5 Dead To-day's Accident

[GTR-N1]

Though I drive sensibly nowadays, the dumbest shit I have ever done while driving would have to be when I was on my red p's driving my 1986 1.6L corolla hatchback, it would either be

a) high speed offroading at my mates farm on the race track we made, including jumps at about 90kmph (yes I did get a bit airborne)

b) seeing 200kmph on the speedo with a bit of a tail wind

I think that most young drivers will inevitably do something reckless in their car no matter what they drive, yet we are taught nothing about what to do in emergency situations nor anything about a cars handling characteristics. Its pretty much assumed by the idealistic system currently in place that: no normal person would ever even think to speed; if you do not speed you will never be in an emergency situation. ever; if you happen to speed even 5kms over the limit your car suddenly becomes a lethal killing machine and it is a miracle if you do not kill yourself and everyone around you.

^^^ all the more reason why motoring associations and governments should advocate advanced driver training and NOT sit on their hands.

an advanced driver training course 1>2>3 isn't just about gear changes, taking the best line, knowing where your wheels are, braking, overtaking, corner speed, sliding/braking on a wet surface, slaloms yaddayadda...

it's also about driving according to what your car can do, maturity evolving from experience, consequences, thinking and processing etc etc

[MRSAMO]

Errr I think the ideas some of you are coming up with are just stupid - it's not the car, it's the driver. The changes some of you guys are talking about are unrealistic and simply not going to happen. The regulators would have to physically modify every car on the road to make it reasonable and fair to all.

Of course it's the driver, without a car he can't kill himself or other people, but would the story have been different if they were driving a Ford Focus? (don't say RS).

I can understand where birds is coming from too, Singapore is one of the world's strictest country, you can't even bring chewing gum into the country, but it works, and you know what they don't miss it either lol I have seen a number off JDM cars there too, bunch of ballers I hate them all.

Anyway they were talking about regulators today, would be an incredibly expensive proposition but just remember electric cars are just around the corner, you'll never know.

[MRSAMO]

Once again, making it compulsory for cars to be limited otherwise face a huge fine or something would be cool. Taking cars away is too drastic i reckon, thats akin to a minimum 10 grand fine, kinda harsh don't you think?

They were talking about impounding and crunching cars to a pulp.

[RCHOO]

At a 165 ks and a Blood Alcohol reading of 1.9 is not a good mix..

[sh@un]

.19- nearly 4 times the legal limit for an unrestricted driver

had he not crashed, and been caught speeding instead, there's every chance he would have been given gaol time

[bozodos]

i can't believe some of the draconian suggestions some of you are making.

i do love these knee jerk reactions to isolated incidents fueled by unreliable sensationalist media sources such as the Herald Sun and "current affairs" tv shows - Port Arthur anyone?

Fact is people will always die on the roads and no amount of policing or law changing is going to reduce that to zero - there are too many inherent risks associated with driving or riding in a motor vehicle that cannot be completely eliminated (mainly due to the human factor).

[Ant97GTR]

This was a terrible tragedy for the victims families......no question....but I do find it hard to feel sorry for the victims themselves. Driver was drunk AND speeding in an urban area filled with road furniture. Passengers willingly got into an unregistered car with a drunk driver and not every passenger had a seatbelt. Any way you look at it this accident was waiting to happen.

Can only hope that a few people learn the lessons from this.

[Birds]

I think that most young drivers will inevitably do something reckless in their car no matter what they drive, yet we are taught nothing about what to do in emergency situations nor anything about a cars handling characteristics. Its pretty much assumed by the idealistic system currently in place that: no normal person would ever even think to speed; if you do not speed you will never be in an emergency situation. ever; if you happen to speed even 5kms over the limit your car suddenly becomes a lethal killing machine and it is a miracle if you do not kill yourself and everyone around you.

Very good description of the reality right there. The last line rings a bell with Ken Lay's rationale when it comes to speeding...making what he did sound like such a bad thing just so he wouldn't have to eat words over his campaign and the traffic laws...because the reality of it is that what he did wasn't actually that bad and is such a common mistake to make by most people. Then I love the idea that residential speed limits once upon a time used to be 60km/h...since been reduced to 50km/h...so can we retro-fine everyone for driving unsafe when the limits were posted at 60km/h? What if 50 is deemed too fast in the future? Then in a way we're all guilty of speeding now, it's just not against the law.

Can't say I know of many articles reporting accident fatality that involved a vehicle travelling at 54km/h in a 50 zone, you'll receive a fine for that one though.

/rant.

[bozodos]

they've been doing retrograding speed limits here lately - my favourite is turning another 70 zone into a 60 zone without telling anyone, then putting a speed camera on the intersection next to where you used to speed up FFS@^#&$@

[Birds]

Oh yes! I thought I was obeying the speed limit when I was doing 55km/h along Toorak Rd a couple of years ago when the strips of shops were 60 zones. Flash! I did a U turn to see if there was a speed camera that had got me, during which I saw THREE other cars go past a speed camera and get flashed too. Apparently during the week they had installed a couple of 30cm x 30cm 40km/h signs, which me and my 3 passengers had to look quite hard to spot (they were behind trees/bushes). I wanted to challenge it but I was on my last 3 points and going to court would have required me to take the points in the event I lost the case. Surprise surprise, they now have giant LED signs displaying the 40 zone. Some people must have complained about it...

