.cox]

. you can't protect people from their own stupidity!

Probably Not.

But is it not dersirable to be protected from the stupidity of others?

[smoky]

Two facts may have escaped your attention:
1. Roads are expensive
Why would you presume it has escaped my attention? I have some very interesting information comparing the savings from both an environmental perspective (fuel and maintenance) that would off set the construction of duel carriage-ways
The savings from decreasing the road toll and accidents in general



2. We're skint
So you believe everything you're told then? Have a look at where our tax $ taken from road tax and petrol tax is used, it is suppose to be used to make our roads better


Best option is just to drive to the conditions (aka slow down on a poor road), eh?

and here is an example of compliance; follow that logic and you have to ask why allow motorbikes on the road at all

[SMOKEU]

The real reason for all these fatalities is because there are too many selfish pricks who think that they own the roads, giving them the right to travel well below the speed limits holding traffic up and they refuse to pull over and let people past. Therefore, other people get angry and impatient and make poor decisions when it comes to overtaking, which in some cases leads to a 1V.

[smoky]

And the gummint has just announced they're going to increase the maximum size of trucks from 44 tonnes to 53, and bigger still with special permits!

It's just crazy - to say we can't provide better roads because we have no money, then increasing the very monsters that chew the road surface up and damage it the most.
At the same time we have a coastal shipping industry in decline, railways being closed and not used. Why don't they make any loads over 5 ton subject to a permit where you need to show you can't ship it any other way (rail, air or sea).

Just an idea - less damage to the roads, less congestion, more jobs, less pollution ???

[rainman]

Why would you presume it has escaped my attention?...

Jeez, the serious is strong with this one.

I simply pointed out the likely truism that providing little old NZ with first-world standard roads will cost a metric shitload (of real money now, not potential future savings through lower death tolls), and as a country we currently seem to have left our wallet in our other pair of pants. If you have evidence to he contrary, (ie. that roads are cheap, or that we're flush) please share it. But preferably with the Minister of Transport.


So you believe everything you're told then? Have a look at where our tax $ taken from road tax and petrol tax is used, it is suppose to be used to make our roads better

Well, no I don't believe everything I'm told. However there needs to be reasonable doubt before I disbelieve things purely because they are inconvenient. We seem to be borrowing a large chunk of money every week to pay off debt - on this basis it seems irrelevant whether our "road" taxes actually go to roads or not.


follow that logic and you have to ask why allow motorbikes on the road at all

Good question. What do you think the answer is?


The real reason for all these fatalities is because there are too many selfish pricks...

Yeah buddy, it's all someone else's fault.

[MaxCannon]

Went out for a ride yesterday morning.
Thought about one in the afternoon but the prospect of impatient Easter travellers clogging the roads put me off.

Why do they crash ?
- Probably because no-one taught them how to drive.
When I sat my test 16 years ago I drove around 50kph roads around where I lived for about 10 minutes. Did a U turn and came back on the same route.
Because I didn't crash and didn't speed during a 20 minute test I was deemed fit to drive.
Same thing when I sat my bike tests over the past 3 years.

Fortunately for me my Father wouldn't let me drive until I'd had some proper instruction.
The right lines through corners, how to brake smoothly and set the car up for a turn.
Looking for passing opportunities, car control in wet weather, etc etc

Venture out of the city and the roads around NZ are some of the most challenging in the developed world.
I've driven in the UK, US and Australia and our main highways are like goat tracks by comparision.
Without the proper training people will keep trying to pass in stupid places, keep going around corners on the wrong side of the road etc etc

Road safety is a joke here, the advise is slow down. Sometimes it's valid but if compulsory vehicle control was part of learning to drive I think there would be a lot fewer crashes.

[Maha]

This a very good point!

'The Police are short sited and moronic in thinking the sole answer is to slow down and be patient! It won’t be long before they have covered the entire state highway 1 with double yellows (no overtaking at all) and reduced the speed limit to 80'.

Around these parts anyway.
They have reduced the Dome Valley speed limit to 80kph over the last year.
Has it lessened the accident rate?...that would be no.
The accident rate there is (on average) high, there are even three 'H' spots for a Helicopter to land.
Bike V's Car in the Dome over the weekend, two dead bikers. Dont know who was a fault there, doesn't matter.
Someone was on the wrong side of the road passing and now two are dead.
See, they lower the speed limit to 80kph and a large amount of drivers drive at 60-70 kph!!
This brings on frustration and inevitability a mistake in judgement.

Today, I was heading to Auckland. Leaving Warkworth, the traffic was heavy and slow, why was it slow? couldn't really tell to be honest. First passing lane I managed to get by three cars then back down to 60 kph. Along windy ridge at the speed, down the hill, onto the next passing lane where myself and one other car got passed ONE car! our speed was 130kph. Still about 15 vehicles in front heading towards the tunnels at 50-60kph past Puhoi...Fuck Me!!!!
I had intentions of going Waiwera/Orewa but saw a campervan/lightweight trucks and a smelly desiel thing crawling up the hill....fuck it, its all double yellows through there apart from the passing lane at Waiwera, toll road it is.

Driver Responsibility!!

[Maha]

One other thing,
TV News last night, they were in a Cop Car filming traffic heading home from the long weekend.
Cop was sitting parked on and onramp with a radar pointed at the passing traffic.

The carnage aint on the fucking motorways!

[Maki]

Seems to me that the police could care less about what actually causes crashes and even less about preventing them. They just repeat the same mantra, speed kills and the bigger the speed the bigger the mess. Their goal in life is to be able to mindlessly ping people with their radar guns and dole out fines according to a simple easily understood formula, fines that have nothing to do with whether the behavior they are targeting is dangerous. They want to be able to say that you were traveling at a speed x and that means a fine y according to the book. They could care less about whether the speed x was dangerous or perfectly safe in the circumstances.
If they really wanted to improve safety on the roads they would target dangerous and irresponsible driving above AND below the speed limit. Unsafe passing would incur a huge fine, even if the vehicle passing stayed under the speed limit. So, why don't the police do their job and try to make the roads safer? I often wonder about that and I can only conclude that it's too hard and they are too stupid.

