200 + o.k who was it !!

[k14]

I think all of these posts can be summed up by judging the risk of speeding accurately.

When i did my defensive driving course, that was a big issue. Everytime you go out on the road you take risks. The way in which you assess these risks affects if you come home at night or end up in a body bag.

When speeding, the rider has to assess the risk involved in speeding, what are the chances of xxx happening etc.

It is strange that people look at the 100kph speedlimit as the be all and end all. If you stay below this you are protected with special powers and will never have an accident. When you go over this, instantly you go into the "death zone" and they like to have you think you die the minute you go in to that zone.

Speeding is alright at the appropriate moment. You just have to take into account the drunk coming home from the pub swerving in and out of their lane, and the family with kids arguing in the back seat distracting the driver, etc.

I agree that 120kph in a 50 is stupid, but also 150 in a 100 is equally stupid. But i admit i have been up to and beyone that (the 150 in 100 that is) and am alive to prove it, but still is very risky.

I think the biggest problem to this is the nazi attitude by the nz police towards speeding. If they just relaxed a little i reckon the problem would decrease just because the risks people would have to take (e.g. passing etc) would be a little less and there would be more happy drivers out there.

Just my 2c anyway

[spudchucka]

"Give the guy a break'?, maybe a couple of broken legs so that he doesn't endanger any one else for a while. Godamn moron.
As for the LTSA ads, watch 'TopGear' and you'll see that different vehicles react differently to an impact, no two accidents are the same. As for the 5km/h difference in impact speed, reaction times and, dare I say it skill, will make more difference to the final result than whether you're travelling at 50 or 55 km/h.
Lou
Lou

The Top Gear show was intersting all right. Reaction times and skill are variables that are subjective to each road user and can't be factored into the equation because of the wide variance. The LTSA ads as I see them suggest that the results indicate the variation in impact damage are independant of these variables. Its saying that if all things are equal and the only diffeence is the speed then this is the net result.

[spudchucka]

Hmmm - it isn't about having a accident per'se - it is about what you are having the accident with. I would rather tell I farmer I killed his sheep (assuming I can) than tell a mum I killed her 2 year daughter who ran out to get a ball.

I wonder how many bikers have been decapitated by a No: 8 wire and batten fence over the years. Probably happens just after hitting a stray sheep at 200kph.

[Lou Girardin]

Spud, things are never equal nor are drivers.
The Top Gear crash was a bit of a fudge though. A 'T bone' is the least severe type of accident as far as frontal impact goes. I would liked to have seen a head on into the stationary car.
Lou

[spudchucka]

Spud, things are never equal nor are drivers.
Lou

And thats why we will always have road laws that pander to the lowest common denominator.

The Top Gear crash was a bit of a fudge though. A 'T bone' is the least severe type of accident as far as frontal impact goes. I would liked to have seen a head on into the stationary car.

I didn't see the actual T-Bone crash but did see the controlled test crash results. That was done at 40mph into a deformable concrete wall, which is fine and dandy but from what I've seen they all come apart pretty much the same once the warp factor increases and the smack into cars coming the other way.

[jimbo600]

I wonder how many bikers have been decapitated by a No: 8 wire and batten fence over the years. Probably happens just after hitting a stray sheep at 200kph.

Keep going spud. I wonder how many bikers have been decapitated by crap wire acting as a crash barrier (AKA Haywards Hill) while adhereing to the speed limit. That wire is banned in Europe because it's so fatal to bikes. And the LTSA Transit etc pump us with rhetoric about safety. To coin a phrase from the Tui ads...........yeah right.

Also the HP in their wisdom caused traffic chaos yesterday by employing typically heavy handed enforcement on SH2 just out of Wellington. Going from 100 - 30 kph because of tailbacks is pretty crap and dangerous in my opinion. Also Mr HP on a bike was lane splitting in the emergency lane in this chaos to catch up with his mate who just pulled someone over. No lights, no siren, just double standards my friend. If I had a bit more time I would have stopped my car and demanded an explanation.

[spudchucka]

Keep going spud. I wonder how many bikers have been decapitated by crap wire acting as a crash barrier (AKA Haywards Hill) while adhereing to the speed limit. That wire is banned in Europe because it's so fatal to bikes. And the LTSA Transit etc pump us with rhetoric about safety. To coin a phrase from the Tui ads...........yeah right.

I don't know about the Haywards because I don't ride down that way. Sorry but I don't quite understand what your point is. Wire is dangerous to bikers, yes. Pretty much every country road is lined with the stuff, yes. Therefore hitting a sheep or just plain old falling off your bike on country roads can be inherently dangerous. I can't see every farmer in NZ changing their fences to make them safer for bikers but I agree that local bodies should look at safety barriers that use wire as part of the barrier. Bottom line is all road users should be aware of the risks and drive appropriately.