[Peter89]

alcohol, surprise surprise. everything jumped on the speed factor, clearly without the alcohol the situation would have been entirely different. Yet it's clear that the message hasn't gotten through to enough people. the passengers must have known he had been drinking and should have refused to let him drive and at the minimum not get in the car. i know i wouldn't.

Edited January 20, 2010 by Peter89

[blind_elk]

if you do not speed you will never be in an emergency situation. ever;

Rubbish. I have been involved in 2 "accidents" where I wasn't speeding. First one, some idiot decided to turn left across the service lane of Brighton Rd. I knew I couldn't stop, so I accelerated, got clipped and turned around with a dozen cars bearing down on me. Second one, a bloody great Kenworth came off the Tulla Fwy at Boundary Rd / Flemington Rd while I was travelling to city on Flemington Rd (long time before City Link). Fortunately I caught him out the corner of my eye, swerved right, but he still hit me, picked up the car in the LH lane and deposited me across the tram tracks.

[Kinkstaah]

alcohol, surprise surprise. everything jumped on the speed factor, clearly without the alcohol the situation would have been entirely different. Yet it's clear that the message hasn't gotten through to enough people. the passengers must have known he had been drinking and should have refused to let him drive and at the minimum not get in the car. i know i wouldn't.

So in the end we can safely dust this one off as Natural Selection and rest assured that noone innocent was hurt.

I'd really like the news to just report it like that, maybe thats the angle people need to take to reinforce the point that its stupidity causing incidents like this, not the car, not licensing rules, nothing other then good ol stupidity.

[Birds]

Rubbish. I have been involved in 2 "accidents" where I wasn't speeding. First one, some idiot decided to turn left across the service lane of Brighton Rd. I knew I couldn't stop, so I accelerated, got clipped and turned around with a dozen cars bearing down on me. Second one, a bloody great Kenworth came off the Tulla Fwy at Boundary Rd / Flemington Rd while I was travelling to city on Flemington Rd (long time before City Link). Fortunately I caught him out the corner of my eye, swerved right, but he still hit me, picked up the car in the LH lane and deposited me across the tram tracks.

Err..I think the point Crackfox was making is that we have a law that assumes "if you do not speed you will never be in an emergency situation. ever;". In other words you are both in agreement

[SpeedWhore]

Sorry to revive an old thread but my 2 cents...

What i dont understand is government spends all this money on parks why not spend it on say??........................... A few skip pan *Parks* that are monitered and worked by a few staff that look after the peace of track, Atleast then the entry fee's pays for the maintence and wages of staff you get more work and HEY lookie you get all the frustrated teenage kids come to this little skip pan place pay say 50-100 dollars for an hour to thrash your car around for fun and get it out of you... Personally i think its the governments fault that we dont have enough systems and *areas* where people can let off steam.. And dont get me wrong i dont agree with what people are doing on the roads...>>

Because honestly lets face it an 18 year old is all about blood pumping fun if say they get it drilled into them *If you do it on the road then you can kill yourself or some other human being* Or *You can do it at these little skip pan parks for a small entry fee any time of day and night and then go home no one is hurt* I think i know which one id pick and personally if anyone really picks the first option well to be honest with you im all for having them knee capped and put in a cell because im sick of hearing stuff like this... Ive had my close calls ive seen first hand what a P' plater can do in a 50 zone going around a corner in an OLLLLDDD station wagen while i was on my motorbike on the other line .. can do, i was in the hospitals for days.. Now you tell me if that kid could have had his fun at the skidpan instead of at that street would i have been addmitedd to hospital???

Sid

Edited February 16, 2011 by SpeedWhore

[Dobz]

Drunk and trying to impress his friends in his car= disaster 9 times out of 10. I think learning about driving and the respect for safe driving should start early before they even get to drive a car. The earlier you shape a mind about safe driving the better because leaving it until their teens when they won't listen or think it'll never happen to them is half the problem.

[bob182]

I drove drunk once. About 6 months after getting my P's.

I was at a mates house for a piss up. Might have been a birthday or something. Walked to the maccas across the road (Wantirna Maccas) and they wouldnt server us because they closed up inside and we cant walk through the drive through. So I got in my car and drove since it was about 50 meters. Got food and everything and as I was leaving, didnt take any notice of the fact that Burwood Highway is a divided road (Even though I've lived less than 1km from it my whole life) and i turned onto the wrong side of the road. It took me a few seconds to work out what I'd done and I knew something was wrong. Luckily it was about 3-4am and when I realised what I'd done, the lights had gone green and I could drive back to my mate's place.

Havent driven drunk or after any alcohol since then. Scared the shit out of me. I felt like I was fine when I got in the car. Didnt even hesitate. A good thing that I had a chance to learn my lesson and be scared straight. I think most people just don't realise how easily alcohol can compromise their judgement. I didnt.

[KURAUN]

or you could just not do it in the first place, not hard to not drink and drive

[vspecIInur]

In a state of intoxication, you would be surprised how many know the risks/disciplinary action and still do it. When your body is dehydrated by inducing potent diuretics, your brain can quickly change your decision making and judgement. Life sucks because alcohol contributes to many accidents and deaths and innocent people are at the wrong place and time.

[bob182]

I know I shouldnt have done it in the first place. But when you're 18, drinking. trying to impress your mates and possibly because i hadn't been involved in any accidents yet, It's very easy to get carried away. Im not suggesting that everyone should try it once to be scared straight or anything. It's just that I would have considered my group of friends to be the 'sensible group' through school. but I know that at least 50% would have driven after a few drinks on their P's.

Suppose I was just lucky enough to not hurt myself or anyone else