[Maki]

Seems to me that the police could care less about what actually causes crashes and even less about preventing them. They just repeat the same mantra, speed kills and the bigger the speed the bigger the mess. Their goal in life is to be able to mindlessly ping people with their radar guns and dole out fines according to a simple easily understood formula, fines that have nothing to do with whether the behavior they are targeting is dangerous. They want to be able to say that you were traveling at a speed x and that means a fine y according to the book. They could care less about whether the speed x was dangerous or perfectly safe in the circumstances.
If they really wanted to improve safety on the roads they would target dangerous and irresponsible driving above AND below the speed limit. Unsafe passing would incur a huge fine, even if the vehicle passing stayed under the speed limit. So, why don't the police do their job and try to make the roads safer? I often wonder about that and I can only conclude that it's too hard and they are too stupid.

[Mudfart]

yep ive been out on the roads this easter, but im not dumb enuff to go away on holiday. the overtaking i saw was insane.
They were all auckland drivers headed out of dauckland, and from what ive observed, a drivers patience is a lot thinner this year than previous.
So while pressures exerted on us by our grubberment for more taxes, and smaller household incomes increases, along with employers demanding more performance from the same amount of time with less staff, and as long as life gets more busier by the day making us blindly insane, people in cars are not going to stand for someone doing 100kph in a 100kph zone, its just too slow.
As displayed by my friend in the ford falcon that blitzed past me as i was doing 100 last night, in the dark, on double yellows, coming to a blind corner.
It all boils down to, the license system is defuntional, a license to drive is seen as a right, and not a priveledge, which it should be.
I know uncoordinated monkeys that have licenses, I know old blind pensioners that have licenses, I know people that used to ride elephants, that come to NZ, and EXPECT the right to drive.

[BiK3RChiK]

Well, speed killed in the accident I saw on the weekend.... What I can't figure out is how on earth someone comes up so fast on another vehicle without realising it's there (unless both their tail-lights were out... quite a possibility around these parts) and smashes into the back of it......... on a long straight road no less. :blink:

[Crazy Steve]

I like to speed in my BIG TRUCK and run peeps off the road ! ! ! !

Very Very FUNNY ! !

Crazy Steve.

[Crazy Steve]

Oh and only when ive been doin lots and lots of METH ! !

Crazy Steve.

[scumdog]

I think fuckwitted driving causes these road fatalities.

But blame your favourite reason it you want...

[quickbuck]

I think fuckwitted driving causes these road fatalities.

But blame your favourite reason it you want...If fuckwitted = Bad Decisions/ Driving ability, then i agree with you 100%.

As for the answer to the reason people overtake.. I think DB brought it up, another is that people can't stick to one speed!
This gets bloody annoying to people who can actually drive, and want to keep a constant velocity...

Of course a person who can actually drive, will make the decision to wait until an appropriate place to over take, and read the road properly.

SO, it all comes back to EDUCATION! and attitude....
The Attitude of educated drivers is much better.....

Okay, I plucked all this out of my colon, but I'm sure there are some people who will agree...

[kwaka_crasher]

If fuckwitted = Bad Decisions/ Driving ability, then i agree with you 100%.

As for the answer to the reason people overtake.. I think DB brought it up, another is that people can't stick to one speed!
This gets bloody annoying to people who can actually drive, and want to keep a constant velocity...

Of course a person who can actually drive, will make the decision to wait until an appropriate place to over take, and read the road properly.

SO, it all comes back to EDUCATION! and attitude....
The Attitude of educated drivers is much better.....

Okay, I plucked all this out of my colon, but I'm sure there are some people who will agree...

I agree wholeheartedly, despite the wretched stench of colon permeating from your post...

[Motu]

I've got School C....does that make me an educated rider? All the rest I learned by myself....

[Katman]

Fortunately for me my Father wouldn't let me drive until I'd had some proper instruction.
The right lines through corners, how to brake smoothly and set the car up for a turn.
Looking for passing opportunities, car control in wet weather, etc etc



Driving's in the blood.:niceone:

[quickbuck]

I've got School C....does that make me an educated rider? All the rest I learned by myself....

Well, considering you had enough nous to get yourself through School C.....
AND, even though self taught, you had enough nous to teach yourself well.

I can tell this, as you have been riding for years, and you have a great attitude to motorcycling in general.

[Ocean1]

Whenever I see driving like that, I know why there is a road toll...

I was overtaken by a perfectly normal looking Corolla on the Paekakareki hill a few days ago, on blind right hander.

Oh, thinks I, he's seen ahead from back... nope, there's no way in hell he can have known if it was clear. Utterly gobsmacked, couldn't believe what I'd just seen, if I'd have seen him later at a gas station or coffee shop I don't think I could have avoided smacking him a bit.

Edit: Oh, and the "weekend road toll"? Is usually close to normal if you do the arithmetic.

[scumdog]

I was overtaken by a perfectly normal looking Corolla on the Paekakareki hill a few days ago, on blind right hander.

Oh, thinks I, he's seen ahead from back... nope, there's no way in hell he can have known if it was clear. Utterly gobsmacked, couldn't believe what I'd just seen, if I'd have seen him later at a gas station or coffee shop I don't think I could have avoided smacking him a bit.

Edit: Oh, and the "weekend road toll"? Is usually close to normal if you do the arithmetic.

Yep, takes a bit of self control when meeting somebody who has driven as you described...

[quickbuck]

if I'd have seen him later at a gas station or coffee shop I don't think I could have avoided smacking him a bit..
Yup.... Then tell him that is softer than going over a bank!!!



Edit: Oh, and the "weekend road toll"? Is usually close to normal if you do the arithmetic. Correct..... Well, almost...
Within a couple of standard deviations anyway...........

[roadracingoldfart]

If fuckwitted = Bad Decisions/ Driving ability, then i agree with you 100%.

As for the answer to the reason people overtake.. I think DB brought it up, another is that people can't stick to one speed!
This gets bloody annoying to people who can actually drive, and want to keep a constant velocity...

