Self posting video gets him Nine months inside

Self posting video gets him Nine months inside

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Discussion

Stickyfinger

8,429 posts

104 months

Friday 28th August 2015
quotequote all
moanthebairns said:
When I said slow I meant thick.
An example of stunning intellect, well done and a great contribution, child.

Prof Prolapse

16,160 posts

189 months

Friday 28th August 2015
quotequote all
I think it's actually an attempt at passing the Turing test.

Or a chimp.







ORD

18,086 posts

126 months

Friday 28th August 2015
quotequote all
I think what you are both missing is the obvious way of reconciling those data.

Speed, absent some other contributing factor, is not a common cause of accidents. But bad and dangerous driving very often involves, as a contributing element, speed that is excessive for the conditions. In fact, it's probably a factor about 90 per cent of the time.

'Loss of control' will be quite rare if the car is being driven by someone competent and at a sensible speed.

The gross misuse of statistics would be to suggest that driving over the speed limit but otherwise well and sensibly causes a lot of accidents. That simply isn't true. But it gets said a lot by the police and government. If you strip out things like the driver not having a licence or being pissed or driving too fast for the conditions, speed alone is pretty rarely a problem.

The clip of that poor biker hitting the car is probably a fairly rare example of pure speed being quite a big contributing factor. At 60, he would have been seen. Even if he wasn't, he would have been able to stop and/or miss the car. Speed played a big part there.

black-k1

11,889 posts

228 months

Friday 28th August 2015
quotequote all
Esceptico said:
Mad Jock said:
I think you'll find that inappropriate speed is not a key or determining factor in a majority of accidents. According to the DfT tables for 2013, Inappropriate Speed (Travelling too fast for conditions)accounts for 5% of all accidents involving a motorcycle, and Exceeding the speed limit is another 5%. They are 9th and 10th in the list of causes of motorcycle accidents, in other words, there are another 8 more causes with a higher percentage.

Feel free to comment by all means, but if you are going to quote statistics, I would suggest that you do so correctly.
I am having trouble looking up data on my phone.

Can you list the top ten (would be helpful if you could also include definitions).
As requested:

Motorcycle 2013

Contributory factor attributed to vehicle Number Per cent
Road environment contributed 2253 13.361404341122
Poor or defective road surface 244 1.44704068319298
Deposit on road (eg. oil, mud, chippings) 467 2.76954097971771
Slippery road (due to weather) 1253 7.43090973787214
Inadequate or masked signs or road markings 26 0.154192859684498
Defective traffic signals 11 0.065235440635749
Traffic calming (eg. road humps, chicane) 21 0.124540386668248
Temporary road layout (eg. contraflow) 17 0.100818408255248
Road layout (eg. bend, hill, narrow road) 314 1.86217530542047
Animal or object in carriageway 178 1.05562803937848
Slippery inspection cover or road marking 22 0.130470881271498
Vehicle defects 181 1.07341952318823
Tyres illegal, defective or under inflated 67 0.397343138417744
Defective lights or indicators 25 0.148262365081248
Defective brakes 72 0.426995611433994
Defective steering or suspension 26 0.154192859684498
Defective or missing mirrors 1 0.00593049460324991
Overloaded or poorly loaded vehicle or trailer 8 0.0474439568259993
Injudicious action 2497 14.808445024315
Disobeyed automatic traffic signal 107 0.63456292254774
Disobeyed 'Give Way' or 'Stop' sign or markings 105 0.622701933341241
Disobeyed double white lines 35 0.207567311113747
Disobeyed pedestrian crossing facility 29 0.171984343494247
Illegal turn or direction of travel 55 0.326177203178745
Exceeding speed limit 812 4.81556161783893
Travelling too fast for conditions 890 5.27814019689242
Following too close 711 4.21658166291069
Vehicle travelling along pavement 21 0.124540386668248
Cyclist entering road from pavement 2 0.0118609892064998
Driver/Rider error or reaction 7652 45.3801447040683
Junction overshoot 116 0.68793737397699
Junction restart (moving off at junction) 60 0.355829676194995
Poor turn or manoeuvre 1603 9.50658284900961
Failed to signal or misleading signal 66 0.391412643814494
Driver/Rider failed to look properly 2682 15.9055865259163
Driver/Rider failed to judge other person’s path or speed 2244 13.3080298896928
Too close to cyclist, horse rider or pedestrian 73 0.432926106037244
Sudden braking 1099 6.51761356897165
Swerved 436 2.58569564701696
Loss of control 2646 15.6920887201993
Impairment or distraction 550 3.26177203178745
Driver/Rider impaired by alcohol 285 1.69019096192622
Driver/Rider impaired by drugs (illicit or medicinal) 36 0.213497805716997
Fatigue 38 0.225358794923497
Uncorrected, defective eyesight 3 0.0177914838097497
Driver/Rider illness or disability, mental or physical 46 0.272802751749496
Not displaying lights at night or in poor visibility 38 0.225358794923497
Rider wearing dark clothing 31 0.183845332700747
Driver using mobile phone 4 0.0237219784129996
Distraction in vehicle 22 0.130470881271498
Distraction outside vehicle 82 0.486300557466493
Behaviour or inexperience 3292 19.5231882338987
Aggressive driving 376 2.22986597082197
Driver/Rider careless, reckless or in a hurry 1630 9.66670620329736
Driver/Rider nervous, uncertain or panic 167 0.990392598742735
Driving too slow for conditions or slow veh (eg tractor) 8 0.0474439568259993
Learner or inexperienced driver/rider 1439 8.53398173407662
Inexperience of driving on the left 32 0.189775827303997
Unfamiliar with model of vehicle 192 1.13865496382398
Vision affected by external factors 878 5.20697426165342
Stationary or parked vehicle(s) 460 2.72802751749496
Vegetation 15 0.0889574190487487
Road layout (eg. bend, winding road, hill crest) 128 0.759103309215989
Buildings, road signs, street furniture 12 0.0711659352389989
Dazzling headlights 12 0.0711659352389989
Dazzling sun 136 0.806547266041988
Rain, sleet, snow, or fog 119 0.705728857786739
Spray from other vehicles 8 0.0474439568259993
Visor or windscreen dirty, scratched or frosted etc. 12 0.0711659352389989
Vehicle blind spot 15 0.0889574190487487
Pedestrian only (casualty or uninjured) 3 0.0177914838097497
Crossing road masked by stationary or parked vehicle 0 0
Pedestrian failed to look properly 2 0.0118609892064998
Pedestrian failed to judge vehicle’s path or speed 0 0
Pedestrian wrong use of pedestrian crossing facility 0 0
Dangerous action in carriageway (eg. playing) 1 0.00593049460324991
Pedestrian impaired by alcohol 0 0
Pedestrian impaired by drugs (illicit or medicinal) 0 0
Pedestrian careless, reckless or in a hurry 0 0
Pedestrian wearing dark clothing at night 0 0
Pedestrian disability or illness, mental or physical 0 0
Special codes= 298 1.76728739176847
Stolen vehicle 88 0.521883525085992
Vehicle in course of crime 42 0.249080773336496
Emergency vehicle on a call 12 0.0711659352389989
Vehicle door opened or closed negligently 0 0
Other 171 1.01411457715573


BobSaunders

3,027 posts

154 months

Friday 28th August 2015
quotequote all
Stickyfinger said:
moanthebairns said:
When I said slow I meant thick.
An example of stunning intellect, well done and a great contribution, child.
There is no point getting rude Alasdair. Just walk away and leave this thread to die.

moanthebairns

17,918 posts

197 months

Friday 28th August 2015
quotequote all
BobSaunders said:
Stickyfinger said:
moanthebairns said:
When I said slow I meant thick.
An example of stunning intellect, well done and a great contribution, child.
There is no point getting rude Alasdair. Just walk away and leave this thread to die.
Hes been rude throughout without any provocation

I genuinely don't know if he's being serious or if he is wired up wrong.

Stickyfinger

8,429 posts

104 months

Friday 28th August 2015
quotequote all
Do I know you Bob ?

Stickyfinger

8,429 posts

104 months

Friday 28th August 2015
quotequote all
moanthebairns said:
Hes been rude throughout without any provocation

I genuinely don't know if he's being serious or if he is wired up wrong.
I give what I get Bud

Esceptico

7,340 posts

108 months

Friday 28th August 2015
quotequote all
D
black-k1 said:
Esceptico said:
Mad Jock said:
I think you'll find that inappropriate speed is not a key or determining factor in a majority of accidents. According to the DfT tables for 2013, Inappropriate Speed (Travelling too fast for conditions)accounts for 5% of all accidents involving a motorcycle, and Exceeding the speed limit is another 5%. They are 9th and 10th in the list of causes of motorcycle accidents, in other words, there are another 8 more causes with a higher percentage.

