Up the speed limit

[Marmoot]

Maybe it's part of the revenue-gathering process?

(am I just being paranoid?)

[SPman]

Whats so frigging hard about parallel parking anyway? As long as I've got 1500mm over the length of the van to get in, its a piece of piss!

What......yeah thats the first thing I thought of as well....what planet is the LTSA on?  Not our planet, obviously!

[MikeL]

Originally posted by Marmoot
*ahem*.....(clears throat)........helpers are RECOMMENDED ACCORDING TO ROAD CODE BOOK AND LTSA FACT SHEETS!

Well, you learn something new every day! Now perhaps I just ought to have a look at the road code again, for the first time since 1967...

But I think there's a serious issue here: why are we allowing this dumbing down in licence requirements? Surely we should be making it harder, not easier???

[Motu]

It's because people are dumber these days,seldom in this day and age will someone be born with my interlectual capacity.

[mangell6]

vast majority of accidents happen because people make mistakes.

In Fridays Dominion (Wellington Paper), there was an article on how there was going to be a concerted effort to remove "road obstacles", i.e. power pole, etc to prevent injury and deaths.


The article made the statement that 80% of accidents are casused by driver error and that 3?% of these involved road side obstacles such as power poles.

Again lets put the money into correcting the "driver errors" not removing the so called obstacle!

But I forget this money has to be spent on roading.

[Marmoot]

I totally agree with making Defensive Driving Course (advance driving course) compulsory.

However, apparently, they stopped doing practice in the course and now only stick to theories only. The reason being that the government stopped subsidizing them and that made it too expensive for them to do skid practice, etc.

There, another ammunition in motorists vs government war.

[Motu]

Ive done a couple of defensive driving courses,and my 2 daughters have done one each.Did my first one in 1973 - told to by the Law because they didn't like the way I drove and another in about 91 because I needed it for some reason....crap - if you haven't figured that stuff out in the first couple of years you never will,and being told won't help,stupid is as stupid does.no practical.

I'm happy my kids did it,to speed up the licence and to give some good info to a new driver.When my younger daughter did it last year the tutor was an Indian who wasn't too good at English - she never learnt a thing,just a waste of her time and my money.

[wkid_one]

The NZ Defensive Driving Course is a waste of time.  All theory based and largely only a means to get the licensing period reduced - there is no fail unless you are a complete gherkin......no value in it at all.

[Marmoot]

That's exactly what my point is. There should be a course where people are taught the advanced techniques and the consequences of mistakes (in a controlled environment).

My saying is always: when you have never exceeded the limit and live through it, you'll never know your limit, and thus your efficiency will always be reduced, significantly at times.

But, I'm only a person who dreams about a perfect world where the speed limit varies according to condition and sometimes reaches up to unlimited in a perfect road.......dream again.........

[Kickaha]

My brother and I have done a few 1000 milers and 350's in the past, there would be no way I would have finished any of them had I sat on or around 110kmph.
A mate of mine had to pull out of a 1000 as he was on 70 demerts so was averaging 110-120ks at this speed he lost his alertness and decided for the best to pull out to be safe.

I've done a couple of thousand milers and didn't travel must faster than the 120kph mark and had no problems with maintaining concentration,I think it comes down to each person.

Do they still have unrestricted limits in the Northern Territory in Oz,where it used to be you could be ticketed for inappropriate speed,not that they would consider that here.

If road safety was that important,then every last dollar from speeding fines and road tax etc would go into driver education and improving the roading system.

[Jackrat]

STREtCH,YAWN,FART, I think I might go for a ride,The KB crew seem to have gone into space cadet mode again.Just have to keep an eye out for all the old folk,Bikers who think theys good,boy racers,blokes on the side of the road carrying frozen chickens,fellas hanging it out on trail bikes,Riding instructors who keep trying to talk common sence to fuck wits without realising they can never win,Girls who can probaby ride better than me anyway,People dreaming about the politics of speed limits,The incressing cost of ACC,Asian drivers,
Push bikers dressed like a tube of tooth paste,Cows,Horses,Gravel,pot holes,
An people practicing poor written skills.
If I managed to miss anyone,Sorry I will get ya' next time,After all I'm not perfect like some on this site.
Cheers an have a nice day.

[Drunken Monkey]

A typical example of system 1 is in the US there is no legal requirment to wear a seat belt - so they don't wear them...how do they protect the occupant from themselves - with an air bag.If you make poor choices,the choices are made for you in other ways.How long before the septics make the Japs put air bags on bikes.Air bags in jackets are out there - imagine if we had to wear those!

Actually that isn't true - according to USA tourism:
"Seat belts are required:
Nearly all states have laws requiring the driver and front passengers to wear seat belts. Many states require children to wear seat belts even in the back seats. Nearly every state requires special child restraint seats for all young children. Most states require motorcyclists to wear helmets. "

Not specific on which states do and don't, but nearly all means nearly all.

The airbags are required because _compliance_ with the law is the problem (as low as 52% on West Virginia (USA Today), compared ot the national average of 80% (USA Today))


And 150km/h speed limits in Italy...fuck I thought that place was dangerous enough to drive in before (let alone ride my bike).

Same goes with autobahns...great to speed down the fast lane on a quiet stretch on a Sunday evening, but German autobahns are _notorious_ for large accidents and severe traffic hold ups - So regular, Tour buses build these hold ups into their schedules.

[wkid_one]

Shit - this thread was dead until yesterday - surely we have covered all the points by now - and some

[spudchucka]

Unless there is a national "autobahn" type of highway covering the length of the country I can't see there ever being an increase in the speed limit. There are just too many variables on our roads, flocks of sheep, milk tankers, nanna drivers, shit box cars driven by dangerous lunatics, the list is endless.

There will never be bike only roads because there just aint enough of us to support such a luxury.

The police will continue to target what ever is believed to be injury promoting road behaviour and unfortunately for bikers that will always include speed.

I'm all for common sense in speed enforcement. If you speed past a school, a hospital, any residential area that has kids around or just in circumstances that make the speed dangerous, then you will get a ticket. If it's on a remote road in good conditions, minimal traffic etc, I don't see whats wrong with cops using their discretion and giving the offending driver / rider a stern finger wagging.

The only exceptions to such rules in my opinion is when the driver / rider is a burgler, thief, drug dealer, gang member or other such form of sub-human scum, then stuff em, they get the ticket regardless!!!!!!!!

The problem for the general public that speeds occasionally is that cops are not being encouraged to use their discretion but rather to issue infringement notices whenever an offence is disclosed. Some would argue that this is the only fair way to police the roads in that an offence is punished regardless of the circumstances or who the offender is.

[Drunken Monkey]

Shit - this thread was dead until yesterday - surely we have covered all the points by now - and some

Naw...gotta set the record straight, no matter how late...

Can't expect me to stay out of a roading/road safety forum just 'cos I didn't use my computer for a day. Don't want to see you guys chasing you're own tails when I've seen it before in all the car clubs...thought 2 wheelers were above that kinda thing