NZ Road Toll Now Higher Than Last Year

[spudchucka]

Think for a moment what the carnage would be like if they acted on a well-thought out pro-active strategy to improve road safety.

You got an example?

[Lou Girardin]

What do you mean by effective policing?


There are two options really, you can focus on speed and reduce the damage done by crashes which are inevitable when you have a proportion of drivers who are stupid and dangerous. Or you can focus on removing those dangerous drivers from the roads, which would involve having a heap of unmarked cars patrolling the road and catching these idiots when they overtake stupidly etc. Its pointless having marked cars because everyones a model driver when they see a police car parked on the side of the road, that is until they get 5kmh down the road.

You would also then have to have a judiciary which would actually punish careless/reckless/dangerous/drunken drivers and remove them from the roads. At the moment there simply are no penalties and you have people with a multitude of drink driving, careless, dangerous convictions who are allowed time and time again to continue to offend and continue to drive.

But the first option is by far the easiest and cheapest, its basically an acknowledgement that we know people will crash, we can't do anything about it so we will just try to reduce the speed at which they crash. Its logical in its own way and does have an impact on reducing fatalities, its just not going to stop people from crashing in the first place which should be the primary aim.

Effective Policing is focussing on where the accidents occur, NOT at the end of passing lanes because the 'take' is better.
As well as this, you could focus on the drivers causing the problem. Your bosses know the demographic, it was identified 20+ years ago.
The fact is that these policies have failed miserably, with the huge number of tickets written over the last 6 years one would expect that fatals would be well under 300 already. But they're not because you guys ARE TARGETING THE WRONG PEOPLE. The greatest reduction in fatalities happened between 1990 and 2000 and you can trace the causes; median barriers on all motorways and general road improvements, safer cars and better/quicker emergency treatment.
You may recall that this period was when the Police were criticised for a lack of presence on the roads. Maybe they should try getting you back to crime fighting and the toll will drop more.

[Quasievil]

Its not truck drivers overtaking on blind corners causing collisions or Grandma Jones overtaking a line of traffic on double yellow lines or a road that decides to suddenly buck up and throw cars off it that cause people to die.

The fewer trucks on the road the safer it is, trucks are overly represented in fatal road crashes,irrespective of weather its their fault or not.

Its not driver training that stops most people from crossing the centre line or overtaking on a blind corner, its simply the existence of a base level of intellect and sense.

Driver training and education, ie skid control would be more effective than a ticket.

You would also then have to have a judiciary which would actually punish careless/reckless/dangerous/drunken drivers and remove them from the roads. At the moment there simply are no penalties and you have people with a multitude of drink driving, careless, dangerous convictions who are allowed time and time again to continue to offend and continue to drive.

Yes and thats partially my point

would you be volunteering to be first on the scene to fatal crashes

Its rarely a HP or police officer at a crash scene first, normally a member of the public is there when a Hp or policeman gets there. And No I wouldnt volunteer to do any aspect of a HP job.

I have had a lot of experiences working with the police on highway patrol between Huntly and Auckland, I have also had alot of personal experience working general duties stuff in Huntly and Ngruawhahia usually at night. I did this as a volunteer. I have seen alot and I do believe I am entitled to say what Im saying. Once I started to be sent out with the HP guys I stopped volunteering, at that point I disagreed strongly with what they do.

[Keeper]

You all have an opinion, e-mail the transport minister and tell him what it is, IMO I have a choice, I'm leaving this country in the two years I was away alone it deteriorated enough to justify that.

[spudchucka]

Are you trying to imply that they are actually doing something worth while at the moment? If so, its really working - Tui ad.
Be nice to see what would happen if the powers that be engaged the brain, utilised common sense and thought logically. Usually when someone trys something and fails a few times, they rethink and come up with a new stratigy to sort it out. But not with this eh, were is it all going to end if they cannot realise that their current way of thinking is inadequate?

You know what? There are a lot of fucken self appointed experts on all matters to do with policing on this forum. But the reality is that you lot have all the questions but none of the answers.

You all want policing to be on your terms, when, where and how you want it so long as it affects others but not you. Well wake up dreamers because it isn't ever going to work like that.

You can critiscise all you want but until the motoring public wake up and start behaving like adults you will have to face the fact that there will be rigid policing of motoring behaviour. And the retards that foster a culture of doing runners from police will simply add weight to those arguing to ban high performance vehicles. If you want the most powerfull vehicle on the roads to be a Fisher & Paykel mobility scooter then keep acting like a winja or madboy because thats what will happen long term.

[Lou Girardin]

Nice rant Spud, but your way isn't working and your retard bosses have too much 'face' involved to ever admit they're wrong and try any alternatives.
A few of which have been suggested here many times.

[terbang]

Sorry Spudchucka but those in the LTSA and Police have gone through the indoctrination process that is continuously reinforced from within the system and the blinkers are firmly in place. The ability to objectively view road safety has long since slipped thier train of thought.:slap:
The road toll is UP (That means higher) so obviously the current method of policing is WRONG, they have FAILED and need to change their strategy. A good place to start would be by listening to those that employ them (the road travelling public of NZ) to be able to provide a strategy for a safer road environment as a total package.

[oldrider]

The one thing i love about NZ is the non accountability which is getting worse..it's not my fault..its the government/cops/my mum's fault etc that i drive like a !@#$wit....i need someone to blame...Keyword,i need someone to hold my hand,there was a time when Kiwi's would stand up instead of passing the buck.

