Road Toll & Easter/Xmas focus

[JC]

I'm not sure if I'm missing something, but the police services in various states tell us that long weekends, Xmas hols etc are bad times on the roads, but what about the other days?

In 2012, there were a touch of 1300 people killed on the roads. That's a tad more than people 7 killed every 2 days. The easter just gone left 17 dead in a 4 day period (or is it 5??) - which is 4.25 per day. On any "normal" 4 days of the year, 14 would have died anyway, so for all the extra drivers on the roads, and all the extra traffic jams and frustrations, only 3 additional people died. To me, this makes a mockery of the whole focus on the long weekends/school holiday road toll since it is really (for all intents and purposes) no different to the average road toll on any other given 4 days of the year.

Admittedly in the past it was almost 3 times higher, so perhaps the message was needed, but now that the road toll has stabilised and actually dropped over the years when looked at as a % of population, or billion km travelled, maybe we should all be focussing on making traffic flow at these times rather than the usual speeding message.

So...am I missing something, or is the focus at these times the reason the road toll is not horrific?

[MercurySilver]

caught a news 'update' over here in sa before ducking out earlier and it was along the lines of: the police are at a loss to explain the reasons about the fatalities over easter in sa

easter claimed 18 they are saying here
2 yesterday returning from a chess tournament

[302 XC]

Stems to reason more cops on the beat and not sitting on chairs in offices would curb the road toll over the year
Its funny the roads were flooded with cops over easter and im sure they generated millions of coin,but it didn't do nothing to curbing the road toll
Theres too many other issues that need addressing rather than the rubbish about 1 k over speed fines ...
My local town doesn't even have a cop, yet come easter weekend the place was flooded with them , where did they come from ???

[usernametaken]

OT and cancelled leave

[Elks]

Originally Posted by JC

?..... only 3 additional people died. ..........

So...am I missing something, or is the focus at these times the reason the road toll is not horrific?

The bit you're missing is that those 3 people per day were someone's wife, husband, friend, child, parent, acquaintance, workmate. A real living breathing human.

Whilst I disagree with most of what they try to do as far a methodology of reducing the road toll. It still need to be done. The problem is real. Alas the solution lies elsewhere.

[new2ford]

What I find interesting is that the state with the most draconian attitude towards speed limits, Victoria, had the highest toll while Northern Territory, with the highest speed limits and most tolerance had zero. Circumstantial of course.

[M&Ms]

You mean like that double demerits crock that does nothing but instill paranoia amongst all drivers, causing endless frustration and shortening ones lifespan??? Would love to see the focus change to idiots doing illegal u-turns, tailgating, hogging the right lane, driving too slow, or just being incompetent drivers. Get these people off the road because statistics can be manipulated to justify anything!

[Bossxr8]

Of course the road toll hasn't dropped over Easter with the extra enforcement, it happens year after year where extra enforcement results in no lives being saved, because they don't want to spend a cent training drivers properly, and with such low speed limits fatigue is still a huge problem.

One of the few reasons the road toll has dropped over the last decade is cars are so much safer now, but they still try to claim its because of speed cameras

[Itsme]

Originally Posted by JC

I'm not sure if I'm missing something, but the police services in various states tell us that long weekends, Xmas hols etc are bad times on the roads, but what about the other days?

In 2012, there were a touch of 1300 people killed on the roads. That's a tad more than people 7 killed every 2 days. The easter just gone left 17 dead in a 4 day period (or is it 5??) - which is 4.25 per day. On any "normal" 4 days of the year, 14 would have died anyway, so for all the extra drivers on the roads, and all the extra traffic jams and frustrations, only 3 additional people died. To me, this makes a mockery of the whole focus on the long weekends/school holiday road toll since it is really (for all intents and purposes) no different to the average road toll on any other given 4 days of the year.

Admittedly in the past it was almost 3 times higher, so perhaps the message was needed, but now that the road toll has stabilised and actually dropped over the years when looked at as a % of population, or billion km travelled, maybe we should all be focussing on making traffic flow at these times rather than the usual speeding message.

So...am I missing something, or is the focus at these times the reason the road toll is not horrific?

I don't know about you but I have traveled on the roads at these holiday times and they can be quite busy with impatient drivers with disregard to other motorists, so I do agree with what the police state.....and of course any day can be dangerous but the risks are greater when more people than usual drive away on holidays.

It is about trying to stop deaths or to minimize much as possible.

