BBC "Talking Point"
Discussion
"How can road travel be made safer"
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/talking_point/3571045.stm
Get there before the lentilistas do...
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/talking_point/3571045.stm
Get there before the lentilistas do...
We need a more balanced approach to all round road safety and driving standards in order to reduce the number of fatalities on the roads in the UK. For too long, the motorist has had the same old fashioned and uneducated mantra driven into them. We all now the line by now - 'Speed Kills'. This approach to road safety has meant that we are now in a situation where all other forms of education for car drivers, bikers, cyclists and pedestrians are largely ignored - if you're not speeding you must be safe now seems to be the opinion of British drivers. We need more traffic police doing their jobs on our highways. We need people who are able to see infractions and dangerous road behaviour and deal with it accordingly. Making 'speeders' pay money is doing one thing only - making them incredibly dubious of the role of the speed cameras and in many areas, confidence is dropping. Insurance companies are now not worried if a customer has 3 points on their licence as so many people have been caught unnecessarily while far more dangerous offences go unpunished.
It is obvious to most that currenly, the system isn't working. Something needs to be done but at the moment it seems that money talks and it has quite a loud voice.
That should do it although I doubt it'll get posted!
It is obvious to most that currenly, the system isn't working. Something needs to be done but at the moment it seems that money talks and it has quite a loud voice.
That should do it although I doubt it'll get posted!
First of all, we should remember that our roads have long been among the safest in the world, so we are already doing many things correctly.
However, this is no comfort to anybody unfortunate enough to be involved in an accident and of course we should constantly strive to improve.
I use the roads a lot, by car, motorcycle and pushbike and I am certain that standards are declining. We should have more traffic Police (definitely a rapidly declining species), better training standards, and a stringent retest every five years, together with an equally stringent medical examination.
We should have stepped licencing, as motorcyclists already do, so that drivers have to pass more demanding tests in order to qualify to drive high performance vehicles. In return, these "super" licence holders should qualify to travel at higher speeds on motorways and A roads.
And we should have greater penalties for people who flout the law by driving without tax, licence and insurance, while disqualified and are convicted of dangerous or reckless driving.
However, this is no comfort to anybody unfortunate enough to be involved in an accident and of course we should constantly strive to improve.
I use the roads a lot, by car, motorcycle and pushbike and I am certain that standards are declining. We should have more traffic Police (definitely a rapidly declining species), better training standards, and a stringent retest every five years, together with an equally stringent medical examination.
We should have stepped licencing, as motorcyclists already do, so that drivers have to pass more demanding tests in order to qualify to drive high performance vehicles. In return, these "super" licence holders should qualify to travel at higher speeds on motorways and A roads.
And we should have greater penalties for people who flout the law by driving without tax, licence and insurance, while disqualified and are convicted of dangerous or reckless driving.
BBC numpties said:
Ironically most of these occur in developing countries to those who'll never own a private motor vehicle - pedestrians, cyclists, motorcyclists and public transport users.
Ok since when did motorbikes not count as private motor vehicles?
>> Edited by d-man on Monday 29th March 15:30
Sent em this...wont get posted tho..
Making roads safer is easy: sack all the fools who have introduced "modern thinking" into the equation.
By modern thinking, i refer to the usage of such ideas as bus stops built out into the traffic flow, which force cars to go around the buses, usually just as some kid is running out without looking.
Chicanery designed to put one car head on into another... a jaywalking law would be a good one, with severe penalties for causing an accident by not crossing at a designated crossing area, reversal of road narrowing schemes that force traffic in opposite directions into close proximity..(venturi effect anyone?).... cyclists to be given cycle paths ON the pavements, not on the roads..(its not safe for them..i should know)
Id back compulsory driver training to at least "advanced" level, such as the police currently use, with 5 yearly testing to top up their skills.
Drivers demonstrating a bad attitude to road safety issues to be disqualified if they cant demonstrate a willingness to reform.
Its all simple stuff and very easy and cheap to accomplish....makes you wonder why the fools in office dont get their minus IQ's around the problem.....
Making roads safer is easy: sack all the fools who have introduced "modern thinking" into the equation.
By modern thinking, i refer to the usage of such ideas as bus stops built out into the traffic flow, which force cars to go around the buses, usually just as some kid is running out without looking.
Chicanery designed to put one car head on into another... a jaywalking law would be a good one, with severe penalties for causing an accident by not crossing at a designated crossing area, reversal of road narrowing schemes that force traffic in opposite directions into close proximity..(venturi effect anyone?).... cyclists to be given cycle paths ON the pavements, not on the roads..(its not safe for them..i should know)
Id back compulsory driver training to at least "advanced" level, such as the police currently use, with 5 yearly testing to top up their skills.
Drivers demonstrating a bad attitude to road safety issues to be disqualified if they cant demonstrate a willingness to reform.
Its all simple stuff and very easy and cheap to accomplish....makes you wonder why the fools in office dont get their minus IQ's around the problem.....
