Speed Speed Speed- has it now become "Target Fixation"

[MD]

How did that clown get in charge of Policing?

The only excessive speed is how fast he races to answer every bit of bad traffic news with "oh it's always speed, we need more speeding fines"

Like the opening post states these crashes happened on major highways, not tight country lanes, and to date none have been proven to be speed related. In fact the 2 deaths from Wanganui were a head on. Could have been doing 115, 105 or, 95? same tragic result. The 2 deaths on Chch's northern motorway. Two vehicles clip each other going the same direction on a near straight multilane motorway. No proof of speed, in fact one was a van and the other a 4x4 towing something so unlikely either was up to much speeding if they tried. Most probable cause, piss poor lane behaviour by one or both vehicles.

[eldog]

The 2 deaths on Chch's northern motorway. Two vehicles clip each other going the same direction on a near straight multilane motorway. No proof of speed, in fact one was a van and the other a 4x4 towing something so unlikely either was up to much speeding if they tried. Most probable cause, piss poor lane behaviour by one or both vehicles.

Did the towing vehicle have something go wrong?

I was in a car beside a ute towing a trailer with a car on it, the towbar broke off the trailer and it then dropped down, but was retained by the chain.

The driver was hard on the brakes and the thing snaked all about the place, finally he stopped, as did we.

He was OK and no damage, he was in a bit of shock. He had borrowed the trailer off a mate.

The cop who turned up was very good. No tickets etc just made sure everyone was ok etc.

He agreed with me, the guy should have slightly accelerated and got the trailer to straighten up then slowed down gently.

Showed me you would have thought the towball would have broken off

This was on a 4 way highway in busy traffic in the middle of akl.

[eldog]

I'd disagree. Not managing fatigue comes under insufficient training/lack of skill, so to me it's the same thing.
Was the distraction caused by fatigue and letting you're mind wander when you usually wouldn't have given such a thing a thought? Can't really quantify that sort of shit so they just say 'you were speeding, speed was the cause'.

For some reason in my mind I've always likened it to watching the combination of factors when you're outdoors (wind, moisture, and temp) which you don't really want to have a combination of two of for very long (like driving tired at night while the heater is cranked and you're listening to some acid jazz, bad combination where as the same tiredness and quietly munching away on something during the day might not even register until you relax at your destination and the fatigue kicks in.)

On a bike the outdoors factors even come into it. How many bike riders have dropped the hammer and fawked up a corner because they were actually succumbing hypothermia and their decision making functions were on the way out the window? Statistically they are just another speeding motorist because they can gather from the scene that they were going to fast, but not what condition they were in.
That's just my own take on it all anyway, the fuzz I'm sure are happy with the simplifying 'for the good of the people' somehow, well clearly they are .

I know that gentle feeling and getting too comfortable on a long day of driving, lack of fluids etc and fatigue will catch you up.
Had that happen several times. esp on long country roads and no one around
Now I know what to do before hand and I realise I am not bullet proof no more.
I still drive/ride those distances but with much more wisely than I did before.

[MD]

Did the towing vehicle have something go wrong?

.

I wasn't there, I didn't see it.

But you reinforce my point Mr Plod wasn't there either. However, he jumped immediately to a solution that suits his personal bias opinion. I jumped to a conclusion too, what seems to me a likely cause but I admitted I'm guessing. He on the other hand has no right to 'guess'. He's the so called Traffic Police expert who has no right to try to impose draconian laws on ALL of us because he thinks his guesses are more worthy than actual research of the facts.

Bad drivers cause crashes. Speed is a variable to the extent of damage and speed raises the potential for a crash for sure. But a car can not crash on it's own. It needs a driver to operate it and steer it towards a crash.
Target bad drivers for a change and see what happens to the road toll.

[scumdog]

Target bad drivers for a change and see what happens to the road toll.

But just the ones that don't speed....

[Smifffy]

How did that clown get in charge of Policing?

He toed the party line and sucked the corporate cock. That's how anyone gets to the top of any organisation in this country these days.

[eldog]

Bad drivers cause crashes. Speed is a variable to the extent of damage and speed raises the potential for a crash for sure. But a car can not crash on it's own. It needs a driver to operate it and steer it towards a crash.

Ok I hate hearing the Police need more resources and we need to reduce speed etc.