Of course a person who can actually drive, will make the decision to wait until an appropriate place to over take, and read the road properly.

SO, it all comes back to EDUCATION! and attitude....
The Attitude of educated drivers is much better.....

Okay, I plucked all this out of my colon, but I'm sure there are some people who will agree...

I was edumacated once but i forgetted alot of it later. :shit::shutup:


I agree wholeheartedly, despite the wretched stench of colon permeating from your post...


I heard someone call him a total asshole with a sewer mouth one time , now i know why that was ........:innocent:




.

[MaxCannon]

Driving's in the blood.:niceone:

Do I smell sarcasm ?

As it happens Dad was a professional driver.
In the roughly 400,000 kms I've driven a car I've never had an accident. All around NZ, half of Australia, big chunks of the States and a couple of circuits of the UK.

On the bike I've put it down twice on the track, never on the road.
(Maybe I should have asked him for Bike lessions too).

But your point is valid - parents teaching their kids to drive isn't the right approach. You are putting someone in charge of a lethal weapon, to do so with so little training on how to point the damn thing in the right direction is madness.

[Tink]

The real reason for all these fatalities is because there are too many selfish pricks who think that they own the roads, V.

I think this comment PUTS IT IN ONE...!

[smoky]

I think fuckwitted driving causes these road fatalities.

But blame your favourite reason it you want...

great example of a typical cop baptized in the company line - come on scummy; even your Minister agreed with what I'm saying while being interviewed on Close Up tonight.

[Woodman]

Overtaking is a big problem to some drivers, I drive between richmond and motueka every day and some of the overtaking I see has to be seen to be believed, and the real mind boggling thing is that there are a regular few that do it pretty much every day. I am pretty sure that they just rely on the cars going the same way to back off and let them in, and the ones coming towards them to take evasive action. It probly saves them at most a couple of minutes on the drive to work. Shit I have even been passed on the outside once.

[CookMySock]

The real reason for all these fatalities is because there are too many selfish pricks who think that they own the roads, giving them the right to travel well below the speed limits holding traffic up and they refuse to pull over and let people past. Therefore, other people get angry and impatient and make poor decisions when it comes to overtaking, which in some cases leads to a 1V.LOL whut?

You speak as if people can get as angry as they like, and it's everyone elses' fault. I do not think so.

Reality check bro - If you feel angry it's your problem - no one elses. You have no rights afforded to you by any means to take any action simply because you feel strongly.

If everyone acted out their angry feelings the roads would be completely unusable.

Steve

[smoky]

LOL whut?

You speak as if people can get as angry as they like, and it's everyone elses' fault. I do not think so.

Reality check bro - If you feel angry it's your problem - no one elses.

There's a reality in both arguments DB, surely you can see that?

I'm a fat bastard, and generally I ignore rude remarks about my size, because it's my choice if I get angry or not - but rest assured even if it's my problem, every now and then I shut some one up
my point is if you piss people off long enough - sure it's their problem, but you'll probably pay the price for it sooner or later

Reality check is their will always be those who over estimate their ability behind the wheel or on a bike, who get frustrated sitting in ridiculous traffic, we arn't going to police and advertise that fact away to nil - there are a lot of places we could widen the road to duel carriage way (don't have to build new ones). there's plenty of room on state highway 1 in places like north of Ngaruawahia to widen it, instead you get stuck doing 80 behind nanas or dip sticks with double yellows every where.

[rainman]

Driving's in the blood.:niceone:

Fuck that's an annoying advert.

[CookMySock]

even if it's my problem, every now and then I shut some one up
my point is if you piss people off long enough - sure it's their problem, but you'll probably pay the price for it sooner or laterYeah mate for sure, but this is the road. Peoples' families are at stake here. Angry people on the road are fucking dangerous, and I submit they are well in excess of 50% of the problem.


Reality check is their will always be those who over estimate their ability behind the wheel or on a bike, who get frustrated sitting in ridiculous traffic, we arn't going to police and advertise that fact away to nil - there are a lot of places we could widen the road to duel carriage way (don't have to build new ones). there's plenty of room on state highway 1 in places like north of Ngaruawahia to widen it, instead you get stuck doing 80 behind nanas or dip sticks with double yellows every where.Thats too bad bro - some days you get a raw deal - it's like that for everyone. People should just suck their guts in and STFU, just like they have to when their mrs angrily brow-beats them about something, or when they feel annoyed with their kids.

Steve

[SMOKEU]

LOL whut?

You speak as if people can get as angry as they like, and it's everyone elses' fault. I do not think so.

Reality check bro - If you feel angry it's your problem - no one elses. You have no rights afforded to you by any means to take any action simply because you feel strongly.

If everyone acted out their angry feelings the roads would be completely unusable.

Steve

If someone wants/needs to drive slowly then that's fine. If they have a classic vehicle, or are towing a trailer, driving a truck, learner driver etc then it's OK to drive slow. Just pull over, let people past and there is no problem. I get very pissed off when they refuse to pull over and feel that it's fine to block traffic due to their selfishness.

[Blackbird]

There's no doubt that impatience and a whole other raft of things causes accidents but laziness combined with poor situational awareness training are significant factors IMHO. This Easter was a classic example on the Coromandel. Mrs B & I were driving down the Thames coast road on Friday morning en route to Auckland. There was a high traffic flow coming onto the Peninsula from Auckland and elsewhere. The number of northbound vehicles which straightened bends (including blind ones) and came into our lane defied belief. These drivers simply aren't aware of the potential consequences or if they are, they take the risk anyway. One even gave me the fingers when I pointed to his side of the road after he had to make a correction! Grrrrr.....

[cheshirecat]

I was comming back to Welly over the Rimu's Monday eve (after a day of seeing near miss's - I actually felt safer on my bike) with another bike a couple of cars ahead. We were in a queue of vehicles following two artic's. Both pulled over to let us all pass BUT only the bikes tooted in thanks - both trucks tooted back. Does that say something.