Feel free to comment by all means, but if you are going to quote statistics, I would suggest that you do so correctly.
I am having trouble looking up data on my phone.

Can you list the top ten (would be helpful if you could also include definitions).
As requested:

Motorcycle 2013

Contributory factor attributed to vehicle Number Per cent
Road environment contributed 2253 13.361404341122
Poor or defective road surface 244 1.44704068319298
Deposit on road (eg. oil, mud, chippings) 467 2.76954097971771
Slippery road (due to weather) 1253 7.43090973787214
Inadequate or masked signs or road markings 26 0.154192859684498
Defective traffic signals 11 0.065235440635749
Traffic calming (eg. road humps, chicane) 21 0.124540386668248
Temporary road layout (eg. contraflow) 17 0.100818408255248
Road layout (eg. bend, hill, narrow road) 314 1.86217530542047
Animal or object in carriageway 178 1.05562803937848
Slippery inspection cover or road marking 22 0.130470881271498
Vehicle defects 181 1.07341952318823
Tyres illegal, defective or under inflated 67 0.397343138417744
Defective lights or indicators 25 0.148262365081248
Defective brakes 72 0.426995611433994
Defective steering or suspension 26 0.154192859684498
Defective or missing mirrors 1 0.00593049460324991
Overloaded or poorly loaded vehicle or trailer 8 0.0474439568259993
Injudicious action 2497 14.808445024315
Disobeyed automatic traffic signal 107 0.63456292254774
Disobeyed 'Give Way' or 'Stop' sign or markings 105 0.622701933341241
Disobeyed double white lines 35 0.207567311113747
Disobeyed pedestrian crossing facility 29 0.171984343494247
Illegal turn or direction of travel 55 0.326177203178745
Exceeding speed limit 812 4.81556161783893
Travelling too fast for conditions 890 5.27814019689242
Following too close 711 4.21658166291069
Vehicle travelling along pavement 21 0.124540386668248
Cyclist entering road from pavement 2 0.0118609892064998
Driver/Rider error or reaction 7652 45.3801447040683
Junction overshoot 116 0.68793737397699
Junction restart (moving off at junction) 60 0.355829676194995
Poor turn or manoeuvre 1603 9.50658284900961
Failed to signal or misleading signal 66 0.391412643814494
Driver/Rider failed to look properly 2682 15.9055865259163
Driver/Rider failed to judge other person’s path or speed 2244 13.3080298896928
Too close to cyclist, horse rider or pedestrian 73 0.432926106037244
Sudden braking 1099 6.51761356897165
Swerved 436 2.58569564701696
Loss of control 2646 15.6920887201993
Impairment or distraction 550 3.26177203178745
Driver/Rider impaired by alcohol 285 1.69019096192622
Driver/Rider impaired by drugs (illicit or medicinal) 36 0.213497805716997
Fatigue 38 0.225358794923497
Uncorrected, defective eyesight 3 0.0177914838097497
Driver/Rider illness or disability, mental or physical 46 0.272802751749496
Not displaying lights at night or in poor visibility 38 0.225358794923497
Rider wearing dark clothing 31 0.183845332700747
Driver using mobile phone 4 0.0237219784129996
Distraction in vehicle 22 0.130470881271498
Distraction outside vehicle 82 0.486300557466493
Behaviour or inexperience 3292 19.5231882338987
Aggressive driving 376 2.22986597082197
Driver/Rider careless, reckless or in a hurry 1630 9.66670620329736
Driver/Rider nervous, uncertain or panic 167 0.990392598742735
Driving too slow for conditions or slow veh (eg tractor) 8 0.0474439568259993
Learner or inexperienced driver/rider 1439 8.53398173407662
Inexperience of driving on the left 32 0.189775827303997
Unfamiliar with model of vehicle 192 1.13865496382398
Vision affected by external factors 878 5.20697426165342
Stationary or parked vehicle(s) 460 2.72802751749496
Vegetation 15 0.0889574190487487
Road layout (eg. bend, winding road, hill crest) 128 0.759103309215989
Buildings, road signs, street furniture 12 0.0711659352389989
Dazzling headlights 12 0.0711659352389989
Dazzling sun 136 0.806547266041988
Rain, sleet, snow, or fog 119 0.705728857786739
Spray from other vehicles 8 0.0474439568259993
Visor or windscreen dirty, scratched or frosted etc. 12 0.0711659352389989
Vehicle blind spot 15 0.0889574190487487
Pedestrian only (casualty or uninjured) 3 0.0177914838097497
Crossing road masked by stationary or parked vehicle 0 0
Pedestrian failed to look properly 2 0.0118609892064998
Pedestrian failed to judge vehicle’s path or speed 0 0
Pedestrian wrong use of pedestrian crossing facility 0 0
Dangerous action in carriageway (eg. playing) 1 0.00593049460324991

