Which offence is MOST likely to cause an accident.

[Grahameeboy]

You have actually missed the item that I consider to be the biggest contriution to MVAs in New Zealand, fatigue.

Agree....I think a survey in the UK had this the top offender with speed about 3rd or 4th.

[Sanx]

There's an item missing off that poll, "Riding / driving too fast for the conditions", which is very likely to cause an accident. Unfortunately, it's not really an offence.

I think it's a close run between drink-driving and running red lights. Failing to stop at a stop sign can cover anything from driving through it without looking or braking to braking down to 2kph but not coming to a complete stop. The scale of the offence would need to be quantified.

As for the teenage moron in the Merc. That's possibly one of the instances where the cops should refrain from chasing. Of course, it's very difficult to judge this at the time, and we're all looking at it with 20/20 hindsight. However, there is evidence to suggest that if a vehicle doesn't pull over immediately when signalled but speeds up, the Police should simply stop chasing. If the driver's going to run, he's going to run harder and faster with cop car following him. And that's when accidents happen.

I understand the Police's arguments, but they can either choose to catch the fuckwits by other means (track 'em via helicopter, for instance) and hope they don't cause any accidents in the mean time, or chase them by car and provoke the drvier into doing something even more stupid. Either way, I'm glad I don't have to make that decision and glad I don't have to justify said decision afterwards when it all goes pear-shaped.

[more_fasterer]

If failing to keep left = crossing the centreline into the path of oncoming traffic, then it's pretty damn likely that a fatal accident will occur.

These classes all sound a bit too generic and over-encompassing - they've got a strong LTNZ flavour to them.

[Ms Piggy]

You missed what I feel is the most important point when trying to compare those sentences - the teenager's was restricted by the limits of the youth court. We don't know what it would have been in the ordinary one.

Yes Richard is right - he was given the harshest penalty that could be given to because it was handled through the Youth Justice system. Although it seems quite odd since the 12 year old boy that was with the group who murdered Michael Choy (while he was delivering pizza) was sent to jail. Sorry

On topic: Running a red light surely? If you run a red light then there will almost certainly be traffic coming in the other direction.

[Jantar]

You have actually missed the item that I consider to be the biggest contriution to MVAs in New Zealand, fatigue. E.G. Falling asleep at the wheel/handlebars/woteva...

Agree....I think a survey in the UK had this the top offender with speed about 3rd or 4th.

These classes all sound a bit too generic and over-encompassing - they've got a strong LTNZ flavour to them.

You are all correct. As I already noted in this comment earlier in the thread.

I'm not going to get into "What If" scenarios with this poll, and there are also some serious accident causing situations that I've not included. (Like fatigue). Instead I've aligned this poll to match some data I'm getting from the MoT via the SafeAs website in order to make a more detailed submission to the MoT..

I haven't included anything that is not an offence, that is why fatigue has been left off the list. Have a look at http://www.safeas.govt.nz/smf/index.php?topic=577.0
and you'll get an idea of why I'm running this question as a poll.

[Bnonn]

I choose failing to give way at an uncontrolled intersection; but what I really mean is, "car turning in front of oncoming motorbike".

That is the most common cause of motorcycle accidents. At least, it is in the US, and that's the event which has caused me more frayed nerves than any other.

[Toaster]

The poll is too simple. Each event's likeliness to cause a crash depends on the individual circumstances. I am sure LTNZ has stats on the most common or regular factors/events involved.

[breakaway]

Drink Driving - High Risk

Failing to keep left - Medium Risk
Changing lanes without indicating - Medium Risk
Failing to give way at a give way sign - Medium Risk
Failing to give way at an uncontrolled intersection - Medium Risk
Failing to stop at a stop sign - Medium Risk
Failing to stop at a red light - Medium Risk

Driving/Riding outside the conditions of license - Low Risk

My opinion. As someone already pointed out, more specific information is needed to judge the risk factor of each offense.

