None of us have confidence in other drivers.
But we all think we are better than everyone else.
Imagine that.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/motoring/new...unsafe-on-road
None of us have confidence in other drivers.
But we all think we are better than everyone else.
Imagine that.
https://www.stuff.co.nz/motoring/new...unsafe-on-road
When riding my bike I have every confidence that that idiot in the centre lane will suddenly need to exit the motorway at THIS exit, and will haul all the way across from the centre lane to the exit without looking if there is any traffic in the way, or even a gap in which to move through.
There are two songs, "Stairway to Heaven" and "Highway to Hell" which I think give an indication of expected traffic flow
If only I were permitted to share the Drivecam captures from our DG truck fleet...our guys see plenty of dumb moves by other road users, whilst being at fault in a tiny amount of incidents themselves.
So I watched a chap approach a cross roads recently, car waiting to turn right across the main road we were all on. He didn't adjust his speed at all, so when the car pulled out in front of him he ended up T-boning it. Not only that, the two following vehicles were in the "under 1 second following distance" window, so ended up rear ending in a group of three. So while the initial accident was caused by the car pulling across the main road, had car 2 and 3 on the main been sitting back just a bit more, it would have been a 2 car prang only instead of a 4 car mess. The group involved in this prang all overtook me with some gusto on the previous passing lane, with me just shaking my head at the following distances they had then, not to mention the aggro displayed by each just wanting to be in front of the other. Then mere minutes later they all met, literally by accident.
Maybe the answer is 5 year driver license renewal. Then add traffic school for infringements, maybe we can make some progress on the ever declining standard?
I treat everyone else on the road as an idiot and drive/ride accordingly. I am rarely disappointed. I include myself in this too, just not to seem hypocritical.
Driving by those encountered on the road has got worse/riskier since I first got behind the wheel in the early 1970's. A slow but noticeable slide in not only courtesy but also judgement. Cars just didn't go that fast way back, and were built out of great hunks of steel. I don't say the cars were safer then, they just took longer to get moving and wind up speed.......so general momentum was less even though mass was more overall. One had to think about everything in advance, like overtaking, balancing the chassis for cornering, pulling out of intersections into moving traffic from stopped, pulling over onto the shoulder, braking distances/following distances (because brakes and tyres were not as good as today). It all took pre thinking, but you had time, unlike driving today where cars react quicker and pressure of traffic is quite intense (think rude obnoxious get-outa-my-way types).
The great technological advance in cars has lulled us into false sense of security (just like having insurance makes you and your car bulletproof) and how to drive has been dumbed down. Think of all the acronyms used in a car now in the safety systems....ABS etc. Crumple zones, airbags, traction control, gazillion horsepower .......(by comparison anyway). Passenger side airbags back then were called the mother in law.
Bring back the morris oxford/austin cambridge I say. Lets see you speed in that! Or two years driving one as punishment for 100 demerit points.
Hey I know I'm better than alot out there, there's some proof to that in the fact I'm still alive given the inherently dangerous vehicles I choose to ride/drive.
However that doesn't mean I think I'm the best or there's no room for improvement but come-on I know you've seen the level of incompetence out there! If you ride a bike there's a decent chance you're better than most of that primarily through necessity
You really need your ID updated that often?
Maybee you haven't been following NZTA's doings
Science Is But An Organized System Of Ignorance"Pornography: The thing with billions of views that nobody watches" - WhiteManBehindADesk
I'll vote Azkill if he insists on people having to ride a bike for a year before they drive a car or truck.
The feeling of human frailty arising from riding a bike eould help people be more careful.
Unless they dress like Valentino, ride a Fireblade or a Hayabusa and win the Akaroa GP every weekend. Coz that'll make them feel invincible.
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