More tragedy on our roads

[Kiltie]

This is becoming very worrying.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/north_east/6286798.stm 

Cheers,

Eric

[JAZ 34]

Agreed,

I am not sure if it is down to the 'invincibility' of cars nowadays....ABS, Handling, 0-60 times etc that people think they are 'invincible' at times driving in a car.

[johnnymack]

Let's wait and see what the cause of the accident was before jumping to conclusions. Police are currently appealing for witnesses. Just because it's a Porsche doesn't mean it was going too fast. There might have ben mechanical failure or another vehicle involved which left the scene.

[JAZ 34]

Jonnymack,

I was in no way suggesting that this dreadful accident was caused by any of my suggestions as to cars of nowadays. I would not be so presumptious in a matter like this.

You are absolutely right, wait and see what the cause of the accident was before we can learn from it.

Edited by JAZ 34 on Tuesday 10th July 15:30

[Broomsticklady]

That's scary - must have been about 15 minutes or so after I came thru that way from being darn sarf in Embra ...

[sjwb]

Well, let's face it if it had been a Ford, the make would not have been mentioned
Looks like it rolled.

[Kiltie]

Please, let's not discuss the potential cause of any of the recent tragic incidents.

The point is that I'm extremely disturbed by the number of youngsters killed in recent months.

Statistics aside, I don't remember it ever being so bad. The Deeside area seems to be a hot-spot as well.

I did read about an initiative in Banchory to coach younger drivers. I intend to check if it ever got off the ground and, if so, see if there's anything I can do to contribute.

Eric

Edited by Kiltie on Tuesday 10th July 18:07

[tvrolet]

Jeez you folks have a real worrying number of accidents. I was up at a funeral in Huntly a week or two back and I was astonished with the number of gravestones for young lads, many with pictures of them on their bikes. The cemetery my father's in in Edinburgh has nothing like that. It was so astinishing we started counting the young folks in the new section of Huntly cem and we reckoned maybe 1 in 3 was under 25, and looked like the result of a RTA.

[Vipers]

Kiltie said:

This is becoming very worrying.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/north_east/6286798.stm 

Cheers,

Eric

I passed that on my bicycle just after it happened, from the P & J seems he just went off the road. The road there bends to the right, and he had gone over to the right to turn with the road, and left it, I saw the skid marks today.

P & J said no other vehicle invovled, but I did see some skid marks on the approach to his side of the road, cant be sure which way the skid marks were going, but motorist are now saying the road is dangersous.

Lets face it though, good dry road, sunny, miles of viz, and if you stick to the road speed, there shouldnt really be any problems on there, I have been driving down it for over 20 years now. Very sad incident nevertheless.

Oh and what is worrying, is if I had passed that spot a few minutes earlier, he may have well took me with him into the field.........

I might add, on Sunday driving along the South Deeside Road towards Banchory, two motoryclist came the other way at well in excess of 70, and I mean well in excess, maybe a ton, either way, just sucicidel, when will they ever learn...

Edited by Vipers on Tuesday 10th July 20:09

Edited by Vipers on Tuesday 10th July 20:14

[Mizzdaizee]

Kiltie,

We have been approached to spearhead initiatives for local young drivers,in conjunction with Aberdeen Council and local businesses. We are also about to begin negotiations to promote motorsport and being safe on the road in schools.

Friday 18th August, end of National Motorsport Week, we will be down at the boulevard with a range of cars, talking to the youngers, and finding out what their thoughts are as to how we can best get a safe message across.

JD

[TWJPToyota]

We all have to look at our speed a little not just the youngsters. The guy in this awful tragdey could have been driving for 12 years as he was 29 that ain't in-experience of youth.

[ASBO]

This is heart wrenching.

I passed by that way about half an hour after it hapenned. Yesterday evening I noted that the driver lived just round the corner from my mate

There does seem to be an incredible amount of accidents hapenning in the NE - more so than anywhere else if stats are to be believed.

Indeed just at the weekend I passed a corsa that had been stuffed into a dyke presumeably by the young lad who was being breathalysed at the time.

[ViperScot]

There's always been the culture in the north-east for young folk driving fast cars and bikes (lots of money from fishing initially and now the oil industry). But now it's more 'trendy' with the influence of the 'Fast And Furious' culture... It is quite worrying. When you're 20 years old no-one can tell you how to drive. Formula 1 would sign you up in a minute if they saw you drive your Corsa through Aberdeenshire's country roads. And, until it happens, you're invincible and will never crash... I realise how lucky I was not to be able to afford a performance car until I was in my late 20s. I'm lucky to still be here after the way I drove my 1 litre Polo when I was younger!

Edited by ViperScot on Wednesday 11th July 10:42

[Vipers]

Kiltie said:

This is becoming very worrying.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/north_east/6286798.stm 

Cheers,

Eric

What is a tad worrying, is that campaigners are calling for this road to be improved, take out the dips and bends etc, so you end up with a nice straight road, where those who can, will go even faster, its bad enough now.