|| Pedestrian impaired by alcohol || 0 ||
Pedestrian impaired by drugs (illicit or medicinal) 0 0
Pedestrian careless, reckless or in a hurry 0 0
Pedestrian wearing dark clothing at night 0 0
Pedestrian disability or illness, mental or physical 0 0
Special codes= 298 1.76728739176847
Stolen vehicle 88 0.521883525085992
Vehicle in course of crime 42 0.249080773336496
Emergency vehicle on a call 12 0.0711659352389989
Vehicle door opened or closed negligently 0 0
Other 171 1.01411457715573
As I suspected. A majority of "causes" on this list are really inappropriate speed in disguise, in my view. Slippery roads? If you are bolt upright the road can be pretty slippery and you can stay butter side up.

I had an accident when I came off on diesel. Was it because of the diesel? Yes and no. I saw diesel on the inside of the roundabout and moved into the inside to avoid it. But I should have realised it could also be on the exit of the roundabout too and should have slowed down more and made sure I was upright - so when I exited a bit lent over (inappropriately fast for the circumstances) I came off.

When I dropped a 996 on a roundabout it was because the road was cold - but then I shouldn't have been trying to get my knee down in November!


Deranged Granny

2,313 posts

167 months

Friday 28th August 2015
quotequote all
black-k1 said:
As requested:

Motorcycle 2013

Contributory factor attributed to vehicle Number Per cent
Road environment contributed 2253 13.361404341122
Poor or defective road surface 244 1.44704068319298
Deposit on road (eg. oil, mud, chippings) 467 2.76954097971771
Slippery road (due to weather) 1253 7.43090973787214
Inadequate or masked signs or road markings 26 0.154192859684498
Defective traffic signals 11 0.065235440635749
Traffic calming (eg. road humps, chicane) 21 0.124540386668248
Temporary road layout (eg. contraflow) 17 0.100818408255248
Road layout (eg. bend, hill, narrow road) 314 1.86217530542047
Animal or object in carriageway 178 1.05562803937848
Slippery inspection cover or road marking 22 0.130470881271498
Vehicle defects 181 1.07341952318823
Tyres illegal, defective or under inflated 67 0.397343138417744
Defective lights or indicators 25 0.148262365081248
Defective brakes 72 0.426995611433994
Defective steering or suspension 26 0.154192859684498
Defective or missing mirrors 1 0.00593049460324991
Overloaded or poorly loaded vehicle or trailer 8 0.0474439568259993
Injudicious action 2497 14.808445024315
Disobeyed automatic traffic signal 107 0.63456292254774
Disobeyed 'Give Way' or 'Stop' sign or markings 105 0.622701933341241
Disobeyed double white lines 35 0.207567311113747
Disobeyed pedestrian crossing facility 29 0.171984343494247
Illegal turn or direction of travel 55 0.326177203178745
Exceeding speed limit 812 4.81556161783893
Travelling too fast for conditions 890 5.27814019689242
Following too close 711 4.21658166291069
Vehicle travelling along pavement 21 0.124540386668248
Cyclist entering road from pavement 2 0.0118609892064998
Driver/Rider error or reaction 7652 45.3801447040683
Junction overshoot 116 0.68793737397699
Junction restart (moving off at junction) 60 0.355829676194995
Poor turn or manoeuvre 1603 9.50658284900961
Failed to signal or misleading signal 66 0.391412643814494
Driver/Rider failed to look properly 2682 15.9055865259163
Driver/Rider failed to judge other person’s path or speed 2244 13.3080298896928
Too close to cyclist, horse rider or pedestrian 73 0.432926106037244
Sudden braking 1099 6.51761356897165
Swerved 436 2.58569564701696
Loss of control 2646 15.6920887201993
Impairment or distraction 550 3.26177203178745
Driver/Rider impaired by alcohol 285 1.69019096192622
Driver/Rider impaired by drugs (illicit or medicinal) 36 0.213497805716997
Fatigue 38 0.225358794923497
Uncorrected, defective eyesight 3 0.0177914838097497
Driver/Rider illness or disability, mental or physical 46 0.272802751749496
Not displaying lights at night or in poor visibility 38 0.225358794923497
Rider wearing dark clothing 31 0.183845332700747
Driver using mobile phone 4 0.0237219784129996
Distraction in vehicle 22 0.130470881271498
Distraction outside vehicle 82 0.486300557466493
Behaviour or inexperience 3292 19.5231882338987
Aggressive driving 376 2.22986597082197
Driver/Rider careless, reckless or in a hurry 1630 9.66670620329736
Driver/Rider nervous, uncertain or panic 167 0.990392598742735
Driving too slow for conditions or slow veh (eg tractor) 8 0.0474439568259993
Learner or inexperienced driver/rider 1439 8.53398173407662
Inexperience of driving on the left 32 0.189775827303997
Unfamiliar with model of vehicle 192 1.13865496382398
Vision affected by external factors 878 5.20697426165342
Stationary or parked vehicle(s) 460 2.72802751749496
Vegetation 15 0.0889574190487487
Road layout (eg. bend, winding road, hill crest) 128 0.759103309215989
Buildings, road signs, street furniture 12 0.0711659352389989
Dazzling headlights 12 0.0711659352389989
Dazzling sun 136 0.806547266041988
Rain, sleet, snow, or fog 119 0.705728857786739
Spray from other vehicles 8 0.0474439568259993
Visor or windscreen dirty, scratched or frosted etc. 12 0.0711659352389989
Vehicle blind spot 15 0.0889574190487487
Pedestrian only (casualty or uninjured) 3 0.0177914838097497
Crossing road masked by stationary or parked vehicle 0 0
Pedestrian failed to look properly 2 0.0118609892064998
Pedestrian failed to judge vehicle’s path or speed 0 0
Pedestrian wrong use of pedestrian crossing facility 0 0
Dangerous action in carriageway (eg. playing) 1 0.00593049460324991
Pedestrian impaired by alcohol 0 0
Pedestrian impaired by drugs (illicit or medicinal) 0 0
Pedestrian careless, reckless or in a hurry 0 0
Pedestrian wearing dark clothing at night 0 0
Pedestrian disability or illness, mental or physical 0 0
Special codes= 298 1.76728739176847
Stolen vehicle 88 0.521883525085992
Vehicle in course of crime 42 0.249080773336496
Emergency vehicle on a call 12 0.0711659352389989
Vehicle door opened or closed negligently 0 0
Other 171 1.01411457715573
You'll need more accurate percentages than that

