catgate Posted May 20, 2005 Report Share Posted May 20, 2005 Shortly after my posting "Education" (x 3 ) I came across this:-http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/04/408.aspPlease take two valium, with a cup of tea, before reading.Another success story which ever way you look at it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andsome Posted May 21, 2005 Report Share Posted May 21, 2005 Shortly after my posting "Education" (x 3 ) I came across this:-http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/04/408.aspPlease take two valium, with a cup of tea, before reading.Another success story which ever way you look at it.Speed is fine in the right place. I have no time however for idiots tearing round housing estates, past parked cars, when children can easily run out and get knocked over. Also speeding in busy city streets in general is idiotic. Speed can also be highly dangerous in winding narrow country lanes with blind bends. I will however enjoy the grand Prix this weekend, when the Monaco roads are closed to normal traffic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanHo Posted May 21, 2005 Report Share Posted May 21, 2005 I will however enjoy the grand Prix this weekend, when the Monaco roads are closed to normal traffic.Which team are you driving for - I will not be able to recognise you under the helmet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andsome Posted May 21, 2005 Report Share Posted May 21, 2005 I will be driving my Honda Civic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belatucadrus Posted May 21, 2005 Report Share Posted May 21, 2005 Presumably with BAR Honda still banned, you carry the hopes and aspirations of the Honda corporation on your shoulders ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andsome Posted May 21, 2005 Report Share Posted May 21, 2005 Presumably with BAR Honda still banned, you carry the hopes and aspirations of the Honda corporation on your shoulders ?Very true. I have been promised £5 if I win. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dadyassa Posted May 21, 2005 Report Share Posted May 21, 2005 Shortly after my posting "Education" (x 3 ) I came across this:-http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/04/408.aspPlease take two valium, with a cup of tea, before reading.Another success story which ever way you look at it.Speed is fine in the right place. I have no time however for idiots tearing round housing estates, past parked cars, when children can easily run out and get knocked over. Also speeding in busy city streets in general is idiotic. Speed can also be highly dangerous in winding narrow country lanes with blind bends. I will however enjoy the grand Prix this weekend, when the Monaco roads are closed to normal traffic.About twenty years ago i drove round the circuit in a Sherpa van while they were putting up the barricades, that was bad enough, dont know how they sling the F1 cars round the corners though. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catgate Posted May 21, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 21, 2005 I have no time however for idiots tearing round housing estates, past parked cars, when children can easily run out and get knocked over. Also speeding in busy city streets in general is idiotic. Speed can also be highly dangerous in winding narrow country lanes with blind bends.That's astoundingly reassuring. I shall sleep much easier in my bed knowing that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andsome Posted May 21, 2005 Report Share Posted May 21, 2005 I have no time however for idiots tearing round housing estates, past parked cars, when children can easily run out and get knocked over. Also speeding in busy city streets in general is idiotic. Speed can also be highly dangerous in winding narrow country lanes with blind bends.That's astoundingly reassuring. I shall sleep much easier in my bed knowing that.I don't see the point of your comment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tankus Posted May 21, 2005 Report Share Posted May 21, 2005 Its just another form of creating Tax revenue , clothed in a health and safety cloak Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andsome Posted May 22, 2005 Report Share Posted May 22, 2005 Its just another form of creating Tax revenue , clothed in a health and safety cloakI disagree with that. There are more than enough lunatics rushing round at excessive speed causing accidents, in defiance of the law as it is. Can you imagine what it would be like if there were no laws, or fear of punishment. Try talking about the law being about raising revenue to relatives who have had family members killed on the roads. For a good many years I was a company representative and as such had to travel a lot of miles each year. I have seen far too many scenes of carnage on the road over the years, to take this lightly. What do you think causes multiple pile ups on motorways, roads which by their nature should be the safest? In far too many instances it is a combination of lunatic driving, compounded by excessive speed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rong Posted May 22, 2005 Report Share Posted May 22, 2005 Speed = 35% of accidents (I think I heard to do with the M4) dangerous driving causes most of the rest, so why is 100% policing aimed at speeding.I also think I heard that motorways are still the safest roads. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andsome Posted May 22, 2005 Report Share Posted May 22, 2005 I think that you will find that dangerous driving is also targeted. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belatucadrus Posted May 22, 2005 Report Share Posted May 22, 2005 I think that you will find that dangerous driving is also targeted.Yes but not to anything like the same degree, dangerous driving requires trained police officers to be in situ observing making decisions, this is horrendously old fashioned and inefficient when we all know they are more effectively deployed filling out reports in triplicate, doing the filing or sweeping up the human garbage after the new liberally extended pub opening hours. Traffic policing is much more cost effective now that Mr Gatso and his pals handle it on a speeding only basis. Another of Mr Browns little earners, but it's not actually a tax rise so it must be OK. :angry: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catgate Posted May 22, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 22, 2005 I think that you will find that dangerous driving is also targeted.By an involved and muddled route you have got round to the crux of the matter. Driving fast is not, in itself, unsafe. It is driving dangerously that is unsafe. It just so happens that dangerous driving can encompass an inappropriate speed. Certainly if the Reductio Ad Absurdum route were to be followed all cars would be 100% safe and would be totally imobilised. If you examine the statistics you will find that in actual fact the number of people killed is inversely proportional to the speed ie. there are fewer people killed at higher speeds than are killed at lower speeds. This is never acknowledged because it would weaken the hold of the "speed kills" hypnosis. "2 Killed