But have you noticed that lately some reports actually state which car was at fault (if its a car)

A car can crash on its own, driver fatigue, car plunges off road.
Tyre blows out, has a very slow leak or axle breaks
Think what happens when a rider has a high side the bike generally carries on up the road and then looses input and falls over
If the road gives way or an animal is on the main road

Not all crashes are driver error or speed.
Speed just increases the amount of damage that can be caused and reduces the reaction time to something unforeseen

You cant plan for everything

Shit does happen to even the best drivers

Sure we should get Scumdog to target slow bad drivers - he would get more time at the donut shoppe

[FJRider]

... Sure we should get Scumdog to target slow bad drivers - he would get more time at the donut shoppe

First ... we need more donut shops in rural areas ...

[AllanB]

It was a horrid weekend.


But it did not require a knee-jerk statement blaming speed.


If no one dies next weekend will the same person be on TV proclaiming everyone was sticking to the speed limits? I think not.

[Mike.Gayner]

It was a horrid weekend.


But it did not require a knee-jerk statement blaming speed.


If no one dies next weekend will the same person be on TV proclaiming everyone was sticking to the speed limits? I think not.

Exactly. This weekend wasn't even a statistical anomaly - it was a statistical inevitability.

[swarfie]

The missus and have nearly been cleaned up a couple of times recently on the bike by inattentive cage drivers. Both times at roundabouts where drivers have done a SMIDSY and cut us off by drifting over to our lane on exit. Both times I anticipated their move and either slowed down or speeded up to avoid a collision. I generally lane split so if shit happens I'd have room to avoid an accident and so I'm not in their blind spot. Only in recent times (only the last two or three years) has the problem gotten really bad. Most accidents happen due to driver inattention or fatigue IMO. Recently we were down in the South Island riding down to Hamner from Lewis pass and I saw in the rear vision mirror a young female in a small hatchback that we had not long passed (because she was drifting all over the road and I wanted to get away from her for our own safety) drift off the side of the road into the gravel, loose it and come back onto the road on two wheels, just managed to gather it all up and managed to save it (Christ knows how!). Bet she was wide awake after that!
Just lately the chance to speed on a main road (I seldom ride there anyway) has been almost non existent due to everyone generally going a lot slower than the posted speed limit. How that D'Head chief cop can come up with his statements about removing culverts and trees and posts from the sides of our roads absolutely astounds me....where the hell do they breed these?

[sidecar bob]

Recently we were down in the South Island riding down to Hamner from Lewis pass and I saw in the rear vision mirror a young female in a small hatchback that we had not long passed (because she was drifting all over the road and I wanted to get away from her for our own safety) drift off the side of the road into the gravel, loose it and come back onto the road on two wheels, just managed to gather it all up and managed to save it (Christ knows how!). Bet she was wide awake after that!

You may not be aware of this but a promising young lady called Jo got made to park her car by the cops in Auckland a few years back because she was so exhausted she was all over the motorway.
I think you know her.

[swarfie]

You may not be aware of this but a promising young lady called Jo got made to park her car by the cops in Auckland a few years back because she was so exhausted she was all over the motorway.
I think you know her.

Haha yeah I remember that. She wasn't all over the motorway actually (well not what she told me anyway). The bloody cop just saw her yawning and made her park it. You telling me you haven't while driving? Or swinging on a SidecarBob?

[caspernz]

I'd disagree. Not managing fatigue comes under insufficient training/lack of skill, so to me it's the same thing.

Managing fatigue isn't a skill required to obtain a licence though. Maybe I'm just thinking of the disparity of what's required to obtain a licence in NZ vs what I had to go through to get one in my home country in Europe. The main distinction being that to hold a drivers' licence in Europe felt more like a privilege whereas in NZ it's seen as more of a right. But that also leads to a social education lecture which could last for a week...so I'll stop there.

[MD]

But just the ones that don't speed....

Yes please!
Fair call SD. There is bad driving combined with speed. But never by motorcyclists by the way (yeah right).

Had a friend mention some boy racer they know got done once for driving a car at 200kph on Moorhouse Ave, Chch. Without question, stupidly wrong time and place to speed. Bad speed and bad driver.

My biggest fear when driving or riding now is being taken out by a driver using their mobile phone. Most common offence I see every day. So easy to spot them.