What small changes would you make to improve road/car safety

[kambites]

mosp said:

Riley Blue said:

I'd have tyre manufacturers build a red ply into all tyres at the minimum legal tread depth so that tyres on the tread limit would be instantly recognisable.

That is a really great idea! Does anybody know if that would be even remotely feasible during tyre manufacturing?

The problem would be that the legal minimum tread depth varies from country to country so they'd have to make different tyres for different markets. That's why the wear markers are usually set at 2mm not 1.6

[0a]

mosp said:

That is a really great idea! Does anybody know if that would be even remotely feasible during tyre manufacturing?

I guess the issue is that tyres benefit massively from mass production to bring cost down and quality up, making different batched for different countries may not be economic?

[Who me ?]

Get rid of the speed is the evil empire of Quangos and their leeches and bring back proper enforcement/ education by Trafpols who might view a slightly higher than normal speed in certain conditions of more worth of a pull and educational chat than a chance to top up the coffers. Danger pointed out at the time it's fresh in memory, not some days later. Another advantage- possibly bring the repmobiles/delivery assholes into line as they try to get in as many visits as possible. Just stopping them for a chat might make them realize that if they overstep the line, they'll be held up long enough to show up on the profit line, without risking some cash, unless they're very naughty .

[Engineer1]

Real traffic police, and maybe take a leaf from the states driver's ed as a compulsory class at 6th form with, road safety and cycle safety lessons for youngsters. Every one would know the rules the dangers and how to help themselves.

[vrooom]

green flashing light for ambulance
and spike in steering wheel.

[BGarside]

Pro-active traffic policing including more than just speed enforcement - parking, mobile phone use, dangerous overtaking, indicating, tailgating, etc...

Motorway driving as part of driver training.

Mandatory re-sitting of driving test every 5 years.

Remove safety systems from cars, make them less refined, slower and more difficult to drive and so force people to concentrate on actually driving again...

[dcb]

BGarside said:

Pro-active traffic policing including more than just speed enforcement - parking, mobile phone use, dangerous overtaking, indicating, tailgating, etc...

All these laws are on the statute books, it's just that the coppers
haven't got time to enforce the laws. Shame.

BGarside said:

Motorway driving as part of driver training.

UK is one of the few countries in Europe that doesn't have this.
Poor show.

BGarside said:

Mandatory re-sitting of driving test every 5 years.

I'd start by making it every ten years and for everyone banned
from driving, whether by totting up or a more serious offence.

Taking only 1% of the worst drivers off the road every year
is a good thing. Darwin in action.

[Motorrad]

Retest people every 10yrs including a medical.

[bga]

Include the CBT as part of the driving test.

[anonymous-user]

bga said:

Include the CBT as part of the driving test.

Yes. More training and greater emphasis on using speed safely and how to judge the road rather than just 'limits'. Perhaps if there were greater insurance concessions to a higher level of test more people would take it up?

• not knowing how much discount you actually get from IAM etc..

[DJP]

I'd abolish all the safety devices of the last 20 years. No ABS, No Airbags, No Traction Control etc etc. Learn to drive the bloody thing properly. And, if you can't, don't.

[DJP]

Duplicate post.

[Centurion07]

Install one of these at every test centre in the country, then as soon as you pass your test you have a go on it to experience how violent even a low-speed impact is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgw8RPaUul4#aid=P-y...


and then this:

SturdyHSV said:

<Clarkson>Spike on the steering wheel</Clarkson>

[ORD]

For my personal convenience: re-test everyone and require them to drive a small A-road or B-road at fast but legal speeds; if they cannot do that properly, ban them from all roads other than towns and motorways.

Also, ban anyone who remarks that their 2.0 TDI car is "sporty"(even if it is).

[The Big G]

Censorious said:

30 second road safety awareness adverts on EVERY TV channel.