Very true. I believe it stems from our socialist upbringing influenced by school teachers, unionists, lawyers, doctors, clergy, all of the outspoken useless talkers of society.
To emphasise the stupidity of these misguided so called academics they enter parliament to save the nation with their theories and policies of achieving mediocrity in the world.
Take a good look at who you have voted in to run this country! Look at the laws and rules they produce.
When police try to enact their (the politicians) stupid rules and laws the lawyers, judges and PC dogooders let the offenders go, often with compensation payments to boot.
Then out in the field all you hear is cries of victimisation.
It's not my fault, officer I was badly potty trained it's always a "them" who is to blame, never a "me".
Get real New Zealand, it is us you and me who are to blame for letting these brainless bastards inflict themselves on us.
Its our country and it's us who are shitting in our own back yard.
A days reading on this forum will tell you all you need to know about whats wrong.
We need fewer rules and laws with tougher consequences for those that break them, we need to be more individually ACCOUNTABLE for our actions.
Speed does not kill on the roads STUPIDITY does. John.

[scumdog]

This excuse doesn't fly anymore Scummy, LTNZ and your lapdog bosses set a goal of less than 300 fatals by 2010. They knew the expected growth in the vehicle fleet and still mouthed off. If they didn't think of that, it's one more reason for a purge of the halfwits.

Why don't the public fall into line and try and achieve that goal? BY DRIVING PROPERLY so cops can be freed for 'real' Police work?

Yep, it's the revenue gathering 05 bastards that are causing all these road death, can't blame the effwit slack-jawed mouthbreathers that are incapable of driving a drawing pin into a sheet of balsa-wood let alone drive a car.

Short of destroying the offender car at the side of the road when they pass on yellow lines, run red lights etc there is not much that can be done as a deterent, the law makers and judges made sure of that.

Plus look at the dumb arses out there, if they get enough tickets to loose their licence just from speed how much of a deterent are the 'penalties' for other transgressions??????????????????? and how much would they 'learn' from said penalties?
Still to pay my share of 'revenue' but hey if I did get caught I'd just get on with life.

[Pixie]

What would happen to the road toll if the speed limit was 10 kmh ..you are only as safe as the person coming straight at you.
>
Why do they call a head on collision an accident ?.. Why do people say ..I didn't see them,when first you would have to be looking?... Tell the average driver their skills are average or worse and see the reaction...What normally happens if you were cut off and shook your head,the other person would probably give you the finger ???... Unfortunately things will become tougher as the attitudes and driving skills get worse,the majority will be governed by rules for the minority...Doh..we already are?
>
Never forget what the Two Ronnies said.... Death can be Fatal.

It has been shown,statistically, that the number of fatallities diminish at a set rate with each reduction of the average speed of traffic.
At 10 kmh the formula states that dead people come back to life and rise from their graves.

[Pixie]

From Stuff - havent found the "poll", yet
". Mrs Oliver lost control of her bike as she rode down Rolleston St toward Wallace St, the court found. It established that the brake noodle was not installed into either brake calliper, leaving her with no means of slowing or stopping her bike."
What the fuck, is a brake noodle!!!

You don't know what a brake noodle is?
All Japanese and other asian sourced bikes have brake noodles.
They are a copy of the brake pasta Italian bikes have.
Pom bikes have brake spotted dicks, which aren't quite up to the standard of pasta.
German bikes may have Brake Wursts and you can forget about Harleys burger brakes.

[Kickaha]

The fewer trucks on the road the safer it is, trucks are overly represented in fatal road crashes,irrespective of weather its their fault or not.

Is that taking into account the mileages that Trucks do per year?

[inlinefour]

You know what? There are a lot of fucken self appointed experts on all matters to do with policing on this forum. But the reality is that you lot have all the questions but none of the answers.

You all want policing to be on your terms, when, where and how you want it so long as it affects others but not you. Well wake up dreamers because it isn't ever going to work like that.

You can critiscise all you want but until the motoring public wake up and start behaving like adults you will have to face the fact that there will be rigid policing of motoring behaviour. And the retards that foster a culture of doing runners from police will simply add weight to those arguing to ban high performance vehicles. If you want the most powerfull vehicle on the roads to be a Fisher & Paykel mobility scooter then keep acting like a winja or madboy because thats what will happen long term.

Its this sort of narrow, closed minded thinking that I'm talking about. True, I do not have the answers, but do you seriously think that the current status quo is the answer either? Ban high preformance vehicles, where will that sort of thinking stop? Ban freedom of speach and other basic human rights to ensure compliance with draconian law? I'm not saying that I want anything on my terms at all, I just believe that when something does not work, then its time to try something else. I see that you have made your mind up, or do you let Aunty Helen do that for yourself also?

[Ixion]

You don't know what a brake noodle is?
All Japanese and other asian sourced bikes have brake noodles.
They are a copy of the brake pasta Italian bikes have.
Pom bikes have brake spotted dicks, which aren't quite up to the standard of pasta.
German bikes may have Brake Wursts and you can forget about Harleys burger brakes.

Hm. Cables have NIPPLES. Take a misspelled "nipple", add a Net-Nanny spell checker and noodle isn't too hard.

[Ixion]

Very true. I believe it stems from our socialist upbringing influenced by school teachers, unionists, lawyers, doctors, clergy, all of the outspoken useless talkers of society.
..

Socialism is VERY hot on accountability !. Optimally, enforced at the pointy end of a Kalasnikov