Close Up (28 April) 7.00pm. Road safety

[sinned]

Coming up in 10mins. Claim that the road safety campaigns have got it wrong?

[Ragingrob]

Hmmm I wonder if I'm on tv then... Drove past a camera crew + cops filming a road in Karaka today, that'd be crack up lol.

[slofox]

Dog and Lemon author said this morning that trying to educate the lunatic fringe drivers is just wasting money...I think he's right...

[Ragingrob]

Haha yep that road sign is what they were filming, damn I missed my tv op!

[sinfull]

turn ya lights on ! Thats it, my god the answer to all our worries !

[ElCoyote]

Dog and Lemon author said this morning that trying to educate the lunatic fringe drivers is just wasting money...I think he's right...

I think he's the leader of the lunatic fringe

[Katman]

Dog and Lemon author said this morning that trying to educate the lunatic fringe drivers is just wasting money...I think he's right...

But I'm not spending any money.

:wacko:

[Genestho]

Did anyone watch it? I missed it, might grab a link....

I can remember quite awhile back some information about our current Road Safety Model, being a failed overseas model, can't quite recall how I came across the info.....

[AllanB]

Dog and Lemon author said this morning that trying to educate the lunatic fringe drivers is just wasting money...I think he's right...


Bloody motorcycles ............

I suspect it is regarding their obsession with speed.

[peasea]

I think he's the leader of the lunatic fringe

Why?

I've actually been reading some of his stuff and listening to what he has to say for some years. I think he makes some quite astute observations. There's certainly no harm in turning your lights on, is there?

As for making it compulsory for motorcycles; there needs to be a cut-off date to allow the vintage machines to run legally. I said as much in my submission to the Ministry......

Did any of you good people make a submission?

[Sully60]

Bloody motorcycles ............

I suspect it is regarding their obsession with speed.

My motorcycle went to rehab for that. It only drinks these days, amphetamines are bad mmmkay?

[Katman]

Did any of you good people make a submission?

I submit to no man.

:msn-wink:

[peasea]

I submit to no man.

:msn-wink:

Which is why you can't complain when they change rules, regulations and laws in a manner that irks you.

[AllanB]

My motorcycle went to rehab for that. It only drinks these days, amphetamines are bad mmmkay?

Yeah - mines still being a naughty bitch too - if it does not behave and slow down I'll have to give it a good thrashing ;)

[AllanB]

There's a lights on law coming?

Am I in the dark over this?

Meh - mine does not turn off anyway.

[FJRider]

There's a lights on law coming?

Am I in the dark over this?

Meh - mine does not turn off anyway.

There are those in some quarters, that are attempting to have it introduced... another bright idea..

[Ragingrob]

There are those in some quarters, that are attempting to have it introduced... another bright idea..

How enlighting.

[AllanB]

How enlighting.

Bright spark, that was a switched on comment.

[Ragingrob]

Bright spark, that was a switched on comment.

The gods must be shining down on me.

[Gremlin]

*groan*

The light law better not be compulsory for all vehicles. Same with haz vests on construction sites. They are losing their effect due to being such a common sight.

For bikes, yes. Vehicles tend to stand out when they have their lights on, with everyone having theirs on, effect is lost.

[MSTRS]

*groan*

The light law better not be compulsory for all vehicles. Same with haz vests on construction sites. They are losing their effect due to being such a common sight.

For bikes, yes. Vehicles tend to stand out when they have their lights on, with everyone having theirs on, effect is lost.

Pre-fucking-cisely!!
Barring the D+L guy's comments about CONCRETE barriers, there was nothing sensible in that story.

[Headbanger]

*groan*

The light law better not be compulsory for all vehicles. Same with haz vests on construction sites. They are losing their effect due to being such a common sight.



Can't agree, You try and spot someone not wearing one on a site in comparison to someone who is wearing one, the ability to finds them is like night and day. makes a massive difference when you have to keep people out of certain areas or make sure no one is in the vicinity, or to react when they pop up out of nowhere.

However I do think the servo-attendant putting one on to fill up my gas bottle is just a little retarded.

[Fatjim]

Did any of you good people make a submission?

Did it make a difference? no.

[Beemer]

I didn't agree with everything he said, particularly the bit about driving like you live and that poor people and old people killed themselves more often in accidents. How does he explain the recent accidents then - truckie drives over cliff; elderly couple hit when young guy crosses centre line and hits them head-on; guy clips car then hits van and four people in van die; etc.

What I worry is that if they do bring in compulsory headlight use 24/7 the fucking tossers who currently drive around with their fog lights, spot lights, warning lights, you name it lights on at all times will put theirs on full to stand out from the rest!

