"85 per cent of all crashes occur below the speed limit"

[rodgerd]

Like this new LTSA ad....who fucken cares what happens to you if you are travelling 5kph quicker than the car next to you.

The person you hit?

This pisses me off - as it is OUR money that is paying for these worthless ads. Yet - we in general are more aware of hazards etc by the very nature that we have more to lose.....think about how much safer motorcycling would be WITHOUT CARS.

Not much, when you look at the number of single-vehicle motorcycle crashes.

[riffer]

Not much, when you look at the number of single-vehicle motorcycle crashes.

Yes but if they got rid of the cars, and the trucks, and put all the non-motorcyclists and the freight on the trains, then they wouldn't have to straighten "our" hill...

[Slim]

I know this isn't quite what you meant, but I was amazed when driving in Victoria (the place NZ copies all the stupid ideas from, for some unfathomable reason) that due to the terror regime with hidden speed cameras, spotter planes, etc., people drive at LESS than 100 km/h on the "open" road for fear they will get pinged.

I noticed that too, but will add that they won't accelerate until their car is physically past the speedlimit change sign either! And how safe is it to be spending more time checking your speedometer than the road & all its hazards because you're afraid of being pinged?

As for the 50kph speed limit in the urban area I believe this should be upped to 60kph. Too fast then what about 55. Like who drives at at fifty these days? And when you do come up behind someone who is going that speed what do you do? Pass them or mutter obscenities for going so slow

I wish that all drivers would follow the 50kph limit more closely where it is applied. Hamilton's pretty good with applying 50, 60, 70 & 80kph speed limits where they're most suitable, and while a lot of drivers still "take" that 10kph leeway, they quite often don't when the limit changes up (if you get what I mean. I think I've even managed to confuse myself! ) Alternatively, it's actually almost impossible to do 50kph in downtown Hamilton. Most often, it's more like 35-40kph (which I actually had as a negative, but not fail-worthy, point when I failed my first Learner Car licence test! It was the parallel parking & hill start that actually did me in!)

Lou: about the variable speed limit school signs - perhaps you should contact your local schools with this information & find out the best way to get your Council to apply it, and get the ball rolling? Good luck.

About the LTSA ad: I got the point (difference in damage), but my first thought was that a more observant person would be on the brakes sooner than a less observant or defensive driver & that training and/or experience would change their results quite a bit. There is also more than one way to handle an approaching hazard, and slamming on the brakes & heading straight for it is not the smartest! Why didn't the guy on the right head around the back? So we're back to that old chestut: the LTSA spending advertising (brain washing ) money on training instead of scare tactics.


Celtic: I may be a blonde chick, but I'm 30+ over the National IQ average! Shame my bra size isn't ... above the national average, that is.

[onearmedbandit]

Question. Do the reported single vehicle motorcycle accident numbers include accidents, where say a car pulls out in front of a bike, and crashes without hitting another vehicle, say by riding off the road, hitting a road sign, locking the brakes and losing it? Whether the other driver stops or leaves the scene?

[Jamezo]

Celtic: I may be a blonde chick, but I'm 30+ over the National IQ average! Shame my bra size isn't ... above the national average, that is.

smartness! I did test the nation both times, 118 both times. at least I'm consistent!

[NC]

Because then the majority of the thickos that drive in the country would be confused by the ad.

Remember Lou, the average IQ is 100. That means, according to general bell curve probability, that there will be at least 20 percent of the drivers on the road will have an IQ up to 25 points below that.

A scary prospect, especially as I would imagine most of the people that frequent this site would easily score 25 points over the average.

LTSA have to make ads the "average person on the street" understand. The average person on the street thinks New Zealand Idol is a good example of entertaining TV and value for our TV money too.

IQ tests are crap! I can't spell for cashews!
I mean, I sat an IQ test and got 141!! And the test was at Auckland Uni.. Wasn't one of those lame arse TV ones.
What's that saying about the country???
HAHAHA Ruths smarter than the greater population of NZ...Bow down to her...bow down!!!

[Blakamin]

About the LTSA ad: So we're back to that old chestut: the LTSA spending advertising (brain washing ) money on training instead of scare tactics.

wouldnt have cost them that much...have a look at the rego's...
Victorian cars = Aussie ad
which is made by the Transport Accident Commission.... thats sort of their job..
when I got back here 3 years ago, 85% of ltsa ads were TAC ads with voice overs!!...geez I laughed (they were all about a year old)

[TonyB]

Thats because the road toll doesn't take into account general population increase, or the increase in cars on the road. Comparing 5 years worth of road toll trend is useless without the above information.

They need to base the road toll on the distance travelled, something like deaths per 100,000km travelled and injuries per 100,000km travelled. I understand they do that already in some countries.

[Sniper]

And then people will drive at 70. People will always push the limits. try falling off at 60 and see now fast it feels. Its all about habituation. 60 is seen as a normal speed and thus not that fast ( I do it myself). Then I compare it with the distances I cover in the same time by walking / cycling and think bloody hell we are lucky to be going 50. It takes me 3hours to walk home from town, but only 10 mins to ride.

Falling off at 60 is just as bad as falling off at 70 but it gets worse after 90kph. I dont think I know from experience. :spudwhat:

[spudchucka]

They need to base the road toll on the distance travelled, something like deaths per 100,000km travelled and injuries per 100,000km travelled. I understand they do that already in some countries.

They do it here too. Have a look at the LTSA web site, there are heaps of reports on line.

[TwoSeven]

I wonder how many of those low speed crashes included taking the bike off the paddock stand without the side stand down, and trying to drive with the disc lock still on.

Hopefully they didnt do it [the study] from insurance claims.

[dhunt]

Another interesting stat would in town versas out of town accidents, my guess would be most accidents happen around town.

(Somewhere I read 70% of M/C accidents happen at intersections).

[Artifice]

intersections are nasty.
if youfilter through traffic between a car turning left and a car turning right. the oncoming car turning inffront of you probably will attempt to run you over as you go through. oh yes and if you are tailgating a car through an intersection... the oncoming car turning right may try to turn you into a hood ornament also.
those exits off a blind left hand corner are the ones tha probably get the most motorcyle wheels in the driver door though.

[Nutter34]

Okay, taking the original title into account.... How many low speed accidents would happen on the open road where the road markings weren't suitable for the type. I've seen many a twisty road without no-overtaking lines, or blind rises, the same. On many occasions I've decided to wait just a bit longer before overtaking and something's come from the front.
With some of the roads, and a common practice of slow drivers to accelerate when an overtaking section comes up, it just encourages people to take chances but the road markings don't always inform of conditions correctly.

[bear]

The cops always use blanket statistics to report to the public, I think in this age more intelligent statistics are needed to be provided. The first message in this thread stated that the Police don't have regional statistics on revenue gained from speed cameras - bullsh*t! They just don't want to report it.
And reporting on the type of accidents that cause the most injuries or deaths would help the general public and allow us to concentrate on those scenarios.