Road safety

[cromwell]

It is hard to focus on single instances of brutality, which is what this death was, when so many people die every year. However I was wrong, we're down under 1,800 deaths each year now.

There is a pattern.

Only the safety features have saved lives.

Also, crash helmets became compulsory for motorcyclists in the early 70's.
Plus in the 70's learner motorcyclists were restricted from riding foul handling 250cc Kawasakis that could go 90 mph plus.
Plus cars are designed now to be less likely to kill a pedestrian in a collision.
Plus, medicine has advanced in the last 40 years and seriously injured people are now more likely to survive.
In the 60's upto early 70's you still got cars on the road with "trafficators", not indicators.
Many cars on the road then didn't have seat belts fitted. The first seat belts were not the self adjusting ones.
The steering columns on many cars were non-collapsing. It was like driving with a big spike pointing at your chest. Then we got the collapsing ones that didn't skewer you.
Some cars were still fitted with drum brakes instead of discs!
All of these improvements have saved more lives than any speed camera Suff, you are right.

[cromwell]

I think one thing we do need to do is to look at the sheer plethora or speed limit changes on our roads which serve to catch an unwary motorist.

Quite right Os.

In my view, our road system speed limits and signage needs a complete overhaul and a certain amount of common-sense to be implemented .....

Ah... I think I see a problem!

[Workingman]

Ah... I think I see a problem!

Me too.

BTW You forgot to mention high sidewall cross-ply tyres.

[Suff]

Or that the speed limits have not changed throughout this massive change in technology.

Yet the police still act as if you are driving at 100mph in a ford Anglia (yes I know it was not possible but you get the gist).

OK volume of traffic is a problem, making many motorways like inner city streets for volume of traffic during peak periods. But you don't have pedestrians and specifically child pedestrians on Motorways.

Mrs S has never understood, to this day, why I get so steamed up about people who hold me up on two way roads then speed through restricted areas. There is a village in fife which has a blind bend on a main road. at least once every 3 years (on average), a child is killed on that road. Yet every single day I drove on it I watched slow drivers go through the village as if it had no speed limit. Drivers of all ages. Road Rage? Nothing on me. You all know I drive fast, very fast where the law allows. But I do NOT drive over 30 deliberately in built up areas. I do sometimes miss the speedo when things are "difficult" in traffic but I get back down again when I see.

[Workingman]

This morning has seen a huge set of pile-ups on the A249 in thick fog with over two hundred injuries reported - luckily no fatalities, so far. Listening to eye witnesses there was a combination of inappropriate speed - not breaking the speed limit - cars with no lights on, some with sidelights, some showing no fogs at the rear - all described as idiots. There were also complaints that this stretch of road, well known for its fog problems, has little or no traffic management in place.

A combination of a lot of wrongs not making a right.

[pederito1]

Dreadful pile up not too far from here and we were only discussing safety yesterday. There is absolutely no solution to the problem particularly crashing in the fog, slower speeds will only mean less serious crashes. What a clear up , 130 vehicles! and the poor people who are injured. Only thing that can be done is to continually implore every one to be totally vigilant, sustain concentration and act sensibly. A similar pile up with 60 vehicles even nearer here a year or so ago in the fog.

[Workingman]

Technology could help the sensibly challenged, it shouldn't have to, but it could.

A circuit to ensure that the minimum lighting on a moving vehicle is dipped headlights and fog detectors should do it. The number of people who drive with no lights, or sidelights, when it is foggy astounds me.

[Suff]

Have you ever noticed some of the people who try to drive past a truck in the rain on a motorway or dual carriageway?

They are going faster than the truck, the road is clear, they can see. Then the rain hits the windshield as they go past. 20% jam on the brakes, weave all over the road, back off from the truck and sit there blocking the road and causing an issue to other road users. Eventually it finally filters through the conscience that the road didn't just disappear and then driver then crawls through the blanked out vision passing the truck at 1mph faster than the truck is going, probably with palpitations....

Now translate that to fog.

AHHHHH NO FOG SLAM ON THE BRAKES AS HARD AS POSSIBLE.

Of course nobody can then see the vehicle which has virtually stopped because the immediate response was to do the most dangerous thing possible. Rather than the safest thing possible which was to turn the fog lights on.

Some British drivers will never learn. Sadly it is never the drivers at the front that get killed....

[Workingman]

I passed my test only a few weeks before being posted to Germany and then had to do the BFG theory and practical in order to get a BFG licence, so all my formative driving was done in Germany.

In inclement weather the rule was dipped beams, nothing less.

When overtaking a vehicle with spray the rule was to keep going but to concentrate on the area immediately in front of your vehicle and to regularly check behind.

On approaching fog it was fogs on as early as possible with gentle slowing down - riding the brakes lightly if necessary to warn others - keep a greater distance from the vehicle in front and NOT TO FOLLOW IT. If it went off the road or crashed so would you!

[Suff]

I passed 3 tests in BFG. BFG local, UK HGV and UK bike. I sat the BFG tick test for 5 years. I know exactly what you mean.