For my 2c worth the driving test, especiaily the MC, one is insanely dumbed down, badly written and patronising. If driving standards are to improve they could start there

[Genestho]

There's no doubt that impatience and a whole other raft of things causes accidents but laziness combined with poor situational awareness training are significant factors IMHO. This Easter was a classic example on the Coromandel. Mrs B & I were driving down the Thames coast road on Friday morning en route to Auckland. There was a high traffic flow coming onto the Peninsula from Auckland and elsewhere. The number of northbound vehicles which straightened bends (including blind ones) and came into our lane defied belief. These drivers simply aren't aware of the potential consequences or if they are, they take the risk anyway. One even gave me the fingers when I pointed to his side of the road after he had to make a correction! Grrrrr.....

Driving to the coromandel is a shocking and wonderful example. (add kaimais to that too actually! Following is an example of regular occurances - after following a car of young girls last week that wouldn't merge with a truck coming out of the slow lane preferring to boot it past, over the yellows on a blind corner - their parents or anyone else were lucky nothing was coming the other way that night!)

I can safely agree - the amount of times I've seen oncoming traffic or dangerous manouvres on this route, for the sake of arriving somewhere a few minutes faster.:blink:

I've been driving to the coromandel most holidays for 12 years, before the kids were born, would leave at 5am and miss the lot of it, but following boats or caravans for 20kms, with backed up traffic behind, without pulling over at 70km's is a regularity.:yes:

I find trucks are pretty good and usually pull over when and where they can.
I've learnt after years of driving this route - to expect backed up traffic and just cruise, or pull over myself and get my kids out of the mad packs chomping at the bit, and to encourage pulling over by giving a toot at the ones that pull over with a cheery wave! (used to do the same on the bike too!)

[Ixion]

The reason for the road toll is simple. People are stupid. Remember, by definition, every other person on the road is of sub-normal intelligence. if it's not you, it must be either the person in front of you or the one behind. Moreover, not only are people stupid, many do not actually want to drive. It is a chore they endure, unwillingly. Stupid and apathetic is always going to end up in tears. The problem with slow drivers is that usually they are slow because they are stupid and apathetic. This means they are not only slow but erratic and unpredictable. Personally I don't mind in the least riding behind a slow vehicle (with most of my bikes I have little choice anyway). Provided the slow driver is competent. But they very seldom are. They take weird lines through corners, brake mid corner, slam on the brakes without any apparent reason, weave around on the road, do even stranger things. This means that following one is a test in concentration and reaction. Which is stressful and very tiring.

[duckonin]

Needs the worst add of the year AWARD !!! ( drivings in the blood) PHWWAA

[Genestho]

Provided the slow driver is competent. But they very seldom are. They take weird lines through corners, brake mid corner, slam on the brakes without any apparent reason, weave around on the road, do even stranger things. This means that following one is a test in concentration and reaction. Which is stressful and very tiring.

Good point there, I'm out of bling, sorry! Another reason I find to pull over, and remove myself and kids out of it.

[CookMySock]

If someone wants/needs to drive slowly then that's fine. If they have a classic vehicle, or are towing a trailer, driving a truck, learner driver etc then it's OK to drive slow. Just pull over, let people past and there is no problem. I get very pissed off when they refuse to pull over and feel that it's fine to block traffic due to their selfishness.People don't have to get off the fucking road to let you through. They pay their RUC just like you do so so take a number. We aren't talking about slowbies at 75k, we are talking about ordinary citizens who choose to holiday at 90k and idiot "superior" drivers who prefer cruise at 120k and intimidate and harass anyone who gets in the way.

You are not in a position to call other people selfish when you demand right of way over them. You getting "very pissed off" is by far a greater danger on the road. Everything is not always someone elses' problem.

Steve

[Swoop]

Why do people feel the need to overtake, I wonder...could it be that they have been stuck behind Joe and Mabel travelling at 85 km/h for miles. Joe and Mabel are totally oblivious to the fact that there is a 2 k long tailback behind them
Jo & Mabel need their licence removed since thay have clearly shown that they do not use their mirrors.

Road safety is a joke here, the advise is slow down. Sometimes it's valid but if compulsory vehicle control was part of learning to drive I think there would be a lot fewer crashes.
Damned right! Bloody pathetic excuse for "driver training" in this country.:angry:

It all boils down to, the license system is defuntional, a license to drive is seen as a right, and not a priveledge, which it should be.
I know uncoordinated monkeys that have licenses, I know old blind pensioners that have licenses, I know people that used to ride elephants, that come to NZ, and EXPECT the right to drive.
Damned right, as well!

SO, it all comes back to EDUCATION!
The basic concept that has eluded the gubbinment regulators for too long.

Needs the worst add of the year AWARD !!! ( drivings in the blood) PHWWAA
Quite amazing HOW the car that crashed:
a: Stopped in mid-air, and then
b: Jumped sideways by several metres, prior to ending on its roof.

Check out the skidmarks...
Fucking apalling advert. Just remember that "speed kills" as well...:shifty:

[SMOKEU]

People don't have to get off the fucking road to let you through. They pay their RUC just like you do so so take a number. We aren't talking about slowbies at 75k, we are talking about ordinary citizens who choose to holiday at 90k and idiot "superior" drivers who prefer cruise at 120k and intimidate and harass anyone who gets in the way.

You are not in a position to call other people selfish when you demand right of way over them. You getting "very pissed off" is by far a greater danger on the road. Everything is not always someone elses' problem.

Steve

Like I said before, pull over and let people past if you're driving below the speed limit and someone else is behind you if there is no place for them to safely overtake.

[allycatz]

Kiwi's being notorious DIY'ers, they make up the road rules as they go along!

[smoky]

People should just suck their guts in and STFU, just like they have to when their mrs angrily brow-beats them about something, or when they feel annoyed with their kids.

So you don’t believe in democracy? Or perhaps you think democracy is only useful once every three years? The rest of the time we STFU
Piss off ya limb wristed communist sympathiser, we don’t all live in dark ages some where in the back side of Te Teko.

Advances in this country have been petitioned for, fought for and argued for, you reap the rewards of generations of New Zealanders who stood up and demanded better pay, public holidays, national parks, better roads ............ bla bla bla. They didn’t SFTU and suck it in.

