Additions to the road toll

[Beemer]

Not good - I feel very sorry for the family of the motorcyclist, I'm glad at least he was found. But I find it ridiculous that skateboarders and pedestrians are included in the road toll - next they'll start including baby buggies and rollerblades (if they don't already...).

The discovery of a decomposing body in a ditch near Cromwell and the death of a skateboarder in Wellington has brought the holiday road toll to 22.


Fenton William Tisdall, 29, was found dead in the ditch on State Highway 6, near Cromwell, about 9.30am yesterday. Police said he could have been lying there for up to four days.

Jonothan Donoghue, 22, of Lower Hutt, never regained consciousness after suffering severe head injuries outside Victoria University in Kelburn Pde about 1.30am on Tuesday. He had surgery in Wellington Hospital but died late that night.

Mr Tisdall was probably heading south toward Cromwell from Wanaka when he died. Early indications suggested speed was a factor. His body was a few metres in front of his motorcycle, a 2005 Yamaha YZF, in the 4m-deep ditch.

Mr Tisdall was a member of the Royal New Zealand Air Force based at Whenuapai in Auckland. It was believed he was holidaying in the South Island and was due at his mother's house, in Dunedin, yesterday.

It is understood his father lives in Queenstown.

The holiday road toll - almost double that of last Christmas and new year - has disappointed officials. The 22 people who died during the two-week holiday period this year compares with 11 during the same period last year.

Land Transport New Zealand media manager Andy Knackstedt said people in "holiday-mode" had let their guard down.

Last year's Christmas toll was unusually low. In 2000 it was 20, in 2001 21, in 2002 17 and in 2003 13.

Mr Knackstedt said holiday periods were bad for people driving long distances without taking adequate breaks, driving on unfamiliar roads, or driving while over the alcohol limit. People were in holiday mode, and may not be as aware as they should be of how to keep themselves safe.

The 22 deaths were from 20 crashes and compared with an average of 18 deaths for the past five Christmas breaks. The deaths included seven car and van passengers, eight car and van drivers, four motorcyclists, two pedestrians and the skateboarder.

Eighteen of the 22 deaths were on open roads. Ten deaths were in single-vehicle crashes. Three crashes were head-on collisions and three were at intersections. At least three of those killed were not wearing safety belts.

Provisional crash reports showed the common factors were travelling too fast for conditions (five deaths), failing to give way or stop (three deaths), pedestrian factors (three deaths), alcohol (two deaths) and fatigue (two deaths).

The overall road toll for 2005 was the lowest in more than 40 years.

[justsomeguy]

Evil R1's...... they've caused quite a bit of grief in KB'land........R6's too......

Feel horrible thinking about the waiting the parents must have gone through......

RIP all the 22.

[Motu]

It's the road toll - death on the roads,I've got no problems with pedestrians or baby buggies included,no problems with off road vehicle deaths being included either.

Ten single vehicle ''accidents''....(I'm more concerned about that word) that says a lot I reckon,people losing control of their vehicle and is more fodder to back up the excessive speed claim.

[**R1**]

Thats why its always a good idea to tell some one where you are going and when you will be back, I had a mate years ago at school that went for a ride, crashed and bleed to death, they didnt find him for 3 days....his dad thought he was staying at a mates house, the cop that found him only looked down the cliff coz there were skid marks leading off the edge that wernt there 3 days earlier...

[justsomeguy]

...... that says a lot I reckon,people losing control of their vehicle

To true, a lot of people who aren't bike/car enthusiasts just see driving as a means of getting from A to B.....

These people need a lot of education or a stern warning. I'm sick of seeing cars with no lights on in horrible dark rainy days and idiots in campervans and people towing large trailers doing 115 on busy country roads.

..... and is more fodder to back up the excessive speed claim.

Well, be that as it may, some people do need to slow down. Speed is a dangerous accelerant to the accident pyre. What we need are less IRD collectors and govt. marketing dept drones and more police and civic minded officials........Do you see that happening?

[Motu]

To true, a lot of people who aren't bike/car enthusiasts just see driving as a means of getting from A to B.....

I think you got it backwards there - it's the ''enthusiasts'' who have too high an opinion of their skills who get in too deep and have trouble.People who can't ride/drive are generaly too petrified to go fast.

[WRT]

. . . a 2005 Yamaha YZF . . .

On first reading that, I assumed the YZF was a dirt bike, and was wondering what he was doing on the road in the first place (to the best of my knowledge the dirt YZF's cant be road registered, but I could be wrong). Funny that I no longer consider the R6's/R1's part of the YZF range . . .

Provisional crash reports showed the common factors were travelling too fast for conditions (five deaths), failing to give way or stop (three deaths), pedestrian factors (three deaths), alcohol (two deaths) and fatigue (two deaths).

I realise that this is a "provisional" report, but those numbers only add up to 15 deaths, rather than the reported 22. Did the others have no contributing factors, or were they just ones that hold no benefit for the powers that be to condemn? Lack of driver training as an example. I also cant help but wonder how many of those accidents had more than one "factor".

The holiday road toll - almost double that of last Christmas and new year - has disappointed officials. The 22 people who died during the two-week holiday period this year compares with 11 during the same period last year.

Almost double? I know this is nit-picking, but if they cant work out that 11 is half of 22 then where else have they made "small" errors in their reporting?

