Safe Speeds and Genuine Accidents
Discussion
Nottingham Evening Post said:
PLEA AFTER ROAD DEATH
21 September 2004
Police have been urged to review their policy for responding to emergencies after the death of a blind and deaf pensioner hit by a patrol car.
Alfred Taylor, 69, was hit by a police vehicle travelling at up to 58mph in a 30mph zone on October 23 last year. It braked, but could not stop in time.
Yesterday's inquest into Mr Taylor's death heard the car, driven in Vernon Road, Basford, by PC Darren Howard, was travelling to a road accident with its siren and flashing lights on.......
.......A verdict of accidental death was returned by an inquest jury following the death of Gillian Purdue, who died two weeks after being hit by a police car on an emergency call in December last year.
From:
Plea after road death
I note also that Not Labour politicians and teachers' unions representatives have recently been bemoaning the fact that people no longer accept that there can be genuine accidents (now, where on earth did people get that idea from?!?!).
Comments welcome from those who insist that there is no such thing as an accident.
Also from those who claim that the safe speed for a road is the one on the speed limit sign, and that this is lower than the safe speeds at which emergency service vehicles can travel because they use blues and twos (only sometimes, surely?) to warn of their approach.
Radio 4 - You & Yours last week.
follow this link and go to Road accident link to listen again.
Makes an interesting point about "plane crashes" and "car accidents"
Steve
>> Edited by towman on Tuesday 28th September 22:25
follow this link and go to Road accident link to listen again.
Makes an interesting point about "plane crashes" and "car accidents"
Steve
>> Edited by towman on Tuesday 28th September 22:25
If they were born blind & deaf they feel as alive as the rest of us. They use touch and smell to find their way around in the world. Those senses are usually better than ours because they depend on them. They "hear" people using a sign language done on the palm of their hand. Each part of the hand represents a word or letter.
Anyway, the poor man had no chance of knowing a speeding vehicle was coming. It's down to the driver to stop, but at that speed it's nearly impossible. There are lots of accidents involving police cars and about 20 deaths a year. It's a toss up between trying to attend a stabbing/RTA/etc to save people while taking a 1 in a million risk that the car will crash, or imposing the national speed limit on the police and risk that someone will be killed or seriously injured by arriving too late.
Anyway, the poor man had no chance of knowing a speeding vehicle was coming. It's down to the driver to stop, but at that speed it's nearly impossible. There are lots of accidents involving police cars and about 20 deaths a year. It's a toss up between trying to attend a stabbing/RTA/etc to save people while taking a 1 in a million risk that the car will crash, or imposing the national speed limit on the police and risk that someone will be killed or seriously injured by arriving too late.
A verdict of accidental death was returned by an inquest jury following the death of Gillian Purdue...
sums it up perfectly really. lets face it, a blind and deaf man is really an accident waiting to happen if he still wants to interact with society despite the loss of the first two primary senses.
cant wait to see what the kneejerk reaction to this will be
sums it up perfectly really. lets face it, a blind and deaf man is really an accident waiting to happen if he still wants to interact with society despite the loss of the first two primary senses.
cant wait to see what the kneejerk reaction to this will be
paolow said:
A verdict of accidental death was returned by an inquest jury following the death of Gillian Purdue...
sums it up perfectly really. lets face it, a blind and deaf man is really an accident waiting to happen if he still wants to interact with society despite the loss of the first two primary senses.
cant wait to see what the kneejerk reaction to this will be
Erm, who says he wasn't born like it? Surely they have a right to interact with society?!
But yes, I think people who cannot see or hear shouldn't put themselves in such danger (or be allowed to do so) - it was a police car but it could easily have been *any* car.
That said, it *was* an accidental death - these are the possible verdicts:
• died from natural causes
• died from industrial disease
• died from dependence on drugs / non-dependent abuse of drugs
• died from want of attention at birth
• killed himself - whilst the balance of his mind was disturbed
• died as the result of an attempted/self induced abortion
• died as the result of an accident/misadventure
• was killed lawfully
• was killed unlawfully - murder, manslaughter, infanticide
• was stillborn.
Gareth
>> Edited by g_attrill on Tuesday 28th September 23:49
Yikes, the guy on the radio 4 thing is a right twit.
Surely if you percieve a risk when driving you'll just get in your car and just sit there. As soon as I set off driving a kid *could* jump out on me from behind parked cars even at 10mph they'd get injured.
An accident or was I just not assessing the risks by going 1mph everywhere "just in case"...
As for the old guy, well I sure wouldn't go for a walk outside on my own if I were him, especially if I knew a road was there...
When anyone crosses a road, it's their responsibility to make sure it is clear to cross, not the drivers responsibility to slow down for anyone who may enter the road at any point.
Accidental death is the only way to go on this one I think...
Dave
Surely if you percieve a risk when driving you'll just get in your car and just sit there. As soon as I set off driving a kid *could* jump out on me from behind parked cars even at 10mph they'd get injured.
An accident or was I just not assessing the risks by going 1mph everywhere "just in case"...
As for the old guy, well I sure wouldn't go for a walk outside on my own if I were him, especially if I knew a road was there...
When anyone crosses a road, it's their responsibility to make sure it is clear to cross, not the drivers responsibility to slow down for anyone who may enter the road at any point.
Accidental death is the only way to go on this one I think...
Dave
Mr Whippy said:
Yikes, the guy on the radio 4 thing is a right twit.
Surely if you percieve a risk when driving you'll just get in your car and just sit there. As soon as I set off driving a kid *could* jump out on me from behind parked cars even at 10mph they'd get injured.
It all comes back to C.O.A.S.T
Residential street? Parked cars?
You drive along this kind of road concentrating, observing for the football under the car, the little foot just visible ......anticipating that some numpty will just open his car door and hop out of his car.... so you drive s-s-l-l-o-o-w-w-l-l-y-y thus following our Paulie's advice and choosing safest speed for the road conditions.
You also OBSERVE the little playing field or park entrance - and anticipate as the numpty child on bike might just whizz out without looking......
Again - you have adjusted your speed to one in which you can stop in time for hazard without brake testing the chap behind who should be keeping distance in which he can be clear to stop without rear ending you!
This is the safety message these scamerati twazaks should be giving - ain't it!!!!
And of course - a bit of firm and responsible parenting would help enormously.
As would something a better than singing hedgehogs - like a firm no-nonsense sock it to 'em straight Green Cross Code advert.....
MrWhippy said:
As for the old guy, well I sure wouldn't go for a walk outside on my own if I were him, especially if I knew a road was there...
Where was his guide dog and his care assistant? What on earth was he doing out without help?
It does sound callous - but common sense dictates that he should not have been allowed out unsupervised as he did not have the hearing sense to compensate for the lost of sight, not the sharper vision to compensate for the loss of hearing....
I did not go out alone in those wheelchair days - someone was always there. Long after learning to walk again unaided - family member accompanied me until we were all satisfied all reflexes and movement had regained normal "fluency" - in other words - able to run....
MrWhippy said:
When anyone crosses a road, it's their responsibility to make sure it is clear to cross, not the drivers responsibility to slow down for anyone who may enter the road at any point.
Accidental death is the only way to go on this one I think...
Dave
Agree - but questions should be asked regarding level of care the poor bloke actually received. He should not have been out and about alone.....
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