Dangerous roads, are we playing the blame game?

[James Deuce]

Tis merely the authorities giving the impression that they are doing something, and amounts to nothing more than a lot of the crap OSH shit that is foisted on us...that is, someone else may be at fault but let's lay the responsibility at the feet of *whoever*...
The other side of the same coin is...if I'm wearing dayglo, I don't have to be so vigilant 'cos they'll have seen me.

Imagine the aftermath...
Officer Scumdog: So what happened?
Mr SMIDSY: Well, I was just entering the intersection when WHAM, this motorcycle run straight into me driver's door.
OS: Really? So how did you not see him? He had his headlight on and was wearing hi-vis like the law requires.
Mr S: Funny you should say that. I did catch a flash of colour just before he hit me. Not like the one last year...I didn't see him at all before he hit me. Same intersection too, now that I think about it. Both of them just came out of nowhere...they had to have been speeding. Bloody hoons on bikes, eh?.

I'm starting to think that's some sort of script ACC hand out to non-Class 6 license holders.

[English Kiwi]

You have some good points Matt! Well written as well, couldn't really find any grammar issues at all

I must add that when people are learning to Drive, they need to have awareness in the early stages of Motorbikes, Ash goes on about it all the time, that if they are aware early in the driving experience they are more likely to see us and not hit us.

In the UK you have to take a Theory test and a Hazard Perception test (which is a computerised test where you have to click everytime you see a potential hazard, e.g. cyclist or car turning into an intercection, but it does not mention weather conditions...I guess that would be too much to think about!!! yeh right)to get your learners and then have a minimum of 40hours driving experience before you can even take your practical test and get your full licence.

It's not that great a method of getting skills of road conditions (I certainly know my driving is not great, but I do ride more) but I guess that's why Uk drivers are pretty shocking!!

So much needs to be improved with the actual learning stages of both riding and driving...if the Govt wants to make the roads easier to drive/ride then surely we may as well go to the States...where we all know there are no such things as corners!


Looks like you have lots more of ideas on here to use now Matt...you could be typing for a long time! hahaha

[scumdog]

Stand by the the NZ cops to go French and require riders to wear flouro-gear all the time. Probably a month after they make it a law in Victoria...

So it's the COPS that make these kinds of laws eh??

The bastids

[skippa1]

So it's the COPS that make these kinds of laws eh??

The bastids

you cops do all that shit, make it rain on the weekend, Make a public holiday fall on a weekend, make me loose my last $20 out of my back pocket at the pub, wear my tyres out on the sides......make gas so expensive. Blardy cops

[Old Steve]

There's an attitude in NZ that it's your right to drive a car.

It's NOT! Driving a car is an obligation, an obligation to drive by the road laws, and to keep yourself and others on the road safe.

One thing I would suggest is compulsory insurance. If you're a new driver and want to drive a WRX, then try to find an insurer who will cover you and at waht cost. If you drive without insurance, then huge fines and the car should be confiscated or crushed - not your car, no worry it's the owner who decided they didn't need insurance.

Pretty soon you'll see much better driving, as the insurers would up the cost of insurance for demerit points, accidents, age, experience, etc. At some level even the dumbest driver will realise it's costing them money to insure the car or they've has too many cars confiscated.

[SPman]

Now I'm not saying that bad roads are an excuse for bad driving, but good roads allow more room for error than bad roads.

Saw that last night. Country roads over here are a 6m wide strip of seal with a m or so of pea gravel road edge. We have a corner on brow of hill, descending 45 degree right hand kink with left hand off camber. Speed limit change as well, from 110 to 90. Tired contractor in 10 y.o.Nissan Patrol drops wheel off the seal onto the gravel right on the corner, and wheeeeee, his arse end tries to catch the front, he's across the road into the bank and rolls it twice downhill, demolishing some scrub at the same time! He was lucky - scratch on his head - the last person who did that, a young guy, 4 months ago, centre punched a tree and went out feet first!
They complain about country fatalities out here, but the roads have a lot to do with it - a combination of poor driver skills and no room for error roads, do tend to increase crash rates to higher levels than they otherwise would be.

