If your job was to reduce road deaths what would you do?

[FastBikeGear]

I have read from NZ govt stats that 48% of bike deaths happen on corners.
This would be a good place to start.

Why not start where the other 52% of accidents happen instead?

[Tony]

OK here's my favourites.

You will notice that I have borrowed many of these ideas from KBers like mystic13

What rule changes would you recommend?

1.ATGATT. Minimum requirement to meet one of the many standards such as the European PPE standard for motorcycle clothing that covers footwear, gloves and other items of clothing. (http://www.roadsafety.mccofnsw.org.au/a/93.html)
2.Make people who are transferring international licences sit the full licence test.
3.More traffic cameras in towns and harsher penalties for things like failing to stop at a stop sign, indicating incorrectly etc etc (funding the other ideas)
4.Crack down way harder and faster on drunk drivers.
5.Get rid of the dangerous 70K learners speed limit immediately.
6.Adopt Australian power to weight limits immediately for learner riders.
7.Limit drivers under the age of 20 to unmodified cars under a power to weight limit of 100hp per tonne.
8.Make all traffic officers do six months on as a bike cop in their first 18 months on the job.
9.Let it be known that all non hands free cell phone use will be policed as a careless driving offence – doesn't require new legislation or delays.
10.Fine bad driving practice e.g. following too close not indicating 3 seconds before hand, etc. not just speed. Put cameras in all police cars and bikes as per Jellywrestler's suggestion
11.Find drivers for driving over 15km below the speed limit in good road conditions – if they or their vehicles are not competent to drive at the speed limit they shouldn't be on the road.
12.As well as disqualifying drivers/riders for excessive demerit points seize their vehicles and sell them and put the money into road safety funds.
13.Make it compulsory for the Minister of Transport to ride a bike to work 10 days a year. (OK this is a little tongue in cheek, but it would be good)



What education, training and advertising would you recommend?


1.TV campaign to get more motorcyclists to ring in loose gravel, and stuff that has fallen off trucks to 555. Fine road workers for repair left in unsafe conditions.
2.Educational TV campaigns around driver practises and behaviour, indicating, roundabout indicating rules, staying in left hand lane unless passing and defensive driving techniques.
3.Sponsor 3 track days with instructors for riders and cagers (Remove the excuse that you have no where to enjoy your vehicles performance and learn something at the same time)
4.Require practical testing every five years including:

Advanced control test braking and sliding on skid pan. Prove that you can drive around some cones within a set time and stop your vehicle within a set distance on a dry and slippery surface. (Basically a grass or tar seal gymkhana test just like the car clubs have been doing in New Zealand for years. Make this challenging and fail some people)
Compulsory 1 day off road riding course with certified instructor for learners (no test required)
Vision testing
Road code knowledge (Most people who have had a license for a few years are blissfully unaware of the rules.
Defensive driving test (as per many current defensive driving course tests and evaluations)



What roading changes would you recommend?

5.Replace cheesecutters with more bike friendly barriers
6.Fine road workers for leaving loose gravel on the roads
7.Investigate the recent poor tar used. And stop it's use.


Vehicle safety recommendations

Hitcher I couldn't resist adding your brilliant suggestion to my list “I would remove safety belts, driver's air bags, collapsible steering columns and the like from all motor vehicles. I would instead make it mandatory for a Dirty Great Spike(TM) to be affixed to the centre of steering wheels, stopping about 10cm short of the driver's throat.”

[Conquiztador]

The easiest way to reduce road deaths is to make all drive and ride off road. Remove the roads!

[Winston001]

Those who work in IT are all rolling on the floor with laughter at the inherent contradiction in that statement.

LINUX computers mind, none of this Windoze stuff.


Ix - you are too cynical. Just look at technology's march. Watches were accurate to 5/min a month when I was a kid. Today 5/sec month is normal. And look at toasters - perfect every.........hmmmm........see what you mean......

[dmc]

OK here's my favourites.

