They'd do better to improve the general standard of drivers. Driving on NZ roads full of NZ drivers is frightening.
They'd do better to improve the general standard of drivers. Driving on NZ roads full of NZ drivers is frightening.
Lets go Brandon
The report is a bunch of waffle but this paragraph stands out as potentially the final say on speed limit reductions;
One wonders philosophically whether the general public would prefer (say) a 100 km/h limit with a 4 km/h tolerance, or a 90 km/h limit with a 10 km/h tolerance. The latter is likely to result in lower average speeds (and corresponding safety gains), even though more drivers will probably not be technically complying with the posted limit. Another consideration is whether eliminating the current steep traffic fines for speeding (possibly retaining a basic scheme administration levy) and focusing on penalising via demerit points (and potentially loss of licence) instead may also eliminate the ?revenue gathering? argument.
I think there may be a backstory to this.
Our wonderful leaders recently decided to set a target of zero for road fatalities. Zero. Now anyone with the slightest glimmer of intelligence knows thats not possible, the world and people being the imperfect things they are.
But, we're talking politicians here so intelligence doesn't come into it.
So, the head of NZTA gets called to the Ministers office.
"I have a wonderful policy. Zero deaths. Make it happen"
"But, Minister, it's impossible. Cos, facts reality etc"
"Don't care. Change them. Do what you have to. Make it happen . Or else"
"Yes, Minister"
So, as head of NZTA what do you do now, to get out of the shit. Well , one thing is to put forward proposals that are draconian, will be tremendously unpopular, and tell the dear Minister,
"Well Minister, to implement your wonderful brilliant and far sighted policy of zero deaths, that's one of the things we need To do. Well, yes, i suppose it may Be very unpopular, and I suppose it might mean you lose the next election. But that's a political matter for you to sort out . I'll go ahead with implementation shall I, and let everyone know it your idea. Hmm, oh no I have NO idea how word of it leaked out. Oh, you'll get back to me. OK"
Reckon?
Originally Posted by skidmarkOriginally Posted by Phil Vincent
I had a letter in the mail from the Police asking for $80 as I was doing 92 in an 80 zone on SH1 in Dome Valley by Warkworth. So they can take pics of you going the other way.....
Should I write in and say my 45 year old speedo may not be that accurate?
DeMyer's Laws - an argument that consists primarily of rambling quotes isn't worth bothering with.
Ah yes, this was never about saving lives. It is all about saving costs/creating income:
- Reduce speed limits instead of fixing roads, as fixing roads is expensive!
- More people speeding as some of the speed limits will be too low for the road in question. This then results in more speed cameras to make sure the financial benefit of the lower speeds are maximised.
If this was about saving lives get stuck in to reducing suicide rates in NZ. Currently about 600 suicides in NZ/year and 337 road deaths in latest stats for 2018 (probably even higher amount of suicides as some are not recorded as suicides; type car crashes, overdosing on medicine etc).
So roughly double the number of suicides compared to road toll. So you would then expect that suicide prevention would get approx double the amount of money spent on it if saving lives was the main aim here... sadly not. Suicide prevention gets approx 10% of funding compared to trying to reduce the road toll. But that is understandable. You can not write a fine to someone for an unsuccessful suicide attempt...
There's a lack of understanding about Vision Zero. It's not a goal, in the same way that 300 is not a goal.
Ask yourself, how many people do you think it's reasonable to kill on the roads each year? 250? 270?
Then line up all your mates, family and people you care about. How many of them is is okay to kill each year? I suspect the answer is none. Zero.
That's what Vision Zero is referring to, the fact that killing anyone is not acceptable.
I wouldn't mind people getting killed if we would choose who they are. Trouble is, it's just Mr and Mrs Average.
I heard a professor being interviewed yesterday about this. He said that lowering speed limits isn't the answer. Hoorah, he's a hero.
Then he said the answer is to have a 4 lane highway running the lenght of NZ. Wow, great idea.
When we can't even afford to pay for 4 lanes between Christchurch and Ashburton, or put barriers down the middle of the roads we already have.
So that professor appears to be saying that the answer is 4-laning SH1, and do nothing until that happens.
I just un-heroed him.
Hmmmm.
We did a research project into the attitudes of drivers across Canterbury late last year.
Two striking common themes arose.
- People think driver education is a great idea....................for other people. Very few people actually go and get education for themselves.
- And people generally think they are better than average. This is mostly because they see other people making mistakes, but don't see their own mistakes.
In the motorcycle world, it's fairly cheap to get training. Through the Ride Forever programme. But no such subsidized programme is available for car drivers. Most people who get driver training once they have a full licence are given it by their employer. Very, very few seek out and get driver education for themselves, at their own cost. And those who do prefer to be shown racing lines on a track and how to get the most out of their HSV or WRX.
Very few people ever see the need to get basic driver training, as they think they are good enough anyway. It's them other people who need training.
Like the people who don't indicate properly at roundabouts. I guess nobody ever died from that, but it sure pisses people off. But who ever gets education on how to indicate at roundabouts?
I do a fair amount of driving and in the past week alone I have experienced this:
1.) Very nearly hit head on coming back from Te Kuiti, there was a long line of traffic and some hero in a ute (it seems to be utes doing the dangerous overtaking a lot of the time) was overtaking on yellow lines around a corner in the dark and wet. I had to slam on the brakes and swerve left else I may have been a statistic and not writing this message. You'd miss me!
Was speed the cause? No.
2.) Very scary accident in Hamilton coming past the skate park on Normandy ave. Red Mazda was hauling arse in the right hand lane and a lovely new Blue hatch decided to change lanes from left to right, the Mazda has hit the brakes as hard as he could but has hit the right rear of the blue hatch pit maneuvering him/her across the lovely garden median strip and into head on traffic. Luckily the blue car managed to miss the oncoming cars avoiding a potentially fatal head on.
Was speed the cause? Yes, but the Mazda was not doing the speed limit. It was a pile of shit driven by a young boof head looking fuck. It wasn't the only factor though as the Blue hatch had time from what I saw to see the Mazda coming but failed to do so. So I don't see how lowing the limit would prevent that. Shooting the little cunt and getting Nanna/Grandpa out of the blue hatch might help though.
3.) Tauriko roundabout in Tauranga, I was in the outside lane they have designated to turn right (I miss the days when round abouts were much simpler). I was on the outside of a Jag and was watching them closely, sure enough when exiting they cut across my lane and nearly took my nose off. Pissed me right off as they weren't even going to the BP so had no need to be in the left lane at that time.
Was speed the cause? No, just a poor driver with no clue what they are doing.
I'm at the point now where I don't know if I'm going to survive my next trip and it's always down to drivers making poor decisions, not speed, that causes me the most concern. I'm driving as defensively as possible but really how can you factor in for every scenario? The roads are in shit state too, pot holes and changing grip every few metres isn't helping.
A four lane highway 1 would drop our road toll by at least a 3rd I reckon, having driven in the US/Canada it's so easy, you just hit cruise control and drive. Just like driving to Auckland, as soon as I hit the express way I feel much safer. Who's paying though?
I propose that cyclists are stopped, frisked and relieved of valuables on their trips into city centers to pay for safer roads.
You know, sort of like how we are stolen from at the petrol pump to pay for safe spaces for rich cunts to ride their 10k single speeds on.
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