[haydes55]

Seen some good ideas in this thread. If you want immediate change however without having to deal with the stupidity of government I suggest baseball bats, Ceramic tiles (smashes windows effortlessly!), swearing and abusive behaviour. Any time you see a driver be an arsewhole, let them know. I don't care if it's an 80 year old indicating left and turning right or someone flicking there lights back onto highbeam when they are still pointing at you (the sudden blindness from doing this has almost caused me to crash several times (all because the useless fucktards can't wait 0.2 seconds until they are actually past me)!

If we all scare the shit out of people driving badly I'm sure they will learn, drive like an arsewhole, get treated like shit.

I'll be doing my part. Also drivers who see me filtering traffic and turn to cut me off can expect to fork out for new tail lights aswell

[SMOKEU]

Seen some good ideas in this thread. If you want immediate change however without having to deal with the stupidity of government I suggest baseball bats, Ceramic tiles (smashes windows effortlessly!), swearing and abusive behaviour. Any time you see a driver be an arsewhole, let them know. I don't care if it's an 80 year old indicating left and turning right or someone flicking there lights back onto highbeam when they are still pointing at you (the sudden blindness from doing this has almost caused me to crash several times (all because the useless fucktards can't wait 0.2 seconds until they are actually past me)!

If we all scare the shit out of people driving badly I'm sure they will learn, drive like an arsewhole, get treated like shit.

I'll be doing my part. Also drivers who see me filtering traffic and turn to cut me off can expect to fork out for new tail lights aswell

[puddy]

Some places in New Zealands roading system are given Black Spot "status" ... because a lot of vehicles crash there. If enough idiots ride/drive over ANY given road ... odd's are ... a "Black Spot" will appear.

Funny how there is so many "Black Spots" is the Auckland area ... Coincidence maybe ...

True, true! But there aren't enough people in Alexandra to 'produce' a black spot . People are the same. The fuckwit/fag ratio is the same everywhere. There's just more people up here.

[FJRider]

True, true! But there aren't enough people in Alexandra to 'produce' a black spot . People are the same. The fuckwit/fag ratio is the same everywhere. There's just more people up here.

Not near Alexandra anyway ... but as Queenstown (the destination center of the tourist world) ... so enough fuckwits from around the world come here. So we have more than our share. "Black spots" DO occur in the area.

[rastuscat]

... But hey ... I'M GOOD ... so it wont happen to me ...

There, good man, is the guts of the issue.

I can leave my seatbelt hanging from the pillar, coz it won't happen to me. I've driven heaps with no belt on and not died, so it must be safe. Coz I'm not going to crash, I don't need to wear my seatbelt.

I can drive faster than the speed limit, coz I'm not going to crash, so my speed doesn't matter. Crashes happen to other people, so I'll just keep driving as fast as I decide to.

I have driven after a few beers so many times, how can it not be safe? I'm only going a short distance, just around the corner. Other people have drink drive crashes, not me.

I have never crashed at a stop sign. I wish OP would stop at stop signs, so OP wouldn't pull out in front of me. I can roll through though, coz I've never crashed at a stop sign.

See, crashes happen to OP. OP is the bastard that crashes so go pick on OP. In fact, the last crash I had as caused by OP, go pick on him.

So there.

[MSTRS:Me]

I can leave my seatbelt hanging from the pillar...

I can drive faster than the speed limit...

I have driven after a few beers so many times...

I have never crashed at a stop sign...

It's the blue uniform of invincibility, isn't it?

[rastuscat]

It's the blue uniform of invincibility, isn't it?

.....nope, it's the masking veil of sarcasm.

I know all these things are true, as I get told them most days by the people we deal with for not wearing seatbelts, speeding, getting juiced and driving, not stopping at stop signs.

I also read them on KB. Like I said, they must be true.

Yeah right.

[BM-GS]

The fuckwit/fag ratio is the same everywhere. There's just more people up here.

But have you noticed how some days all those fuckwits/fags seem to come at you at once? There have been days I've wondered if there isn't a convention in town... Things go OK for a week or 2, then you nearly get taken out by 3 people on the same ride.