in M6 Pile Up Carnage"makes a better headline than "2 killed crossing High Street".I too have had needed to travel thousands of miles on business, and the one thing that always impressed me was, that despite the fact that two vehicles can be coming towards each other at a closing speed of 60mph in a "built up" area, they can pass within inches of each other with no harm befalling either. Further more, this occurs millions of times a day all over Britain. In de-restricted areas the closing speed can be 120mph but we still get the same result. This suggests that the drivers in this country are, in the main, very good and very responsible. It is also worth while pointing out that our traffic density is much higher that that on the continent but our accident rate is still lower pro rata.This being so I think it wise to look for other contributing factors. Bearing in mind the old adage about there being "none so blind as those who will not see" I offer for debate the following:-*A plethora of unnecessary attention seeking Road Signs. In some built up area virtually every lamp post has one attached. *Traffic Calming measures. These invariably take the drivers attention away from traffic and pedestrians to the road surface itself. *The state of the road surface (and lack of it!). *The lack of road side verge maintenance. Visibility is severly restricted in most country areas due to the volume of weeds and tall grasses on corners and at junctions. Some of this is deliberate "to slow them down". *Lack of parental training in the matter of road safety. *Roads are not for playing on. If people can not provide a safe environment for their offspring then they should not breed.*Secure separation of pedestrians and traffic including the provision of pedestrian underpasses and bridges. *The dislike of the British people to "being told what to do" by those who do not know which way "up" is.But then ...what do I know? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanHo Posted May 22, 2005 Report Share Posted May 22, 2005 well said catgate I agree with you.I would however add Tailgating - especially large lorries.Hogging the middle lane on a motorway - thus causing frustration to others.Ignoring double white lines.Inappropriate use of headlights and foglights.Failure to use direction indicators (perhaps they have run out of indicator fluid?)Poor condition of vehicle and tyres.Wearing a cap and smoking a pipe.etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catgate Posted May 22, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 22, 2005 Wearing a cap and smoking a pipe.Am I to take it you mean a baseball cap?? (With its neb sewn on backwards)On a serious note. We have just spent several days driving around Germany and Holland, and, as usual, the difference in road manners and discipline was immediately apparent. On the motoways lane discipline is exemplary (both cars and commercials) and the driving speeds and techniques illustrate that all drivers understand that other drivers will stick to the rules without fuss and as a consequense it is possible to roll a goodly number of kilometers into the hour! I can not recollect seeing any traffic police all the time we were there. As far as local traffic was concerned it was moving briskly yet safely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
expertec Posted May 23, 2005 Report Share Posted May 23, 2005 http://www.infonegocio.com/xeron/bruno/italy.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andsome Posted May 23, 2005 Report Share Posted May 23, 2005 Absobloodylutelybriiliant Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djohn Posted May 23, 2005 Report Share Posted May 23, 2005 Excellent! expertec :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tony Posted May 27, 2005 Report Share Posted May 27, 2005 Wearing a cap and smoking a pipe.Am I to take it you mean a baseball cap?? (With its neb sewn on backwards)On a serious note. We have just spent several days driving around Germany and Holland, and, as usual, the difference in road manners and discipline was immediately apparent. On the motoways lane discipline is exemplary (both cars and commercials) and the driving speeds and techniques illustrate that all drivers understand that other drivers will stick to the rules without fuss and as a consequense it is possible to roll a goodly number of kilometers into the hour! I can not recollect seeing any traffic police all the time we were there. As far as local traffic was concerned it was moving briskly yet safely.I agree with you about the Dutch drivers, but no way do i agree about the German drivers.The way they generally drive on the motorway is unbelievable to say the least.I could not begin to guess how many times i have had the ABS cut in while breaking very heavily as some Pratt has pulled out in front of me with no indication. Also it is quite a rare thing to see them indicating in the town streets.But you are right, you do not see too many patrol cars on the motorways, maybe there should be more, then people might think a little bit before they decide that they want the exact same piece of road that you are already on.I would say that the German Drivers are the worst i have come across in Europe, for road safety and for road mannersTony Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catgate Posted May 27, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 27, 2005 I would say that the German Drivers are the worst i have come across in Europe, for road safety and for road mannersVery interesting. I always feel much safer in Germany and Holland than any other European country I have driven in. The French are appalling, but nowhere near as intent on the destruction of life as the Spanish or the Italians. For absolute determination I think there is little to chose between them, but I would give the Italians the edge when it comes to flair and panche. I understand what you mean about indicating, and that is the sort of thing I was alluding to when I wrote "driving speeds and techniques illustrate that all drivers understand that other drivers will stick to the rules without fuss ". They seems to be looking farther ahead than two cars in front, and expect other drivers to be doing the same and acting accordingly. It used to be called "reading the road", but it seems to have fallen out of vogue here in favour of follow-my-leader (or some times "ring-a-ring-a-roses). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
r4may Posted May 27, 2005 Report Share Posted May 27, 2005 Speeding is only dangerous if you are NOT a Police Officer.If you are a Police Officer you can go what speed you like without getting Prosecuted. One Law for the average motorist and another for the Police. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarecrow Man Posted May 27, 2005 Report Share Posted May 27, 2005 Speeding is only dangerous if you are NOT a Police Officer.If you are a Police Officer you can go what speed you like without getting Prosecuted. One Law for the average motorist and another for the Police.Wow! This is the third time I've said this today... !! I'm on a Roll!Who will Police the Police? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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