This road is highly dangerous. Can someone tell me why?

[Donzzz]

I dont know maybe coz of the big fuck off pillars on either side of the road to greet you if you come off!

[Max Preload]

I'd say it's because of the sort of mindless gorms that work in the adjacent orchards that pull out in front of other vehicles because their brain is idle.

[Grubber]

i think youll find it will be based on the accidents in the area in the past. maybe all living int he area cant drive?

Hmmmm...a rational thinker...is this allowed?

[Swoop]

It is nothing more than a tool (Kiwirap).

This sort of arbitrary crap will enable TPTB to have "conclusive evidence" that a lower speed limit needs to be set for XYZ road/s.

[Banditbandit]

I dont know maybe coz of the big fuck off pillars on either side of the road to greet you if you come off!

I'm very familiar with the road shown as the first example - and for many reasons it has a high fatal crash rate, which gives it the rating

If anything happens, then there is no run off area, and the chance of hitting something hard is high, including something coming the other way
Many people drive between Napier and Hastings anywhere between 60 and 70 klicks max - annoying the hell out of other drivers
Drivers doing that speed sit on the left - hard left - tempting other drivers to pass
There's lots of driveways, including farm gates and lots of agricultural machinery on the road.
Some fo the driveways - maybe not in the photograph - are fruit and vege stalls, with lots of in-out trafic
There's a pub not far away
There's lots of dickhead drivers on that stretch
The road surface is a little bumpy, so dickheads can easily lose control

I've moved out of Hawke's Bay - glad I did - the drivers there are pretty appalling - not all but enough to scare the hell out of me at times ...

[rastuscat]

Interesting thought follows. (Well, I think so)

The gubbermint internal discussion agencies are looking at what is called a safer system. Basically, they are looking at trying to get our road transport system co-ordinated to mean that when a person makes a cock up, the outcome is mitigated by safer roads cars etc.

This safer system would reduce the road toll, so I personally think that the think tank is heading in the right direction. KiwiRap is part of that concept.

My problem is, if we just support that concept as the be-all and end-all of road safety we miss out on what is the grestest chance to save ourselves, that being the recognition that we are the factor that most influences our own personal safety.

Who can influence my decision to go too fast into a corner, probably on the wrong line? Me.

Who can ride at a distance that means I can stop when the dick head in front of me stops for reasons known only to him? Me.

Who can avoid most head on crashes by staying on my own side of the centreline? Me.

Now, those are things I can influence right now, this second, at no cost at all to anyone.

So there.

P.S. anyone else ending posts with "so there" is in breach of my ineffectual property rights.

So there.

[Ixion]

Exactly so. Give that man an orang-utan

I understand all about crash mitigation and not having nasty hard bits to hit (even better not having nasty hard shapr bits that cut you in half, but they're all good according to NZTA). Jolly good, just do it stuff.

But, y'know, here's an idea right out of left field. Strange concept I know, but, how about not crashing in the first place ?

And, come on now, for anyone to crash on that stretch of road they'd need to be either

Drunk or stoned
Absolute imbeciles
or the victim of some freak catastrophe (heart attack, all the wheels fell off stuff).

A good deal of the current official angst about motorcycle crash rates is in fact attributable to this official policy. Which says, in effect "Let's not bother trying to have competent drivers who actually do a decent job of driving. Let's just assume that they *will* crash, and try to make it so that when they do, they don't get hurt too badly".

Now, that sort of works for reducing car crash fatalities. At the expense of increased severe injury rates (which is exactly what we are seeing at the moment).

But it doesn't work at all for bikes . If you ride a bike the ONLY way to not get hurt is to not crash in the first place. Stop falling of y' fuckin' bikes, m'kay? And then maybe we can suggestthe same bizarre logic for cagers.

So there (sue me)

[Banditbandit]

But, y'know, here's an idea right out of left field. Strange concept I know, but, how about not crashing in the first place ?

And, come on now, for anyone to crash on that stretch of road they'd need to be either

Drunk or stoned
Absolute imbeciles

Go with the last one - it's important to rememebr that, by definition, half the population is below average intellegence ... and they probably all drive cars !

And before you go arguing statistics and IQs with me, the IQ system was set up so that the mid point of 100 IQ points was set so half the population fell below 100 IQ points and half were above 100IQ points - ergo - half the population fall into the "below average intelligence" category ...

[Ixion]

Yes, I know. But, an imbecile is defined as having an IQ of less than 49. You have to be more retarded than just somewhat stupid to crash on that road.

[duckonin]

Stuf has the nations worst roads on line now (new's) with a description as to why, I cannot figure out how to link this maybe another can..

[MSTRS:Me]

http://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/mo...roads-revealed

[Ixion]

And they're all down in the blurdy lower NI. How come those bugegrs , and Nelson get all the fun roads, and here in Dorkland we're stuck with the boring motorways ? 'Taint fair!

[Ixion]

Actually , one thing I think they ought to do right away (and I think I'll write and suggest it), is to put signs along the roads (especially the 1 2 and 3 star ones) showing their rating. Then bikers can tell if a road is worth exploring or not, and not waste time on a road which turns out to be boring. Bonus being that the good roads (1 or 2 star) will be Enid-free.

[bogan]

And they're all down in the blurdy lower NI. How come those bugegrs , and Nelson get all the fun roads, and here in Dorkland we're stuck with the boring motorways ? 'Taint fair!

well the ones they listed round palmy are shit, unless you get a clear run through the gorge; that can be fun even under the speed limit

[duckonin]

http://www.stuff.co.nz/life-style/mo...roads-revealed

Thanks for that, must try harder.....