moanthebairns

17,918 posts

197 months

Friday 28th August 2015
quotequote all
Esceptico said:
As I suspected. A majority of "causes" on this list are really inappropriate speed in disguise, in my view. Slippery roads? If you are bolt upright the road can be pretty slippery and you can stay butter side up.

I had an accident when I came off on diesel. Was it because of the diesel? Yes and no. I saw diesel on the inside of the roundabout and moved into the inside to avoid it. But I should have realised it could also be on the exit of the roundabout too and should have slowed down more and made sure I was upright - so when I exited a bit lent over (inappropriately fast for the circumstances) I came off.

When I dropped a 996 on a roundabout it was because the road was cold - but then I shouldn't have been trying to get my knee down in November!
Or your just well, a bit st

black-k1

11,889 posts

228 months

Friday 28th August 2015
quotequote all
Esceptico said:
As I suspected. A majority of "causes" on this list are really inappropriate speed in disguise, in my view. Slippery roads? If you are bolt upright the road can be pretty slippery and you can stay butter side up.

I had an accident when I came off on diesel. Was it because of the diesel? Yes and no. I saw diesel on the inside of the roundabout and moved into the inside to avoid it. But I should have realised it could also be on the exit of the roundabout too and should have slowed down more and made sure I was upright - so when I exited a bit lent over (inappropriately fast for the circumstances) I came off.

When I dropped a 996 on a roundabout it was because the road was cold - but then I shouldn't have been trying to get my knee down in November!
All accidents involve speed as without speed we wouldn't move and there would be no accidents!

Just because the statistics don't back up your position is no reason to say they are wrong! The contributing factors were as judged at the scene by a police officer. They are able to note up to 6 different contributing factors so if they considered excessive/inappropriate speed to be one of them, I'm sure they'd note it.

Prof Prolapse

16,160 posts

189 months

Friday 28th August 2015
quotequote all
Esceptico said:
As I suspected. A majority of "causes" on this list are really inappropriate speed in disguise, in my view.
Perhaps until you can justify your view a little better, it would be prudent to rely on the professional judgement of police and allied professionals who are experts in supplying and handling this data.