A lot of people now days forget what living in a free democratic country is all about, they cower and default to the powers to be, letting the powers to be assume a totalitarian role and dictate – government agencies, far from being public servants, play the role of government suppressors

Grow some balls man

[reemit]

All this crashin and dyin that is occurring, probably due to more vehicles on our roads, without more roads to accommodate.
Easy equation 2(vehicles)/K(roads)=2(crashin and dyin).. where K=constant. (mafs was never my strong point):scratch:
Its not really a gubbimint conspiracy as some would like to think, (or is it) :nono:?

[smoky]

Its not really a gubbimint conspiracy as some would like to think, (or is it) :nono:?

No it's not, but the government needs to be held accountable for taking our taxes from regos, road tax and fuel and using it else where for all these years. All the while traffic congestion was increasing and our more diverse population was introducing an even more diverse driving ability to our over subscribed road system

They need to be called to account for continuing to buckle to the big transport companies who continue to push for access for their massive over sized trucks that screw the roads to bits

Now they have the cheek to compare our fatality rate to parts of Ausy where the investment in roads means there are larger roads, more duel carriage ways, people are wealthier and therefore their cars are generally better, there landscape is flat with few corners or blind spots.............

And the police are trying to use the higher statistic to bash us on the head with more control, more cops, more double yellows, instead of admitting our roads are woeful and inadequate - and sadly, some of you are swallowing that kind of shyte

[Ixion]

Good point there, I'm out of bling, sorry! Another reason I find to pull over, and remove myself and kids out of it.

Pulling over doesn't work. Either (a)
you hang around by the roadside for two thirds of eternity while doddery cretin crawls away at a speed somewhat slower than glacial drift. Eventually you figure that DC must surely have succumbed to old age and extricate the bike from the cobwebs and creepers that have covered it during the wait. Then after 10 minutes of decent riding you come up behind a linee of cars crawling along - yep, they're all stuck behind DC. So now you,re worse off than ever, you have to get past the line of cars PLUS DC. Or,(b)
you eventually set off, and 5 minutes down the road find yourself stuck behind DC's retarded cousin Cletus who crawled past while you were waiting.

[scissorhands]

Anger is one letter short of danger.

My playground the Piha Road is full of drongoes nowadays, nothing you can do.

If cops ticketed slowbies, accidents would go down.....hmmm

[Drunken Monkey]

Fuck that's an annoying advert.

That ad only sucked when they cut out the part that showed it was Emma driving Robbie's car, and that's why they crashed.
Driving IS in the blood.
Don't let the chick drive.

[Genestho]

Pulling over doesn't work. Either (a)
you hang around by the roadside for two thirds of eternity while doddery cretin crawls away at a speed somewhat slower than glacial drift. Eventually you figure that DC must surely have succumbed to old age and extricate the bike from the cobwebs and creepers that have covered it during the wait. Then after 10 minutes of decent riding you come up behind a linee of cars crawling along - yep, they're all stuck behind DC. So now you,re worse off than ever, you have to get past the line of cars PLUS DC. Or,(b)
you eventually set off, and 5 minutes down the road find yourself stuck behind DC's retarded cousin Cletus who crawled past while you were waiting.
On the bike with an engine accompanied with a can that rattled windows, we barely had a problem getting anywhere, as a downchange in gears and cars would usually leave room to pass. :D which was responded with a toot and a wave back.

When driving - it works for me, because I've already accepted holiday traffic is slow or dangerous, I've learn't that when I feel my mindset change, I remove my family out of it.

I'm not worried if when we set off again the traffic is slow, because my mind set is clearer, sharper and relaxed for awhile, when it changes, we remove ourselves out of it again.

I can only try to do what I can in my car for my family, I don't fancy being instrumental in burying anyone [else] in my world, and I couldn't cope with killing or injurying someone elses loved one, I know the hurt well.

I know I can't control what's coming at me, that's upto 'you'

I have made submissions on other contributing factors which are just as important, but it is my belief that roadsafety is in the crux of driver mentality.

We don't own the roads, we temporarily borrow them alongside other users to get from A to B, legislation will not lower the road toll, when in general driver attitudes are in denial, and blame everyone and everything else for their actions. If we all contributed positively on the roads we wouldn't need legislation.

I don't understand why drivers can't leave earlier if you have to be somewhere on time, or allow extra time and have some patience, and yes vehicles holding up traffic need to be responsible too.

Be prepared to accept that in our beautiful country there are roads where traffic will always be slow through the holidays.

[Grubber]

The Easter road toll was the worst in 16 years, 10 deaths
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10636572

National Police Headquarters' Inspector John McClelland said many of the deaths had been preventable;
"I think there are people making bad decisions, particularly with overtaking - not allowing enough room to get past vehicles and things like that,"
When you read the reports on the accidents, you’ll see the majority of deaths occurred with overtaking, or with poor road conditions, one was a foreigner trying to overtake a truck with on coming traffic.
Yet the dumb arse police in the country ignore the obvious and trot out the ol message they are pre programmed to default to;
"There've been a few fatalities involving suspected speed and alcohol”
Note the word ‘suspected’ but no facts

Isn’t any accident unintentional and generally the result of a poor decision?
Wouldn’t you expect any accident when overtaking to involve speed?

Rather than state the moronic obvious shouldn’t they be investigating the contributing factors and the criticality of those factors?
Surely the most critical cause of most of these accidents is the fact we have shit roads that have only a very limited provision for safely overtaking – unlike most developed countries?
We have campervans, old people, Asian drivers, tourists, huge trucks, too many trucks, more trucks all clogging up our so called state highways and main arterial routes (not picking on trucks, but the single carriage way they block up) frustrating the hell out of average motorists, who end up taking unacceptable risks to get past.

I would back the police when they implore us to be patient on the roads and to make better choices – if they were also lobbying the powers to be about creating more room on our roads for overtaking, if they would also stop their wanky pathetic practice of ticketing traffic for speeding when they use what few overtaking lanes there are.
The Police are short sited and moronic in thinking the sole answer is to slow down and be patient! It won’t be long before they have covered the entire state highway 1 with double yellows (no overtaking at all) and reduced the speed limit to 80.