[Silver Ghia]

Yes, different lot of drivers on the road during Easter and Xmas, who are driving longer distances and on roads they are not used to, which would then make the roads more unsafe compared to normal days. So even though there are still fatalities, this number could well have been a lot higher if there was no police blitz.

[pottery beige]

unless you like driving around ****ed or driving like a dh I can't see the problem..

[csv8]

When are police going to realise, the big stick, approach doesn't work !! How about, a 5% reduction in rego or a demerit point credit for a year of no fines ??? no, that won't happen, reduces revenue !!!

[pottery beige]

we is apparently getting license discounts for being good kiddies in SA...

oh and somehow they is making rego cheaper.. we mustn't be as broke as QLD.. yet....

[302 XC]

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

Of course the road toll hasn't dropped over Easter with the extra enforcement, it happens year after year where extra enforcement results in no lives being saved, because they don't want to spend a cent training drivers properly, and with such low speed limits fatigue is still a huge problem.

One of the few reasons the road toll has dropped over the last decade is cars are so much safer now, but they still try to claim its because of speed cameras

Its all about revenue ....nothing else
If they seriously wanted low road death tolls, they would train better drivers from the start,we would all be driving the latest and safest cars,and they wouldn't keep making faster cars than the model before
We would all be lemmings in our lemming cars,leading our lemming lives
That would curb the death toll, but it doesn't make money

[MercurySilver]

Originally Posted by pottery beige

we is apparently getting license discounts for being good kiddies in SA...

oh and somehow they is making rego cheaper.. we mustn't be as broke as QLD.. yet....

heard about the second one but only thru word of mouth
should compensate for having the third highest electricity prices in the world over here

[Kable72]

I had to take a bit of a stint on the highway myself this easter weekend. For those of you that are familiar with Miriam Vale turnoff to 1770/Agnes/shortcut to bundy, I had what looked like a kluger or something of the like poking his head out to do a right hand turn. Fair enough, I needed to turn down that road so I didnt bat an eyelid when he pulled out in front of me, he was on the wrong side of the road, drove in incoming traffic for a couple metres and then pulled into a car park in front of that little servo on the corner whilst I had a truck behind me who had no intention of slowing down (as he didnt need to if this knob didnt do the most dangerous thing I have ever seen) who nearly ate my car in his massive cattle bar while I had to take this left hand turn at 70 so I didnt get crushed by a truck while I was in oncoming traffic for a second to avoid this moron in his SUV.

Needless to say I got out after a minute or two and gave him some choice words and this fella had no idea that he had done any wrong at all. Looked at me as if I had broken out of a mental hospital.

[Yellow_Festiva]

Originally Posted by csv8

When are police going to realise, the big stick, approach doesn't work !! How about, a 5% reduction in rego or a demerit point credit for a year of no fines ??? no, that won't happen, reduces revenue !!!

NSW gives a discount on your license come renewal time if you have been well behaved during the previous term you held it. Don't know the specific details however.

What I would love to see is reduced rego for multiple cars owned by the same person and driven by the same person......

[mac_man_luke]

I think the biggest problem is lack of ability.

Lots of drivers cant do the speed limit, cant overtake (probably to a degree caused by worry about speeding fines), cant judge gaps (i got pulled out on twice in 110km/h zones)

[Silver Ghia]

Originally Posted by mac_man_luke

I think the biggest problem is lack of ability.

Lots of drivers cant do the speed limit, cant overtake (probably to a degree caused by worry about speeding fines), cant judge gaps (i got pulled out on twice in 110km/h zones)

And that is the sort of drivers on the roads at Easter and Xmas, as they normally take a train or bus to work. Which is why its riskier on the roads during those periods.

[EDManual]

Go through EACH fatality and find out what the cause was? Of course they were all mainly fatigue..or not concentrating. And not one would have been from speeding over the limit. But we will be told, DO WHAT WE TELL YOU! and say that the fatals are cos you dont, just to justify all the fines...

[poppa smurf]

there are folks who do "go through each fatality" I'm glad to say......the figures are gathered, compiled and resources actioned accordingly

trouble is the reasons for fatalities are wide and varied with no definitive "reason"

as there are so many folks on our roads doing so many foolish things.....a small lapse in concentration, a little anger, a destination simply too far

so many reasons but only one outcome.......doesn't matter how much legislation is in place or how many resources, folks are still going to kill each other on our roads as we have this "wont happen to me" mentality

each one is a tragedy to those involved and, sadly, most are completely avoidable!