[Gremlin]

...However I do think the servo-attendant putting one on to fill up my gas bottle is just a little retarded.
This is precisely part of the problem. People go overboard on the haz vests, using them for just about anything. Like anything, the more common a sight becomes, the more easily it is dismissed.

I've been on construction sites. When haz vests were first required, each time you saw one it was woah! whats up. After a while, everyone has them, your reaction is no longer the same.

Things like the 3 5s make perfect sense (specifically building I guess), and haz vests should be used for guests, or stuff like that.

[peasea]

Did it make a difference? no.So, what are you saying? Don't ever bother?

Fine attitude, that.

[peasea]

I didn't agree with everything he said, particularly the bit about driving like you live and that poor people and old people killed themselves more often in accidents. How does he explain the recent accidents then - truckie drives over cliff; elderly couple hit when young guy crosses centre line and hits them head-on; guy clips car then hits van and four people in van die; etc.

What I worry is that if they do bring in compulsory headlight use 24/7 the fucking tossers who currently drive around with their fog lights, spot lights, warning lights, you name it lights on at all times will put theirs on full to stand out from the rest!

I took his comment to mean that we do so much on auto-pilot that we tend to also drive like that. If that is what he meant then it's hard not to agree. You can't deny that often you arrive at a destination and can't recall much of the journey. (In a car that is...)

[peasea]

This is precisely part of the problem. People go overboard on the haz vests, using them for just about anything. Like anything, the more common a sight becomes, the more easily it is dismissed.

Like speeding ads on TV.

[Damon]

This is precisely part of the problem. People go overboard on the haz vests, using them for just about anything. Like anything, the more common a sight becomes, the more easily it is dismissed.

I've been on construction sites. When haz vests were first required, each time you saw one it was woah! whats up. After a while, everyone has them, your reaction is no longer the same.



Sure your reaction may not be the same but do you still see the people wearing the vests?? anything that makes other road users more visible can only be a good thing

[Gremlin]

Ok, look at it another way. Are you able to pick one hazard vest from all the others, when they are the same colour? You simply see a bunch, nothing special.

If you see one haz vest, amongst a group of people, you pay it more attention, you wonder why its there, at the very least, you give it a longer glance than all the other shirts. Why? Because it stands out, draws your attention.

Same with headlights that are on, and aren't. In fact, with a headlight being on, if a viewer is dazzled by it, a motorcycle could be hidden, as it can't block out the whole front of a vehicle, like another would therefore making a vehicle be closer to the watcher than they may think.

[MSTRS]

The follow-up last night shows things to be going in a dangerous (for us) direction. And there is no perspective from 'our' side. A few emails from motorcyclists may help. I've sent one about the issue of daylight headlights, perhaps others could talk about hi-vis, barriers, attitudes...that sort of thing?
Closeup@tvnz.co.nz

Dear sirs

I have been following this issue with much interest, and not a little trepidation. I have my own ideas about what is 'wrong' on our roads, but will elaborate on headlight use only.

Obviously, being seen is highly desireable, but what motorcyclists would seem to experience is that 'other motorists' are not looking. For that reason it has long been a recommendation (not law) that motorcycles have their headlights on at all times. There is little in the way of research to prove that lights-on makes a huge difference for motorcycles, because we are still so often not seen. Being small (non-threatening?) and difficult to gauge in terms of proximity, approach and speed are huge factors in accidents stats. But at least our headlights go some way towards helping to make us stand out better.

It is the call for car headlights on that worries me. Because that will remove the one point of difference that motorcyclists have.
Yes, motorcyclists make up only 2% of the vehicle fleet, but we have the same rights to be on the roads as anyone...it is what we can do to decrease our vulnerability that is being threatened here.

Perhaps then, if cars go lights-on at all times, then to keep the point of difference, motorcycles must go hi-beam-on at all times?

[MSTRS]

Still nothing from our perspective. Still, no wonder, when the only moaning about 'bloody cagers and shit 'they cause' is on KB.
Come on, won't someone (else) get off their arse and put in a word. It's a good opportunity for the chance of some exposure as road safety relates to us.



After emailing you last week on the subject of headlights-on as it is likely to impact (pun intended) on motorcyclists, and with your second follow-up screened (roadside with the cop) it has become quite obvious that not only are motorcyclists not seen on our roads, but that we are not seen or heard anywhere else either. So that cop thinks that if one life can be saved by daytime use of car headlights, it would be worth it. Really? How many more motorcyclists will die as a result of being invisible in a sea of headlights?