Also the HP in their wisdom caused traffic chaos yesterday by employing typically heavy handed enforcement on SH2 just out of Wellington. Going from 100 - 30 kph because of tailbacks is pretty crap and dangerous in my opinion. Also Mr HP on a bike was lane splitting in the emergency lane in this chaos to catch up with his mate who just pulled someone over. No lights, no siren, just double standards my friend. If I had a bit more time I would have stopped my car and demanded an explanation.

You'll get no arguement from me, I hate this crap too. I've no problem with them policing behaviour and dangerous vehicles but hunting in packs like that in peak traffic cause more problems than it prevents. What were they actually doing, check points or just pulling over all and sundry??

[SPman]

The stats were phenomenal.....they basically said that the braking the car isn't the issue with ABS these days - it is the reaction time (or lack of it) that kills you.

1 sec reaction time at 100kph means you have travelled 30m before you even notice something is wrong.....let alone put your foot on the brake.

Which, among other things, brings up the issue of cars (and bikes) travelling right up each others dates at 120k on the motorway (and elsewhere).

2 sec rule....more like 0.2 sec rule!:confused2

[riffer]

I don't know about the Haywards because I don't ride down that way

Haywards is interesting coming over the crest from Porirua going to Hutt Valley. The cambers on the corners just don't quite feel right, and the road surface doesn't exactly inspire confidence.

From experience I have found that you come over the crest (there's a passing lane just before where everyone speeds right up) at 100-120 if there's no other vehicles around, faster if there are because everyone considers that overtaking lane their own private racetrack and on a bike it's quite intimidating.

There's the cheesecutters all the way down along the centreline and the left hand side falls away to the side where there is a turnoff to the Power station. There's always gravel across the road and cars and trucks pull out in front of you often without looking. If you slow down you end up with an irate cage driver behind you.

I find its a real tricky balancing act - the road camber wants to to pull left, the road surface feels like you tyres don't have enough grip, the chees cutters look nasty and there's always some arsehole on your back - I really tend to ride on a hair trigger throttle down that bit.

And you get down to the near bottom and there's gravel across the road, trucks parked on the side of the road, etc etc....

But there's also a lovely tight left hand sweeper heading towards Upper Hutt and if you time it just right (2nd gear) and there's no cars coming you can scrape your knee/foot on the left inside and power up large (free turn onto motorway) and feel that front wheel coming up as you hit the motorway.

The rest of the hill is fun though - especially the roads leading on to it.

Still, I wonder if I'd rather have the cheese cutters than no barrier at all. Growing up in Stokes Valley in the 1970s and 1980s we used to have so many crashes that we could just about look out the window (Holborn Dr) across the river and see the cars hitting each other ....

[duckman]

Hmmm - it isn't about having a accident per'se - it is about what you are having the accident with. I would rather tell I farmer I killed his sheep (assuming I can) than tell a mum I killed her 2 year daughter who ran out to get a ball.

Bloody kids shouldn't be playing on the road! Where are it's parents ??

** Ducks and runs for cover **

[duckman]

Now Kids, this is about speeding, not Bickering!!!

[jimbo600]

I don't know about the Haywards because I don't ride down that way. Sorry but I don't quite understand what your point is. Wire is dangerous to bikers, yes. Pretty much every country road is lined with the stuff, yes. Therefore hitting a sheep or just plain old falling off your bike on country roads can be inherently dangerous. I can't see every farmer in NZ changing their fences to make them safer for bikers but I agree that local bodies should look at safety barriers that use wire as part of the barrier. Bottom line is all road users should be aware of the risks and drive appropriately.

I would prefer to see barriers like the ones used near McKays crossing near Paraparaumu. If LTSA spout about it all being road safety then there should be consistency shown throughout.



You'll get no arguement from me, I hate this crap too. I've no problem with them policing behaviour and dangerous vehicles but hunting in packs like that in peak traffic cause more problems than it prevents. What were they actually doing, check points or just pulling over all and sundry??

Pulling all and sundry.

[spudchucka]

Pulling all and sundry.

Agreed, unecessary and over the top. Theres nothing wrong with high profile and highly visible road policing, just their presence is usualy enough to modify behaviour.

[spudchucka]

Bloody kids shouldn't be playing on the road! Where are it's parents ??

True but a parent can't watch their child 24 / 7. There are always the unpredictable times when the little buggers get away from you.

I can imagine nothing harder to live with than the knowledge that you killed a kid because of your carelessness on the road.

[Motoracer]

I must admit, after Zed's comment, I feel a bit guilty. I make silly mistakes as well but over all (98% of the time) I stick within the margin of 10k over the stated speed limit. I understand that it could all go wrong within that 2% of the time, so I try my best to be good all the time but I am not perfect.