- POM & MSM/PSL driving routines
- Roundabouts
- Junctions (approach and emerge)
- Obstructions & Giving Way
- Making Progress & being Hesitant
- Overtaking on Single carriageways
- Overtaking on Dual carriageways & Motorways
- Lane discipline

Edited by Censorious on Monday 14th April 20:25

+1

This could cheaply educate the masses and would be able to be.monitored as to the results. Same thing as the anti speed lobby, drink drive and think bike adverts. This would surely have a huge effect. Think if it significantly reduced mlm's, surely far cheaper than building an extra lane that everyone seems too scared to use!

[AA999]

My changes would be :
(1) ban cyclists from dual carriageways, A-road trunk, and A-roads where there are directed alternatives for cyclists.
(2) increase motorway speed limit to 80mph.
(3) heavily increase the penalty for causing RTAs where there is sufficient evidence to convict.
(4) take down all speed cameras (unless outside schools) and increase the number of traffic police drastically.
(5) make it illegal for motorcyclists to "filter" through the middle of traffic.
(6) take down a huge amount of hedge rows that block sight lines on roads
(7) widen a lot of roads and increase the distance before fixed features such as trees, walls, signs are encountered when vehicles leave the carriageway.(ie. increase verge width)
(8) building regs on road construction to be increased in quality, so that pot holes do not appear every year.
(9) legal standing on forcing road maintenance operators to have to keep road markings in much better condition.
(10) much tougher sentences for drug/drink drivers.
(11) government TV 'adverts' on road safety awareness....(just noticed mentioned above)

[Steve in Stoke]

Remove all road markings from urban areas - I, I believe it is known as "naked streets" and recall reading about an experiment in traffic calming measures where this happened in a village, and the average speed of traffic through the area was reduced with zero accidents or injuries being reported.

The idea was that drivers have to concentrate more on positioning and their own senses, rather than have it spoon fed to them. Although this may cause more problems than it solves.

[PomBstard]

Most of the problems seem to stem from drivers not being able to read the conditions, whatever they might be. Making physical changes to roads and cars just brings it back down to the level of the numpty.

Make it harder to get and keep a licence. Regular retesting including scenario testing and maybe compulsory bike riding, van driving and truck driving so all can appreciate the position of other road users.

Remove cup holders, cruise control and any other aid that takes away the need for concentration.

Observation and better appreciation of what's going on would probably help a lot

[Mr SFJ]

To Improve road safety we need good quality roads (Bristol is Terrible for road quality)

- Compulsory motorway training
- More police officers to enforce dangerous driving.
- Proper consequences for driving without license/insurance. like a £1000 fine, car taken, and if cannot pay.. REPO MEN!

(tax & MOT yes, if out, but by a couple of days, heavy warning and need to produce disc/Pass within 2 weeks (or evidence of undergoing work at that time) If not, as above!)

- Make the driving test include things like the skid pan so people learn about understeer/oversteer and general driving with little/no grip.

- Use of mobile phones, £1000 fine with more police patrols to enforce it and if they cannot/don't pay, then their goods (including phone if needs be) are repossessed.


-stricter MOT's meaning a car is safe on the roads.

- Any car recalls publicly known, not hushed up like some (Not Toyota, I must admit!)

- Also, I feel that cyclists should also have to contribute to the upkeep of the roads, and pay insurance and have yearly inspections, because A: they use the road too, so why not pay for the upkeep/introduction of new cycle lanes? and B: if there is an accident they have the same insurance as car drivers.

- Also; there should be a fine, or consequences set in place for cyclists who run red lights.

[otolith]

Hoofy said:

Make it compulsory for cyclists to wear something that makes it easier to spot them. Whether that's a clown suit or reflective armbands, I'll leave that up to the authorities to decide. Could even be reflective mudguards. I don't care if it makes your bicycle look naff. Red and orange lights on cars ruins the colour coordination of most cars. Boo-hoo.

I saw two horse riders yesterday, riding on a bridleway. They were both wearing fluorescent jackets. I was thinking that while it would be sad for the horse and rider, anyone who needs riders to wear a fluorescent jacket in order to avoid running into horse-sized objects would probably be doing us all a favour if they hurried up and Darwined themselves into the back of a nag.