JohnL said:
"Everyone should drive an auto box because they're safer"
Oh dear.
My insurance co charges more (about £30 pa) if you have an auto, because "they're easier to drive and so they are involved in more accidents".
Really? That's very interesting. I wonder why.
As an aside, I've never got this Auto-only test.
Unless you're physically impared in some way, then if you can't coordinate enough to drive a car with a manual box, you really shouldn't be on the road......
IMHO, of course.
Don said:
By heck...have you read the comments?
Blimey the editing is somewhat predjudiced...
Prejudiced?
BBC Editors?
Surely not!
I posted this to one of the talking points:
Am I dreaming, or has the BBC just published the following seven anti-car soundbites without publishing one counterbalancing mention of the fact that nearly every day we read in unbiased media of people who have appealed their speeding convictions and found that they were actually travelling below the speed the camera alleged, the camera was set below the limit, the limit was illegally introduced, or it was illegally signed, or it was another car:
With this you have the option of not paying - just stick to the law.
Don't speed and you won't get fined!
If you don't speed, you won't pay. Quite simple really.
If you don't want to pay the fine, don't commit the crime.
If you don't want to pay the fine, don't do the CRIME.
If you don't speed you won't get fined. It really is that simple.
If you don't like it, don't speed in the first place!
And this is what they published:
Don't speed and you won't get fined! If you don't speed, you won't pay. Quite simple really. If you don't want to pay the fine, don't commit the crime. If you don't want to pay the fine, don't do the crime. If you don't speed you won't get fined. It really is that simple. If you don't like it, don't speed in the first place!
Mon Ami
Agree about the extra training etc. But allowing those with IAM etc to drive high performance cars and drive them faster on M-ways and A-Roads would be very difficult to police - in my opinion.
Unless you have some ideas as to how to administrate and police it.
OK - so we could have some kind of badge so we do not get persecuted for driving a wee bit faster. That would lead to more car crime as presumably there would be a market for the "drive fast perk!"
Then we'd get the numpties who would use the wrong lanes (if we segregated the "superior" drivers from the average by lanes)
Simpler to bring test to at least Germany's standard where you do drive on motorway (or similarly fast road), and you do have test on basic car mechanics - so you do have more idea as to a car's performance. And yes - they do make you earn the privilege to drive a fast car!
Agree about the extra training etc. But allowing those with IAM etc to drive high performance cars and drive them faster on M-ways and A-Roads would be very difficult to police - in my opinion.
Unless you have some ideas as to how to administrate and police it.
OK - so we could have some kind of badge so we do not get persecuted for driving a wee bit faster. That would lead to more car crime as presumably there would be a market for the "drive fast perk!"
Then we'd get the numpties who would use the wrong lanes (if we segregated the "superior" drivers from the average by lanes)
Simpler to bring test to at least Germany's standard where you do drive on motorway (or similarly fast road), and you do have test on basic car mechanics - so you do have more idea as to a car's performance. And yes - they do make you earn the privilege to drive a fast car!
bogush said:
By heck...have you read the comments?
Blimey the editing is somewhat predjudiced...
Prejudiced?
BBC Editors?
Surely not!
I posted this to one of the talking points:
Am I dreaming, or has the BBC just published the following seven anti-car soundbites without publishing one counterbalancing mention of the fact that nearly every day we read in unbiased media of people who have appealed their speeding convictions and found that they were actually travelling below the speed the camera alleged, the camera was set below the limit, the limit was illegally introduced, or it was illegally signed, or it was another car:
With this you have the option of not paying - just stick to the law.
Don't speed and you won't get fined!
If you don't speed, you won't pay. Quite simple really.
If you don't want to pay the fine, don't commit the crime.
If you don't want to pay the fine, don't do the CRIME.
If you don't speed you won't get fined. It really is that simple.
If you don't like it, don't speed in the first place!
And this is what they published:
Don't speed and you won't get fined! If you don't speed, you won't pay. Quite simple really. If you don't want to pay the fine, don't commit the crime. If you don't want to pay the fine, don't do the crime. If you don't speed you won't get fined. It really is that simple. If you don't like it, don't speed in the first place!
Ach bogush!
You know that the rest of the lads and lasses in the family (your "regulars"
) have banged on about the prejudiced reporting on these BBC so-called "Have Your Says!" for some time. It is called toeing the party line! We think they "under orders" from the Stasis in charge! We have never managed to get one published yet! Cannot think why!
Perhaps they do not like hearing the truth or common sense attitude to road safety!
On subject of BBC and its possible "gagging" by the Stasis in charge -has anyone seen the trailer for Radio 5 - opinion programme -whatever? The one with the "over-rated/overpaid" slogan on the football shirts? Noted with some amusement that the very first trailer showed driver "speeding" past a Gatso, witht the immortal slogan "Why don't they catch real criminals instead?" Wondered whether this would be shown again - and Lo! It has been "removed" from the trailer!
Perhaps it was too politically correct, too truthful and too educational! Gassing Station | Speed, Plod & the Law | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff