Attention Everyone - Your Chance To Stand Up

[Ant97GTR]

Hi everyone,

OK boys and girls its time to stand up......

Everytime the news hits that another young person has died behind the wheel of a car (performance or not) I read everyones comments on how things should be different. From these posts it seems that most people here support the view that the driver training in this country is woefully inadequate and the government seems too gutless (or otherwise) to do anything about it.

Those of us who also attended a night with a certain V8 supercar driver, who runs his own driver training courses as a business, heard this sentiment echoed by a professional driver so we all can't be wrong! This very same professional driver has also approached many politicians (you know the people who are supposed to listen to the community) stating that the only way to stop young inexperienced drivers dying on our roads is to introduce better driver training. Their responses included 'oh that would cost too much money' or 'it would be too hard to introduce and setup' and instead came up with the ol' 'speed kills' campaign. For a start speed doesn't kill - the idiot behind the wheel does and secondly how much money would you spend to stop just one young person from dying behind the wheel??

Anyway I was on my way home last night and came across this ad placed in our newspapers asking for public submissions (see attachment) on young driver safety. NOW IS YOUR CHANCE TO STAND UP AND MAKE YOUR FEELINGS ON THIS TOPIC KNOWN TO THOSE WHO CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE. I urge all of you to download the document, fill it in and return it - the only way to make a difference is if we ALL speak up and the more people there are the harder it will be for the politicians to ignore this problem.

Edited August 25, 2005 by ant95GTR

[R32Big_boy]

Submitted my comments.

[TracidTrax]

For a start speed doesn't kill - the idiot behind the wheel does and secondly how much money would you spend to stop just one young person from dying behind the wheel??

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

How can u say speed doesnt kill

Speed is a main contributing factor dude so u cant say speed doesnt kill, its the combo of speed and idiot drivers

[ABuSD]

Id/l the form but how do i add text to the lines? I clicked on the little select tool (looks like the one to use for typing), it allows me to select where i want to type but then i get nothing from my keyboard but when i press space the screen drops 1/2 a page. Man i must sound like a tool!

Heres a link to the actual FORM if anyone wants it.

[syx]

speed does not kill, its the part when you stop suddenly that kills.

have you been speeding before ? are you dead ?

[Jamezilla]

Just remember that speed is a tangible, measurable quantity - whereas lack of concentration or inexperience is not. Pure physics shows the faster you go - the harder you hit... but that doesn't mean as soon as you go fast, you'll crash.

I will submit my comments - but they can be summised in 3-words:

EDUCATION

EDUCATION

EDUCATION

[**JaR**]

haha jamezilla. i agree fully.

comments submitted.

[Roy]

How can u say speed doesnt kill

Speed is a main contributing factor dude so u cant say speed doesnt kill, its the combo of speed and idiot drivers

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Not sure if this is still true, or true in all states, but in NSW if you had an accident doign 45km/h in a 60km/h zone, the police officer could have noted that speed was a contributing factor. This actuially added to the statistics relating to speed and accidents...so go talk to an actuary about how numbers can lie

[**JaR**]

Not sure if this is still true, or true in all states, but in NSW if you had an accident doign 45km/h in a 60km/h zone, the police officer could have noted that speed was a contributing factor. This actuially added to the statistics relating to speed and accidents...so go talk to an actuary about how numbers can lie

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

how does that work though if your doing 15km's under the speed limit ???

not being smart... its a serious question

[Ant97GTR]

If I read what Roy posted correctly, it would be the same as the road toll stat. If you are doing 45km/h in a 60 zone but the road conditions would only allow you to travel safely at 30-40km/h (ie raining, traffic etc etc) then an investigating officer would record that speed was a main factor. Like the road toll - the statistic is just a toll of people who die on aussie roads not people who die in a car.....so that stat includes the drunk pedestrian who steps out in front of a car or the cyclist who ran a red light.

[Ant97GTR]

Oh and James I couldn't have said it better mate

[Roy]

.....so that stat includes the drunk pedestrian who steps out in front of a car ...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[Ant97GTR]

Don't worry Roy your SAU family will look after you mate

[Roy]

Don't worry Roy your SAU family will look after you mate

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

What dress me up in a "I was left for dead in Benailia" t-shirt and make sure that any forms of identification is removed so that my family feel no shame

[Mulkers]

How can u say speed doesnt kill

Speed is a main contributing factor dude so u cant say speed doesnt kill, its the combo of speed and idiot drivers

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Sorry dude but you are wrong. I don't mean to argue, but if you delve into it enough, only 7% of fatal crashes include speed as a major factor.

Over 70% of fatal accidents however happen at intersections.

Might I add that the local council, since repainting the lines at a major intersection nearby, has only got themselves to blame for accidents that occur; The right hand turning lines run to close together

Speed also means speeding; your speed relative to the traffic around you, not going the speed limit or sitting on a comfortable and safe speed for the area you are driving in.

If 'speed' was a contributing factor, then the only accident you could have without speed being a major factor is one where neither car is moving. :)

Edited August 26, 2005 by Mulkers

[Ruffels]

i just love the way that the government only looks at "quick fixes"

banning young drivers from getting in a high performance car..(i know this isnt exactly the argument here, however) it only fixes things short term... and in most cases acts as a mild deterent.. but like i said ... vlanket bans dont fix the problem.. and the government fails to look at long term solutions

hmm anyways ... as for speed... thats correct the chances of dying in a car at 100km/h is FAR FAR greater then at say 60km/h .... however ... the fact is that is doesnt take alot of speed to kill you with a sudden impact..,,.. its the manner in which this speed is being treated with.... eg ... unmaturety and lack od reguard of safety generally leads to the fatal "MIXTURE"

there are so many variables on which this could be argued.. and im sure some of the people on this site could argue thier view til christmas

...although hard to achieve.. ever since grade3 when i got sick of my teachers punishing the whole class for something one student did... i have surrounded myself with the attitude that people should be treated individually.. and on that note i belive there are lots of people who should just never be allowed to drive due to thier behaviour and level of maturaty... however this is allmost as hard to categorise as knowing when someone is singing to thier radio or using handsfree lol... so i shall end my reasoning here.

nb. the fact that i am a 17 yearo old on my L's with an R33 gts-t shal not enter into me being bias towards a certain opionion lol

-Ruffels

[heartbrkr]

Dont see how Education is the be all and end all.

We've all seen drink n drive and speed kills campaigns, and people still dont get the message. Regardless of age.

I understand why they have 40k zones around schools.

Dont see why they need 40k back streets at 11pm at night.

Dont understand why we need 7am-3am 40k shopping zones. Just keep the drunks off the streets, and make the pedestrian lights change faster.

Fine the jay walkers, or charge them with conduct endangering life. Make them pay for repairs to the car they hit.

enough stirring =p

[mike lowry]

i have to agree that inexperienced and unsupervised drivers in powerful cars is a dangerous mixture but blanket banning young people is just a public relations excercise. While it would be nice to have everyone individually assesed and allowed/disallowed from driving certain cars, it is impossible. Also if they tried to enforce this rule everyone who was disallowed would cry discrimination: saying "they won't let me drive because i'm a wog/arab/asian/male/etc" and sue the govt/assesor just because they don't get what they want. Also some people just shouldn't be allowed to drive AT ALL, but that's a whole other topic

I waited six years after getting my p's before buying a powerful car. Ironically, i got in more trouble with my last cars than i have in my skyline. I don't drive like a grandma but I haven't even been pulled over once in the nine months i've owned it. honestly, I shudder to think of some of the things I have done in my last 2 cars and wonder if i would still be here if I had a more powerful car back then.

Also not all young drivers are inexperienced. for example I had been driving for nine years before I got my p's (no i'm not an idiot, I grew up on a farm and have been driving since I was eight)

I whole heartedly agree with Jamezilla that all people should learn how to handle the car they drive, regardless of what car it is, after all you don't need high performance to be a d**khead. almost all young drivers that are acting like idiots that I see are driving their parent's commodore/falcon/magna. most people who save up and buy thier own car have respect for it and don't want to crash it.

Banning the small fraction of younger drivers from driving powerful cars only covers the most visible part of the problem and that looks like the

govt is doing something to address the issue.

the real problem is that young drivers are dying in record numbers and no-one is addressing the main contributing factor of inexperience.

I applaud some insurance companies who require anyone under 25 who own a jap import to complete an advanced driving course before they will insure them, but this is still voulantary.

The main thing you have to remember is that in our society, laws are made for the lowest common denominator (the most stupid), and that while most people are law abiding citizens and behave responsibly, it's the idiots that are caught on tv, arguing with police because "doing a burnout isn't hurting anyone," that ruin it for the rest of us. after all, the only way to punish a small group without apearing to be unfairly targeting anyone, thereby opening themselves up to law suits, is to punish everyone

[Ruffels]

i have to agree that inexperienced and unsupervised drivers in powerful cars is a dangerous mixture but blanket banning young people is just a public relations excercise. While it would be nice to have everyone individually assesed and allowed/disallowed from driving certain cars, it is impossible. Also if they tried to enforce this rule everyone who was disallowed would cry discrimination: saying "they won't let me drive because i'm a wog/arab/asian/male/etc" and sue the govt/assesor just because they don't get what they want. Also some people just shouldn't be allowed to drive AT ALL, but that's a whole other topic

Also not all young drivers are inexperienced. for example I had been driving for nine years before I got my p's (no i'm not an idiot, I grew up on a farm and have been driving since I was eight)

I whole heartedly agree with Jamezilla that all people should learn how to handle the car they drive, regardless of what car it is, after all you don't need high performance to be a d**khead. almost all young drivers that are acting like idiots that I see are driving their parent's commodore/falcon/magna. most people who save up and buy thier own car have respect for it and don't want to crash it.

The main thing you have to remember is that in our society, laws are made for the lowest common denominator (the most stupid), and that while most people are law abiding citizens and behave responsibly, it's the idiots that are caught on tv, arguing with police because "doing a burnout isn't hurting anyone," that ruin it for the rest of us. after all, the only way to punish a small group without apearing to be unfairly targeting anyone, thereby opening themselves up to law suits, is to punish everyone

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I have to agree with everything this man has just said..... and allthough we all recieve wakeup calls from TAC ads etc... its the reality i suppose

but what mike lowry just said addresses allmost everything i believe about the issues surrounding young drivers... especially considering that i am one of them..

although i only have my L's im actually quite annoyed that you have to have your probationary lisence before you can attend any driver training courses, as i am hanging out to do them...

i saved for many yeas working 2 jobs as well as school to afford my skyline and i bought the car 7 months before i turn 18 so i can get plenty o practice in it...

unlike the many people i hear of that get thier L's at 17 and six month..have a few lessons and go for thier lisence... i got my L's at 16 ... i hve 2 months before i am 18 and can go for my Lisence, the recommended amount of hours to do whilst learning is 120hours... ive done approx 550... in every whether condition, from snow/ice to fog, rain, torential rain, sunny day,darkness,... and every combination

but for some reason the negitive stroetype of young drivers in high performance cars has been imprinted on everyones forhead... no joke ive literally had old women come up to me in shopping centre carparks and off the side of the road when ive either gotten in or out of my car... and shake thier fists at me angrily, saying "you shouldnt have on of these, your goning to crash it" etc...

the amount of "daddy paid for it huh?" comments i get also annoys me... but we wont go there

anyways lol theres my little rant

*Theres allways an exception to the rule, in this case i like to think i'm the exception, im not saying that im not going to have some form of accident, how ever, i like to think my chances of not, are far greater then the kids who pick up thir brand new skyline the day they get thier lisence *

-Ruffels

[mike lowry]

you do appear to be more mature than most drivers I meet and I am encouraged that the message of education is indeed making it through. I want to congratulate your aproach to learning the skill of driving, something a lot of people, of all ages, think is thier god given right. I look forward to seeing you out on the roads