They should remove their heads from their over stuffed colons and help increase the quality and safety of our roads, rather than fall back on lame one liners like “speed kills”

My sentiments exactly. There will always be a percentage of Morons. Thats' never going to change. We need to make roads more user friendly before we make any headway into stopping deaths. Need to give the morons more room. Look at the crash stats in the USA and see what makes their deaths lower than ours per capita. It's the wide open roads that help.

[swbarnett]

We don't own the roads,
Actually, we do. We ALL do. I think part of the problem is that both fast and slow drivers don't recognise that the other drivers also own the road and have an equal right to use them.

[swbarnett]

We don't own the roads,
Actually, we do. We ALL do. I think part of the problem is that both fast and slow drivers don't recognise that the other drivers also own the road and have an equal right to use them.

[-df-]

Actually, we do. We ALL do. I think part of the problem is that both fast and slow drivers don't recognise that the other drivers also own the road and have an equal right to use them.

Spot on.

If someone is driving slow, wait until its safe to overtake.

Sure, if we had better roads this wouldn't be such a problem...but guess what...our roads are crap, and will be for quite a while, get used to it and drive safely (that doesn't mean slow btw).

[swbarnett]

If someone is driving slow, wait until its safe to overtake.
And, of course, the reverse is also true. If you're driving slow and there are very few good passing opportunuties pull over frequently and let people past.

[smoky]

Spot on.

If someone is driving slow, wait until its safe to overtake.

Sure, if we had better roads this wouldn't be such a problem...but guess what...our roads are crap, and will be for quite a while, get used to it and drive safely (that doesn't mean slow btw).

And, of course, the reverse is also true. If you're driving slow and there are very few good passing opportunuties pull over frequently and let people past.

Fact; people will always make mistakes, some more than others, and some mistakes will be worse than others

Fact; our roads are not the best, our state highway is not up to a decent standard

Fact; there has been and always will be those in our community who; will drink and drive, fall asleep at the wheel, and most people at some stage will exceed the speed limit

Combine those three factors and you have a real problem

You can't argue against those who say - suck it up and slow down, if everyone did that then yes that will reduce accidents, however it is a short sited wanky argument; my fear is the continuing trend is to ignore the fact that our roads need improving - and concentrate their efforts on controlling the users; more double yellows are planned everywhere, they are already talking about reducing the open road limit to 90 - wont be long and it will be 80, then 70.............. Speed restrictors for cars and bikes, forcing manufacturers to only produce cars that cannot break the law, and so on ...........

The very concept of peoples owner ship of democracy is eroded - what ever happened to the idea that the government is the representatives of the people, elected by the people, to serve the people.
Roads are a public service, it enables commerce and the freedom to travel, we pay for them, we own them, it should not be to much to expect that they are maintained and developed for our benefit, to drive at legally acceptable speeds on open roads - that is not the case currently - try to maintain an average open road pace from Auckland to Wellington of 100 Klm/hr with out having to resort to breaking the law. You can't

Instead of fixing the problem, they set off on a path of constraining the people, restricting the people, punishing the people
That's how dictators and tyrants work - it's not democracy or freedom, it's not representative of the people

And some of you on here don't give a second thought about it - the government said it, so it must be true - so STFU, suck it in and wear it

Young people today - no spirit, when was the last time you saw any of them protesting about anything, bunch of shallow minded wimps

[Jayka]

Yeah I agree that our roads are utter crap and not up to standard compared to roads overseas.

But yeah when you are out an about people need to drive to the conditions- Just because the bloody sign says that you can go 100km per/hr doesnt mean you can do it when its pissing down and near to zero visability!!!!!

I had a near miss this Easter on the Napier- Taupo Road. It was very close. The conditions were horrible, it was pissing down, near zero visability and lots of traffic. I was on one of the last passing lanes near the Tarawera Tea Rooms and pub heading towards Taupo.

Just cruising along doing 70kms (very,very slippery) in the left lane behind a car when this idiot driving a gutless SVU came up my righthand side. The twit didnt have enough power to pass me and the car infront, so hes red lining it and pushing his SVU to the limit, he got past me (I dropped back to let the idiot pass me), but the passing lane finished before he could complete passing the car that was infront of me. Then to just make things worse the guy in the SVU still decided to keep trying to pass as the road went around a blind lefthand corner!!! He goes round the corner still on the wrong side of the road and meets an other motorcyclist (His name was John) coming from the opposite direction!!!! The motorcyclist ended up running off the road and into a dtch!, the SVU swerves and loses it and clips the car he was passing and sends it into a spin and I got hit in the chest by flying car bits!!!!

Lucky for me I could stop in time without crappin off my bike as well. Also lucky that no one was seriously injured. The idiot in the SVU got wiplash from his seatbelt but his SVU was a mess! The people in the car got a massive shock and their car had minor damage, but John the poor motorcyclist completely wrote off his bike, but he walked away with lots of cuts and scrapes!!!!

Another motorist stopped and called the police and ambulance and we all sat on the side of the road in the rain waiting for them to turn up. When the police got there the idiot from the SVU walked straight upto the cop and tried to blame the people in the other car for the accident!!!! WHAT A F#!@KING TWAT!!!! He said to the cop that we wouldnt let him back into the left lane after the passing lane finished!!

At this point I was very pissed off, my chest hurt and I was cold and wet and had enough of this guys bullshit so I picked up my helmet and smacked him square in the face with it!!!! I know that volience is not the answer but I was beyond the point of caring!!!

The guy in the SVU is no being charged with dangerous driving causing injury and goes to court next week. John the motorcyclist said that he gona wait for his insurance to pay out then hes gona get another Triumph and new riding gear.

The moral to the story is to drive/ride to the conditions and make sure that there is 100m of clear road throughout the whole movement when overtaking!!!!!!!