The bends and dips have always been there, they didnt appear overnight. I am in no way suggesting that the Porsche was speeding, but he went off the road about 10 mtrs before a curve, why we shall probably never know.

Daily on this road I see motorists well exceeding the speed limit, the other day after completing the 40 mph stretch past the Portlethen road works, a biker who had been in the outside lane, and almost in my blind spot, dropped a few cogs, and dissapeared into the distance, and it never ceases to amaze me on a daily basis the number of drivers who just cannot stick to 40 past these roadworks


Twice last week, I was almost T boned on a roundabout, car coming from my right indicating to turn left,drove past me to the next turn off. And the number of cars who dont bother to indicate at all, driving in my opinion is getting worse in the Aberdeen area.

[hemibum]

Vipers said:

Kiltie said:

This is becoming very worrying.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/north_east/6286798.stm 

Cheers,

Eric

What is a tad worrying, is that campaigners are calling for this road to be improved, take out the dips and bends etc, so you end up with a nice straight road, where those who can, will go even faster, its bad enough now.

The bends and dips have always been there, they didnt appear overnight. I am in no way suggesting that the Porsche was speeding, but he went off the road about 10 mtrs before a curve, why we shall probably never know.

Daily on this road I see motorists well exceeding the speed limit, the other day after completing the 40 mph stretch past the Portlethen road works, a biker who had been in the outside lane, and almost in my blind spot, dropped a few cogs, and dissapeared into the distance, and it never ceases to amaze me on a daily basis the number of drivers who just cannot stick to 40 past these roadworks


Twice last week, I was almost T boned on a roundabout, car coming from my right indicating to turn left,drove past me to the next turn off. And the number of cars who dont bother to indicate at all, driving in my opinion is getting worse in the Aberdeen area.

Don't think that this road B 979 has really been subject to a "call for widening, sraightening" especially with the proposed Peripheral By Pass. What should be done for this road is to implement a 7.5 ton weight limit on it. Some of the more acute bends are being badly cut up by big artics leading to severe rutting. ( no, bugger all to do with Deer)

I have to say though that I find the standard of professional driving around Aberdeen to be quite good, it seems to be the non professional numpties who cause most of the problems here.

Only today I was in 3 situations where 2 commercial and 1 bus driver used their mirrors and their road positioning to allow safe overtakes, and all signalled their awareness and intentions perfectly.

I'm sure the RTA statistics would reflect the worrying high incidence of young , relatively inexperienced drivers being involved in accidents where, like it or not, speed IS the major factor.

I hope inititives such as outlined by kiltie will or can have some impact on this trend..

mind you, there's an awful lot of far older people who could benefit from this programme.

[spunky-mon]

i have to agree with the young drivers and speed being a major contribution to the mount of rta's.

i know of at least 3 people that have been killed this year that i knew.

and just tonight when i was out a drive around aberdeen, yes down to the beach aswell, some absolute wit was driving very dangerously in my book.

sitting at a set of traffic lights 2 cars in front of me nothing to the right (its 2 lanes) lights go green, cars infront move off, i start moving off to. i would say there would have been about 7-8 car lenghs between me and car infront. (i was driving slowly) as these 2 lanes merge itnto one about 20-30 m past the lights i start to get into the single lane, as i am doing this i have a quick look in the mirrors and low and behold here comes schumacher in his fiesta (D16 BHR) i was doing about 15-20 and the speed he went past me i recon he was going easily 40-50 if not quicker. this is a 30 area.
when i see him i pull to the left slightly and he passes me.JUST. he then decides that it would be fun to swerve across the road and undertake the car infront.
when this happened i stopped to speak to a few of my friends he continued to drive like a tw*t so i got my phone out and reported him. when the lady asked if i was the only witness i told her my gf was there with me, she was very happy and said she would phone back,

will anything come of this or will it just be a warning to the driver if even that?

[Corpulent Tosser]

From my experience of reporting dangerous driving, if the police have had another report of the same driver they will go and speak to him, there is little else they can do unless they witness it or it is caught on camera.

[Vipers]

hemibum said:

.....there's an awful lot of far older people who could benefit from this programme.

Good point there, unfortunately I fall into that catergory. (well almost), I think all age groups, young or old have those members who once the pass their test, throw away the highway code, also we have the younger generation now (unlike in my younger days), who can purchase a relatively inexpensive fast vehicle, and then again we have the older generation, who are happy to plod along at 40 with absolutely no idea of the speed limit, or the aggro it causes drivers behind them.

As we all know, driving takes attention, and how some of these manage to give it 100% concentration with 1000 watts of music blaring out I dont know. Anyway, enough of my little rants.

Safe driving out there.

Edited by Vipers on Friday 13th July 16:05

[KB_S1]

spunky-mon said:

i have to agree with the young drivers and speed being a major contribution to the mount of rta's.

he was going easily 40-50 if not quicker. this is a 30 area.


?

I wish most people would drive at that speed in the 30 zones here. Real problem just now and not just young drivers. We have a street that is often narrowed due to parked cars yet average speed tends to be 50+
Most of them are not even paying attention.