Esceptico

7,340 posts

108 months

Friday 28th August 2015
quotequote all
moanthebairns said:
Or your just well, a bit st
Sometimes you are funny

Sometimes you just come across as a mouthy,
rude adolescent.

Think I'm tending towards the latter this time.

Stickyfinger

8,429 posts

104 months

Friday 28th August 2015
quotequote all
Exceeding speed limit
Travelling too fast for conditions

and how can these be split ?....it could be argued either way dependent on the definition of speeding/conditions.

If for example a car/bike/truck is traveling at 70mph on a snow covered motorway, is that not a 100% speed factor when it slides off into a truck doing 30mph ?
Is it "Speeding" in a (non-book) way ?, its hardly a surprise oil patch is it.


Esceptico

7,340 posts

108 months

Friday 28th August 2015
quotequote all
Prof Prolapse said:
Esceptico said:
As I suspected. A majority of "causes" on this list are really inappropriate speed in disguise, in my view.
Perhaps until you can justify your view a little better, it would be prudent to rely on the professional judgement of police and allied professionals who are experts in supplying and handling this data.
I am looking at the underlying cause not the surface ones.

Accidents are almost always caused by human error in my view.

On the list is "sudden braking". What does that mean? Brakes don't apply themselves so more likely the rider tried to lose speed quickly and crashed. But why did they need to lose speed? Isn't that the real, underlying cause?

LoonR1

26,988 posts

176 months

Friday 28th August 2015
quotequote all
Esceptico said:
I am looking at the underlying cause not the surface ones.

Accidents are almost always caused by human error in my view.

On the list is "sudden braking". What does that mean? Brakes don't apply themselves so more likely the rider tried to lose speed quickly and crashed. But why did they need to lose speed? Isn't that the real, underlying cause?
People panic brake and crash when they could just ride round the corner at the original (or quicker) speed. The real underlying cause could be that they're lacking skill, so require more training, or bigger balls

Prof Prolapse

16,160 posts

189 months

Friday 28th August 2015
quotequote all
Esceptico said:
I am looking at the underlying cause not the surface ones.

Accidents are almost always caused by human error in my view.

On the list is "sudden braking". What does that mean? Brakes don't apply themselves so more likely the rider tried to lose speed quickly and crashed. But why did they need to lose speed? Isn't that the real, underlying cause?
We only have "surface" though. Root cause isn't possible and they all appear to be subjective assessments. Speed is perhaps the most overused one contrary to reality, which is the only point I think is being made here.

I also think by definition all accidents are human error aren't they?

You'd need to ask the rozzers how they define. I agree it sounds subjective. The level of accuracy you ask for isn't possible, but thankfully you have a large sample size from fairly consistent group of assessors, so its not without value in context. Most importantly, this is the only data we have. To say you'd instead dismiss the data in favour of your own very limited (again in context) experience, makes no sense to me.




Esceptico

7,340 posts

108 months

Friday 28th August 2015
quotequote all
LoonR1 said:
People panic brake and crash when they could just ride round the corner at the original (or quicker) speed. The real underlying cause could be that they're lacking skill, so require more training, or bigger balls
Sorry for banging on about inappropriate speed but...doesn't .inappropriate mean the wrong speed for the conditions...and isn't the skill and experience of the rider a key condition? Do people crash because they misjudge a corner and go in too slow?

Yoda400

386 posts

107 months

Friday 28th August 2015
quotequote all
If we all stayed still, no speed, we'd have far fewer accidents. Of course speed is involved in some way in accidents. But Daily Mail type hysteria about speed, as if it's the only factor, isn't constructive. Yes this guy rode like an idiot, but I'm equally wary of 90 year old Doris in her Nissan Micra who is falling into the verge or hitting the kerb every so often and has no idea that I'm there, or Mr Audi who is king of the road and tailgating me when I'm already making progress, or the car swerving about because some dimwit who can't read a map just got told to turn by their satnav and blindly obeyed without looking... Loads of dangerous driving goes under the radar and could cause accidents, but presumably those types aren't in jail because they've not stuck footage of it on the internet. In my mind, driving when incapable (for whatever reason), tailgating crazily close, using a phone, programing a satnav are deliberate actions that could cause an accident, just as much as speeding is. Where do you draw the line? We might need a lot more prisons if this guy's case sets the precedent.