8.Make all traffic officers do six months on as a bike cop in their first 18 months on the job.
13.Make it compulsory for the Minister of Transport to ride a bike to work 10 days a year. (OK this is a little tongue in cheek, but it would be good)

Only problem with those two is you are trying to lower the road toll not increase it.

[phaedrus]

Those who work in IT are all rolling on the floor with laughter at the inherent contradiction in that statement.

laughter, i think fear might be a more appropriate response.
Cue canned IBM support response: 'You need to update your firmware'

[mister.koz]

Those who work in IT are all rolling on the floor with laughter at the inherent contradiction in that statement.

LINUX computers mind, none of this Windoze stuff.


Ix - you are too cynical. Just look at technology's march. Watches were accurate to 5/min a month when I was a kid. Today 5/sec month is normal. And look at toasters - perfect every.........hmmmm........see what you mean......

Definately linux!

Windows: you are having and accident, please install drivers for airbag control system.

--- bluescreen ---


Na, i reckon stop "improving" cars so much, i saw on topgear that mercedes have an auto-braking system, no matter how far you have your foot up it, the car WILL NOT crash into someone in front...

Jeez talk about breeding lazyness and apathy - we want people more aware and focused, if they can't focus on gears, steering, indicators, braking, throttle, the right side of the road AND other drivers/riders then they shouldn't have a licence....

[NighthawkNZ:Me]

Cue canned IBM support response: 'You need to update your firmware'

sounds fimilar

[chef]

ban cars from the road, and boi racars. problem solved

[PrincessBandit]

I'd remove all freight off the road to rail;
Make similar restrictions on car drivers i.e. restrict engine size and have Learners for their class 1 restricted to 70 kph as well;
Compulsory resitting of full license every 5 years, but bring the cost down to make it affordable;
None of this "staying on my L for 10 years 'cos I can't be arsed moving up to the next level" business - allow a period of grace outside the minimum time period to allow for illness or other such blips in the timeframe - and make each level more comprehensive;
Defensive driving courses compulsory for all drivers, and a similar such course for all riders to be sat during the course of their L stage, before the bad habits set in (hopefully they haven't already);
and...

Maximum crack down on license breaches.

p.s. I'd also ban those bloody mini bikes that you see idiot youfs riding on public roads - no helmets or boots etc., no visibility to drivers as they're so low to the road. My guess is they're not legal for road anyway so instant confiscation. No need for fine, confiscate and sell; money to go into "the great fund". If rider is not the owner, too bad - just like crushing boi racer cars.

[Usarka]

9.Let it be known that all non hands free cell phone use will be policed as a careless driving offence – doesn't require new legislation or delays.

Hands free are just as dangerous as hand held.

Why only police half the problem?????? Are you being given backhanders by the telcos?

http://blogs.consumerreports.org/car...ers-study.html
http://psycnet.apa.org/?fa=main.doiL...6-898X.9.2.119
http://psycnet.apa.org/?fa=main.doiL...76-898X.9.1.23
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/j...TRY=1&SRETRY=0
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Trave...8135393&page=1
etc
etc
etc

[PrincessBandit]

Hands free are just as dangerous as hand held.

Why only police half the problem??????

How is hands free different from hands held when you have voice activation to receive or decline calls? Hang on, I meant that how much different is hands free to having a conversation with a passenger?

[James Deuce]

Ban any form of transport except walking.

Enforce telecommuting for non-productive, non-physical jobs.

Increase the budget for research in teleportation.

[gammaguy]

repeat after me until you are sick of it:

COMPULSORY DRIVER TRAINING

COMPULSORY DRIVER TRAINING

etc...............................

[Usarka]

How is hands free different from hands held when you have voice activation to receive or decline calls? Hang on, I meant that how much different is hands free to having a conversation with a passenger?

It's the conversation that's the distraction.

The difference between a phone call and a passenger is the amount of attention required. A caller can't see what's going on so the driver has to keep the conversation flowing. A passenger can easily see that the driver is concentrating because of a specific hazard like changing lanes and doesn't expect immediate feedback.

That's not to say passengers and other distractions aren't a hazard....