[Dauphin]

There would also be larger groups of people in each vehicle, especially whole families in single vehicles, going on longer than usual trips. Anything that can be done to repeat the same message of be careful, slow down, stay awake, etc, can only help each year. For all the people that made it home safely and weren't part of the long weekend news stories, some of them would have been influenced by these messages and the increased visible presence of police.

[jamess]

Originally Posted by pottery beige

we is apparently getting license discounts for being good kiddies in SA...

oh and somehow they is making rego cheaper.. we mustn't be as broke as QLD.. yet....

The first is a weird one - isn't it? It's a double whammy if you get done on a fine - pay the crazy fine and lose the points and then no discount. Bang-bang.

The second is being funded by reducing payouts to road accident victims. It's BS really - I'd rather see some poor bastard get properly compensated than save a measily $100 a year.

[M&Ms]

Originally Posted by Dauphin

some of them would have been influenced by these messages and the increased visible presence of police.

Doesn't work. During double demerits I spend most of my time looking at my speedo needle and dabbing the brakes, rather than cruising at a comfortable speed, observing the road ahead and my mirrors. The messages create paranoia on our roads, hence all the frustration normal motorists experience with these dimwits out there.

Me, I personally avoid driving during these periods as much as possible.

[JC]

Originally Posted by M&Ms

Doesn't work. During double demerits I spend most of my time looking at my speedo needle and dabbing the brakes, rather than cruising at a comfortable speed, observing the road ahead and my mirrors. The messages create paranoia on our roads, hence all the frustration normal motorists experience with these dimwits out there.

Me, I personally avoid driving during these periods as much as possible.

I agree with this. I did drive down the south coast (185km each way, over the Clyde Mountain) on Good Friday arvo, and back on Saturday evening. Trips both ways were good, apart from the idiot in the Suzuki swift who was doing 80 (!) in the 10 zone, but sped up to 110 at each overtaking lane. I risked a jail term to overtake him! Once past, he slowed back down to 80!

[noflac52]

Originally Posted by Yellow_Festiva

NSW gives a discount on your license come renewal time if you have been well behaved during the previous term you held it. Don't know the specific details however.

What I would love to see is reduced rego for multiple cars owned by the same person and driven by the same person......

I live in NSW and I haven't heard of this discounting. It could be because I have a five year licence but there is no talk about it here .

[jpd80]

RACQ coming out saying that the governmet's policy on speed cameras is doing nothing to reduce the road toll.

I hope this gets interesting....

[302 XC]

Originally Posted by poppa smurf

there are folks who do "go through each fatality" I'm glad to say......the figures are gathered, compiled and resources actioned accordingly

trouble is the reasons for fatalities are wide and varied with no definitive "reason"

as there are so many folks on our roads doing so many foolish things.....a small lapse in concentration, a little anger, a destination simply too far

so many reasons but only one outcome.......doesn't matter how much legislation is in place or how many resources, folks are still going to kill each other on our roads as we have this "wont happen to me" mentality

each one is a tragedy to those involved and, sadly, most are completely avoidable!

Agreed ,its all blanketed under "Speeding" or "speed was the factor"
So driving in a 100 zone hit a patch of water loose control, well they will say you arent driving to the conditions ???
Yet by all intense your not speeding
The mentality you mention is correct,and so many are blinded by their own inability to correctly drive,and many have the attitude of "Its my road,you move"
We had one wombat today,pull straight in front of the AU,we wernt goin overly fast,we stopped just short of peeling clear coat of his car,but he didn't care,same as the other idiot who put the hammer down when we went around them ,or the P plater idiot who wanted to get into the tray of the ute
All in a drive to Toowoomba today,within a 3 hour drive
Wonder why we are more comfortable drivin the patrol more often, wanna hit a 3 toone lump, wanna pull out in front,it will hurt
Sad part is,itll be some uninsured,unlicenced toolbag who will hit me and ill be out of pocket

[Mickxr8]

Wors`t thing I saw easter w-end , prada thingy in a hurry , over took us , fine , then watched him settle down and start falling asleep or something , drifting to the wrong side of happy road , no amount of rules can take fatigued,tired,impatient d*ckheads off the road ? .
Cops were out there , never far from a donut shop though , .
Bunbury to gerro via newish rd , nice

[Mercury 8]

How about thing dingbat couple in QLD over at Stradbroke Island.Both got done drink driving twice on the same day in the same vehicle.Second time around they were done with driving while suspended from the earlier charges. All in a days work for the police,but I'm sure they would of preferred this not to happen let alone four times in one day.Revenue raising or making the roads safer? You be the judge!