[Toaster]

Very sad to hear of the tragic loss of life and injury - so many families hurt and lies ruined. Stupid drivers driving badly and making stupid mistakes, fast, slow, unattentive or otherwise.... it just doesn't need to happen.

So.... over Easter how many BURGLARIES were there while people were on holiday? or do we just keep bending over and taking it as volume crime?

[swbarnett]

At this point I was very pissed off, my chest hurt and I was cold and wet and had enough of this guys bullshit so I picked up my helmet and smacked him square in the face with it!!!! I know that volience is not the answer but I was beyond the point of caring!!!
I can certainly understand how you felt. I hope you don't get charged for this, the bastard deserved it!

[Berries]

Lots of talk about slow drivers not pulling over. Isn't this a bike forum ? I would hate to drive a car on a long holiday weekend, I can think of nothing worse than a three hour drive having to deal with all the dicks on the road and sitting in traffic doing 90 wishing for more overtaking opportunities. On a bike though it is a different matter. I like the busy roads because it livens up a trip that could otherwise be mindnumbingly boring.

Maybe it's a North Island vs Main Island thing. Even when it's "chock a block" down here it's not quite the same as the clips they show on the TV news of traffic crawling somewhere on the outskirts of Auckland.

[quickbuck]

Lots of talk about slow drivers not pulling over. Isn't this a bike forum ? I would hate to drive a car on a long holiday weekend, I can think of nothing worse than a three hour drive having to deal with all the dicks on the road and sitting in traffic doing 90 wishing for more overtaking opportunities. On a bike though it is a different matter. I like the busy roads because it livens up a trip that could otherwise be mindnumbingly boring.

Maybe it's a North Island vs Main Island thing. Even when it's "chock a block" down here it's not quite the same as the clips they show on the TV news of traffic crawling somewhere on the outskirts of Auckland.
Fair point about a bike being able to pass almost anywhere....

I can say though, many of the drivers up here think they are all in Chevy Impalas, or Humvees, and hug the centre line....
This means there isn't quite the space to pass safely.
Now, pulling over, could be as simple as hug the white line to the left, and that will make most motorcyclists happy.... Even on a yellow line, as it is legal to pass, as long as you don't cross it.

[mashman]

they are already talking about reducing the open road limit to 90 - wont be long and it will be 80, then 70.............. Speed restrictors for cars and bikes, forcing manufacturers to only produce cars that cannot break the law, and so on ...........


No need to restrict the car... the human will be chipped with a financial balance and GPS chip.

[motor_mayhem]

It's f@cking great to see that blame is spread around like machine gun fire, the general theory being if you spray enough bullets around you might eventually hit an actual target (cause of road accidents).

I would like to see someone say "Well it's not just as simple as us having a few less or more deaths this year" as road changes, licencing changes, population density changes among the various other ones are not added in for some sort of weighted figure that can actually tell the guy who writes the cheques for whatever advertising campaign etc if what he's doing is making a difference. No matter how good/appropriate/(other positive adjective) your rules and regulations are there are some stupid c's out there who still won't pay attention and will still cause accidents. And find me a crash that's purely based on only two issues, let alone one, I would be doubtful there are many if any in that set. And finally there's no acknowledgement of Luck as a factor, some people seem to make repeatedly stupid mistakes or bad driving decisions and get away with it while some others make a minor mistake and it costs them everything.

Sometimes it seems like the public as a group are a mangy mutt sprinting off to eat the first road kill(no pun intended) it sees, never questioning whether the meal will help continue the mutt's existance or hinder it by containing disease etc. Put simply the public/government jump on an idea so we can say we're doing something sometimes with no proof that what we're doing is worth the effort. I am sure there are things to do but I think more time needs to be spent figuring out what will really make a difference.

[smoky]

I think I know what you thought you said, but I'm not sure what i thought you said was what you were thinking

[Pixie]

Yeah I agree that our roads are utter crap and not up to standard compared to roads overseas.

But yeah when you are out an about people need to drive to the conditions- Just because the bloody sign says that you can go 100km per/hr doesnt mean you can do it when its pissing down and near to zero visability!!!!!

I had a near miss this Easter on the Napier- Taupo Road. It was very close. The conditions were horrible, it was pissing down, near zero visability and lots of traffic. I was on one of the last passing lanes near the Tarawera Tea Rooms and pub heading towards Taupo.

Just cruising along doing 70kms (very,very slippery) in the left lane behind a car when this idiot driving a gutless SVU came up my righthand side. The twit didnt have enough power to pass me and the car infront, so hes red lining it and pushing his SVU to the limit, he got past me (I dropped back to let the idiot pass me), but the passing lane finished before he could complete passing the car that was infront of me. Then to just make things worse the guy in the SVU still decided to keep trying to pass as the road went around a blind lefthand corner!!! He goes round the corner still on the wrong side of the road and meets an other motorcyclist (His name was John) coming from the opposite direction!!!! The motorcyclist ended up running off the road and into a dtch!, the SVU swerves and loses it and clips the car he was passing and sends it into a spin and I got hit in the chest by flying car bits!!!!

Lucky for me I could stop in time without crappin off my bike as well. Also lucky that no one was seriously injured. The idiot in the SVU got wiplash from his seatbelt but his SVU was a mess! The people in the car got a massive shock and their car had minor damage, but John the poor motorcyclist completely wrote off his bike, but he walked away with lots of cuts and scrapes!!!!

Another motorist stopped and called the police and ambulance and we all sat on the side of the road in the rain waiting for them to turn up. When the police got there the idiot from the SVU walked straight upto the cop and tried to blame the people in the other car for the accident!!!! WHAT A F#!@KING TWAT!!!! He said to the cop that we wouldnt let him back into the left lane after the passing lane finished!!

At this point I was very pissed off, my chest hurt and I was cold and wet and had enough of this guys bullshit so I picked up my helmet and smacked him square in the face with it!!!! I know that volience is not the answer but I was beyond the point of caring!!!

The guy in the SVU is no being charged with dangerous driving causing injury and goes to court next week. John the motorcyclist said that he gona wait for his insurance to pay out then hes gona get another Triumph and new riding gear.

