Safe or unsafe

[Paul in NZ]

Very strange reporting (if it can be called that) by Stuff again

Initially there is a non biased report on the judgement and suddenly and opinion piece from the AA. The original piece was sensible I thought but I suppose this makes better click bait.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/motoring/119...e-aassociation

By the AA's thinking 50kph will always be dangerous as well. Even walking has an element of danger and of course the AA always knows more that the Judge - pfft...

[onearmedbandit]

Stuff? Click-bait? Suuurrely not ha!

[neels]

There is a difference between driving being 'dangerous', and the legal definition of 'dangerous driving'. You'd think the AA would understand that.

It hasn't been proven in court that his speed constituted 'dangerous driving', so he's been found guilty of a lesser charge relating to his excessive speed.

Any driving is dangerous. In parts of the south island it's not uncommon to meet someone coming the other way on the wrong side of the road, in many cases the worst they will get is a $150 fine for failing to stay in their lane, yes it's 'dangerous' but it doesn't meet the definition of 'dangerous driving'

The law and all that.....

[TheDemonLord]

It seems the Judge is talking sense, it will be interesting to see if this gains traction as Legal Precedent for setting the threshold for 'Dangerous Driving'.

Oh and Fuck the AA.

[Berries]

Comments closed already on one of the three Stuff stories. I guess the commentators weren't following the party line. NZTA must be fuming.

I particularly liked this comment which tried to add a bit of reality to the speed discussion, which as we all know cannot be done in New Zealand.

New Zealand has a strange obsession with speed as a bad thing. 148kph is a touch over 90mph, and a speed that might or might not get you a ticket from a following police car on a UK motorway. You'd certainly be highly unlikely to get pulled over for 80mph (130kph) on a UK motorway. And yet the UK has less than half as many road fatalities as New Zealand. That is taken as per 100,000 inhabitants NZ = 7.8 — UK = 3.1, per 100,000 vehicles NZ = 10 — UK = 5.7, and per billion vehicle kilometers driven NZ = 7.2 — UK = 3.4.

The AA can piss right off anyway.

[Jeeper]

I have always found AA representative to be really anti-motoring in NZ.

Type of car alone makes a huge difference whether 148km/h is safe or not. In Suzuki Swift, it would not be my choice. In an Audi R8, it be easily and safely doable on most roads (without sharp bends or turns).

[merv]

Stockdale said: "There is no public road in New Zealand on which 148kmh is safe."

"It would be unsafe regardless of what sort of car you were in, he added."

So I guess we can take it from that he would mean regardless of what sort of motorcycle as well.

I am sure we can all point to roads that this is blatantly untrue for as many are up to exactly the same standard that the German autobahns are with unlimited speed and they don't have a bad safety record.

If humans didn't move at all we are still at risk from floods, pestilence, earthquakes and asteroid strikes so you are right about the 50km/hr comment Paul. AA are just sticking to the party line here.

Here's some photos we took travelling from Munich to Prague. True speed on GPS, I found most of the the locals seemed to typically drive at around 190km/hr max so to hit the magic 200km/hr I had to back off a bit and then speed up to clock it then slow down again. 148km/hr would have been slow. Only the odd Porsche would blast past faster where there was space. You can see armco down the middle and no side barriers yet our powers that be say our expressways (whatever happened to calling them motorways) just aren't up to the required standard and wouldn't be safe above 110km/hr. In Germany they even allowed truck on truck action if the road was only two lanes in that direction (pic is at an on ramp so that is not three lanes and we all had to slow down while that truck passed. If there were three lanes the trucks were forbidden from using the lane closest to the centre.

So food for thought - why are our roads legislated at such low speeds and why do our politicians think they will find success by reducing many of them further?

[merv]

I have always found AA representative to be really anti-motoring in NZ.

.... and particularly anti-motorcycling in NZ.

[jellywrestler]

Very strange reporting (if it can be called that) by Stuff again

Initially there is a non biased report on the judgement and suddenly and opinion piece from the AA. The original piece was sensible I thought but I suppose this makes better click bait.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/motoring/119...e-aassociation

By the AA's thinking 50kph will always be dangerous as well. Even walking has an element of danger and of course the AA always knows more that the Judge - pfft...

i'd click on the first one as i'm over the other propaganda

[HenryDorsetCase]

Very strange reporting (if it can be called that) by Stuff again

Initially there is a non biased report on the judgement and suddenly and opinion piece from the AA. The original piece was sensible I thought but I suppose this makes better click bait.

https://www.stuff.co.nz/motoring/119...e-aassociation

By the AA's thinking 50kph will always be dangerous as well. Even walking has an element of danger and of course the AA always knows more that the Judge - pfft...

fuck that. a man with a red flag walking in front of every car will make us all safe.

[slofox]

.... and particularly anti-motorcycling in NZ.

I have had one really good interaction with an AA roadside dude.

The battery failed in the bike at the gas station. Couldn't get it to start any way. Rang AA, dude was there in about 5 minutes. He was a rider as well and was great to deal with. So I guess not all AA staff are anti bike...

[TheDemonLord]

fuck that. a man with a red flag walking in front of every car will make us all safe.

I dunno, Ladies might still miscarriage at the sight of it.

[merv]

I have had one really good interaction with an AA roadside dude.

The battery failed in the bike at the gas station. Couldn't get it to start any way. Rang AA, dude was there in about 5 minutes. He was a rider as well and was great to deal with. So I guess not all AA staff are anti bike...

Yeah roadside dudes are usually good, I was really referring to the suits that get quoted in the media.

[jasonu]

Stockdale said: "There is no public road in New Zealand on which 148kmh is safe."

"It would be unsafe regardless of what sort of car you were in, he added."

So I guess we can take it from that he would mean regardless of what sort of motorcycle as well.

I am sure we can all point to roads that this is blatantly untrue for as many are up to exactly the same standard that the German autobahns are with unlimited speed and they don't have a bad safety record.

If humans didn't move at all we are still at risk from floods, pestilence, earthquakes and asteroid strikes so you are right about the 50km/hr comment Paul. AA are just sticking to the party line here.

Here's some photos we took travelling from Munich to Prague. True speed on GPS, I found most of the the locals seemed to typically drive at around 190km/hr max so to hit the magic 200km/hr I had to back off a bit and then speed up to clock it then slow down again. 148km/hr would have been slow. Only the odd Porsche would blast past faster where there was space. You can see armco down the middle and no side barriers yet our powers that be say our expressways (whatever happened to calling them motorways) just aren't up to the required standard and wouldn't be safe above 110km/hr. In Germany they even allowed truck on truck action if the road was only two lanes in that direction (pic is at an on ramp so that is not three lanes and we all had to slow down while that truck passed. If there were three lanes the trucks were forbidden from using the lane closest to the centre.

So food for thought - why are our roads legislated at such low speeds and why do our politicians think they will find success by reducing many of them further?

The general standard of driving in NZ is abysmal and the general standard of driving in Germany is quite good.

[FJRider]

It seems the Judge is talking sense, it will be interesting to see if this gains traction as Legal Precedent for setting the threshold for 'Dangerous Driving'.

Oh and Fuck the AA.

There is NO indication by Government that might suggest a change to the Land Transport Act is pending. As such ... all higher speed traffic offenses will be treated in exactly the same manner. And ... with the same charges as are currently applied to those caught roadside at such speeds.

Location location location ... still is the criteria applied at sentencing. And always will be ... well by one judge anyway ...