[Street Gerbil]

DUI and driving/riding when exhausted. Even worse than DUI because where a drunk or stoner may act rationally by accident, the one asleep at the wheel never will.

[scumdog]

DUI and driving/riding when exhausted. Even worse than DUI because where a drunk or stoner may act rationally by accident, the one asleep at the wheel never will.

Often linked - the driver fell asleep because they were stoned/drunk

But if they are sober and nod-off they MAY at least correct their driving a tad quicker should they wake up.

Not condoning driving/riding when totally exhausted mind.

[candor]

There is a special charge code for failing to keep left and killing someone in light of that this causes a large proportion of the toll. But our cops never use it as they're slack. From memory it's section 39, and means a slightly stiffer soft penalty may be contemplated. There seems to be no minimum penalties so if a Judge is feeling good you may get off scot free if you can act sorry.

The 12 yr old could be sent to jail because the CYPFs Act allows transfer to adult court for certain indictable offenses like rape. Road homicide is not one of the offences in the CYPF Act list as it is considered a non violent not too serious crime in NZ, only in NZ.

Even if charged with manslaughter over a traffic killing its entirely possible to never see prison walls, as with the guy who ran over a unionist at Lyttelton.

[peasea]

.........the question is "How more likely is an accident in a Police chase"..........

Start with shitloads and work your way back.

It's really cops and robbers on this site isn't it?

[candor]

The poll is too simple. Each event's likeliness to cause a crash depends on the individual circumstances. I am sure LTNZ has stats on the most common or regular factors/events involved.

How people die in crashes in NZ

1 in 10 people killed are pedestrians or cyclists, pedestrians are most often killed on a straight road section, due to being hit by a car impacting in excess of 40 k/ph.

At least a quarter of the time the vehicle driver is drunk or stoned; so pedestrians should always walk well back from the kerbside to reduce exposure risk to kerb climbers.

Though cyclists are on the road more often they are the minority among vulnerable road users dying. A 10 year old helmeted cyclist from Manawatu explained surviving a 100 k/ph hit and run with nary a scratch by the height his bike gave.

4 in 10 people to die on NZ roads are killed due to side impacts. These are usually survivable given a well designed vehicle, seatbelt use and an impact speed of under 50 k/ph.

One of the four dies as a result of pulling out into the stream of traffic on a main road without proper checking. The rest will have experienced loss of control in (mostly) open speed zones before striking road side objects, usually trees according to LTNZ (2003).

The other 5 out of 10 people to die on NZ roads are killed in a head-on collision generally because someone failed to keep left. Nearly half these people will have collided with a truck on a primitive undivided main route.

This will happen more often in future as the haulage industry is set to boom - 30% increase in medium term.

Head-ons are the leading cause of NZ motorcyclist deaths, and this (from Police fines statistics) seems due to many Kiwi cars failing to keep left. Caused often by fatigue, drugs, alcohol or 10% of the time tourist status.

For car drivers frontal collisions are likely to be survivable only when the combined speed of vehicles is no higher than 140 k/ph, when they are traveling in a well designed vehicle to start with and given they have their seatbelt in use.

Up to 70% of New Zealands vehicle stock is frontally unfit for the purpose of open road travel (does not meet ECE standards) - so even travelling at a constant speed of 40 k/ph on highways would give many Kiwis no ironclad guarantee of head-on survival.

Tony Paynes research suggest low grade vehicles increase the numbers of of youth and elderly deceasing in crashes by a further 30% as they tend to favour the small to medium sized early 1990s 'death traps'.

[Toaster]

Cool stuff dude. Did they have anything about those who were stoned? It may be interesting for those that seem to think riding or driving while stoned is a good idea.

[Jahdafario]

Wheres the offence option for the vehicle user fails to stop at a red light and T-bones the biker?

Its still an offence, and its MOST LIKELY to cause an accident because its fact, see stats nz or the LTSA website, I think they have the daily update info on the road tolls