The moral to the story is to drive/ride to the conditions and make sure that there is 100m of clear road throughout the whole movement when overtaking!!!!!!!

Excellent!
It's important to identify when you are in the vicinity of morons and take precautionary measures.

P.S. the bikers killed in the Dome Valley were hit by an overtaking driver.

[peasea]

Lots of talk about slow drivers not pulling over. Isn't this a bike forum ? I would hate to drive a car on a long holiday weekend, I can think of nothing worse than a three hour drive having to deal with all the dicks on the road and sitting in traffic doing 90 wishing for more overtaking opportunities. On a bike though it is a different matter. I like the busy roads because it livens up a trip that could otherwise be mindnumbingly boring.

Maybe it's a North Island vs Main Island thing. Even when it's "chock a block" down here it's not quite the same as the clips they show on the TV news of traffic crawling somewhere on the outskirts of Auckland.
I laugh when people talk of 'traffic jams' in Nelson. I think even on a hot summer's day with thousands of transient holiday-making loopies crawling around the foreshore the longest delay I've had in the time we've been here is about ten minutes! I've never understood why Aucklanders even go away on long weekends or annual holidays all at the same time.

[Tink]

My sentiments exactly. There will always be a percentage of Morons. Thats' never going to change. We need to make roads more user friendly before we make any headway into stopping deaths. Need to give the morons more room. Look at the crash stats in the USA and see what makes their deaths lower than ours per capita. It's the wide open roads that help.

Maybe its about time drivers at fault had the USA system to think about... you cause the accident you don't just face the law and get a slap on the hand... you face the victims lawyer.


At this point I was very pissed off, my chest hurt and I was cold and wet and had enough of this guys bullshit so I picked up my helmet and smacked him square in the face with it!!!! I know that volience is not the answer but I was beyond the point of caring!!!


I hate violence, but in this case I think I would have done the same thing... the guy obviously had nothing tween his ears, and deserved your wrath!

[Jayka]

I can certainly understand how you felt. I hope you don't get charged for this, the bastard deserved it!

Nope Im not being charged (thank god!!!) The police officer said that I was 'shock' and couldnt be held responsible for my actions when I smacked the twat!!!!

After I smacked the idiot the cop had a dirty big smile on his face, he probably wouldnt admitt it now but Im sure he was glad I shut the twat up!!!!

[scumdog]

Fair point about a bike being able to pass almost anywhere....

I can say though, many of the drivers up here think they are all in Chevy Impalas, or Humvees, and hug the centre line....
This means there isn't quite the space to pass safely.
Now, pulling over, could be as simple as hug the white line to the left, and that will make most motorcyclists happy.... Even on a yellow line, as it is legal to pass, as long as you don't cross it.

Yup, wasn't too impressed with the bike that continued to pass a car and sat on the wrong side of the centre-line near Waipara (Canterbury) despite me being screaming obvious coming towards him in my F100 - shit if he'd hit me it would have scratched the custom paint job, that would have really pissed me off.

I did move over - eventually - and he screamed past into the distance behind me.

[Jayka]

I hate violence, but in this case I think I would have done the same thing... the guy obviously had nothing tween his ears, and deserved your wrath!

Yeah alot of people that Ive spoken to about it, have said that the guy deserved it, but I really shouldnt have hit him when looking at the whole thing now. But yeah as I said, I was sick of the guys bullshit and beyond the point of caring and I guess I wasnt really thinkin of the aftermath... Nevermind whats done is done....

[Genie]

After being out on some roads over easter i'm surprised the toll isn't higher...even today I saw some right stupid moves from some drivers.....

[oldrider]

I think fuckwitted driving causes these road fatalities.

But blame your favourite reason it you want...

If only those fuckwitted drivers would "STAY ON THEIR OWN SIDE OF THE BLOODY ROAD"!

That is consistently the worst behaviour I see on our roads down here, "CUTTING BLOODY CORNERS", over the line by half a vehicle!

It's getting worse and worse, especially these pricks that start their passing manoeuvre before you have cleared the vehicle they are attempting to pass! :angry2:

[swbarnett]

"CUTTING BLOODY CORNERS", over the line by half a vehicle!
I had one over easter. Came round a really tight right hander to find an SUV with large boat trailer completely blocking both lanes as they cut the next left (from my POV) that immediately followed. Lucky for me I tend to ride fairly conservatively around blind bends. There was no escape but a heavily treed bank.

[SPman]

Out our way it's the f**king bike riders who cut corners....twats! Comes form having to many straight roads, when they get to a windy bit they think they're on the track and are oblivious to the 4wd drivers occupying all the road......and other bikes coming the other way!

[terbang]

Increase the number of speed cameras. That'll fix the high road toll (so they keep telling us).

[peasea]

Yup, wasn't too impressed with the bike that continued to pass a car and sat on the wrong side of the centre-line near Waipara (Canterbury) despite me being screaming obvious coming towards him in my F100 - shit if he'd hit me it would have scratched the custom paint job, that would have really pissed me off.

I did move over - eventually - and he screamed past into the distance behind me.

Sportsbike was it??

[scumdog]

Sportsbike was it??

Nah, some bone-head on a hog trying to catch up with his mates, most likely heading to your end of the island.

[Tink]

Not sure if the post re: bikers in warkworth here.. but overtaking is certainly a killer... think before you cross.... or end up with a cross on the side of the road as your trade mark!

[peasea]

Nah, some bone-head on a hog trying to catch up with his mates, most likely heading to your end of the island.

Well, it's a great place for southerners to take their holidays!:innocent:

[Swoop]

If only those fuckwitted drivers would "STAY ON THEIR OWN SIDE OF THE BLOODY ROAD"!

That is consistently the worst behaviour I see on our roads down here, "CUTTING BLOODY CORNERS", over the line by half a vehicle!

It's getting worse and worse,
Very interesting comment. I have been noticing exactly the same thing happening up here as well and it is a very serious issue. Obviously policing this dangerous act does not bring in the income like a speeding ticket does, so we will not be seeing the problem going away very soon. A bit like red-light running.