[justsomeguy]

I think you got it backwards there - it's the ''enthusiasts'' who have too high an opinion of their skills who get in too deep and have trouble.

I know what you're saying and you are correct. I guess I should have said sensible enthusiasts - who know where their limits are and only explore them on race tracks or roads they know very, very well with good visibility.

People who can't ride/drive are generaly too petrified to go fast.

No, but they drive erratically and cause trouble, 100kmph is fast enough to cause a lot of headache and slow enough to cause some road-rage, which may lead to taking chances that result in additions to our crash statistics.

[Motu]

No, but they drive erratically and cause trouble, 100kmph is fast enough to cause a lot of headache and slow enough to cause some road-rage, which may lead to taking chances that result in additions to our crash statistics.

Exactly my point - these are not those involved in single vehicle fatalities,it's the ones who succumbed to road rage and went too fast for the conditions and their ability to control the vehicle....and so more fodder for the speed campain....

[Lou Girardin]

I think you got it backwards there - it's the ''enthusiasts'' who have too high an opinion of their skills who get in too deep and have trouble.People who can't ride/drive are generaly too petrified to go fast.

It's "excessive speed for the conditions", a convienient catch all that sounds like speeding but isn't. I'd bet that none of them were doing 11 k's over the limit.
One of the single vehicle accidents was a 4x4 that rolled on a forestry road. I guess they should have a lower limit because so many trip over themselves.

[What?]

It's the road toll - death on the roads,I've got no problems with pedestrians or baby buggies included,no problems with off road vehicle deaths being included either.

Ten single vehicle ''accidents''....(I'm more concerned about that word) that says a lot I reckon,people losing control of their vehicle and is more fodder to back up the excessive speed claim.

I do have a problem with it. Or at least when such fatalaties are not related to the road as we know it.The inclusion of off-road incidents is simply artificially increasing the numbers for political gain, but they get away with it by saying that any place accessible to the public is a road.
As far as I can see, the toll should be recorded as a number of incidents in which there were fatalaties. The actual number of deceased is irrelevant - the way things stand, it is made to look worse if 7 people die in one crash than if two die in two crashes, yet from a "safety of others" perspective, one crash versus two is much better odds.
With you all the way on the word "accident". It is the same as the bullshit we read in the papers about "...driver died after his vehicle failed to take a corner..." Never the driver's fault, eh?

[Lou Girardin]

I do have a problem with it. Or at least when such fatalaties are not related to the road as we know it.The inclusion of off-road incidents is simply artificially increasing the numbers for political gain, but they get away with it by saying that any place accessible to the public is a road.
As far as I can see, the toll should be recorded as a number of incidents in which there were fatalaties. The actual number of deceased is irrelevant - the way things stand, it is made to look worse if 7 people die in one crash than if two die in two crashes, yet from a "safety of others" perspective, one crash versus two is much better odds.
With you all the way on the word "accident". It is the same as the bullshit we read in the papers about "...driver died after his vehicle failed to take a corner..." Never the driver's fault, eh?

Quite right, and we seldom see injury accident statistics. The one time I did find some, it showed that the number of injuries have not fallen like fatals. So people are crashing as often but dying less.
Which validates the "safer vehicles/roads - better emergency care argument".

[myvice]

Vehicle failed to take a corner...
Why? Did the steering wheel fall off? Even if it had its still up to the driver to make sure his/her car is up to a safe standed.
Locator pin for the pinion gear in the steering rack failed I could understand how the vehicle failed to take a corner (don’t worry, this cant happen, I've seen dozens of naked steering racks and they all still work)
"Too fast for the conditions" I love this one, you bin your bike on a blind corner because you didn’t see the lose gravel all over it in time? You were going too fast for the conditions! That there where no warning signs, cones, whatever before it means nothing.
Crashers we don’t hear about; "Failed to over take in time" cant go over 100ks, even on a 200 mtr long passing lane, and no one will leave a gap for you to duck back into. At least you didn’t break any laws before you died!
People need to take responsibility for there own actions, and the cops need to take a stand against their bosses and quash this counter productive quota that has been forced on them.
The problem is that people don’t want to, or have lost the ability to take any responsibility for any thing they do, you want proof? Go to any fast food outlet and order a cup of coffee to go, on the lid is "Caution, contents may be hot"
We know its hot, you cant order a hot cup of coffee then burn yourself on it, only to sue the place you brought it from!
As for the quota bit, the government is earning (read; stealing) way too much money from us, and to go against them would to be labelled a trouble maker who wants every last one of us to be killed on the road.
Just an observation, I hope I'm wrong and just a cynic...
A little more driver training would go a long way too!

[R6_kid:Me]

i just found out today that i've met this guy before. My friend had a drink with him before she left for the USA 3 weeks ago, got back today to find out that shes not going to see him again.

I remember seeing his bike and thinking that it was one sexy looking beast - Was a black 05 R1 and it did look the shit.

[TonyB]

Thats why its always a good idea to tell some one where you are going and when you will be back, I had a mate years ago at school that went for a ride, crashed and bleed to death, they didnt find him for 3 days....his dad thought he was staying at a mates house, the cop that found him only looked down the cliff coz there were skid marks leading off the edge that wernt there 3 days earlier...

True indeed.
Another point- how many times have you seen skid marks heading off a corner and wondered if its been checked out? Skid marks/ accident sites like that should be marked so you know its OK and there ISN'T some poor bugger lying injured out of sight.