Dept. of Transport report 2000 (DTLR)
Discussion
www.roads.dtlr.gov.uk/roadsafety/strategy/tomorrow/index.htm
This link takes you to the report on which all the current goverment idiocy is based. I suggest you read it. Then I urge you to read Dr. Richard North's commentary and evaluation of this report, and how easy it is to debunk the current official thinking on safety, speed etc. It makes it all the more galling, that, when armed with their own facts, the Tony party are behaving like fanatical hippie pinko types, in an unholy cabal with cardigan-wearing yogourht knitters. Germaine Greer has a lot to answer for!!
Ted, I've got the report I mention on a .pdf file. Can I e-mail it to you to put on the website? I can e-mail Dr. North to check on copyright.
>>> Edited by nubbin on Wednesday 13th February 21:41
This link takes you to the report on which all the current goverment idiocy is based. I suggest you read it. Then I urge you to read Dr. Richard North's commentary and evaluation of this report, and how easy it is to debunk the current official thinking on safety, speed etc. It makes it all the more galling, that, when armed with their own facts, the Tony party are behaving like fanatical hippie pinko types, in an unholy cabal with cardigan-wearing yogourht knitters. Germaine Greer has a lot to answer for!!
Ted, I've got the report I mention on a .pdf file. Can I e-mail it to you to put on the website? I can e-mail Dr. North to check on copyright.
>>> Edited by nubbin on Wednesday 13th February 21:41
Oh god.
I can see it now, we drive out of the pitiful 20 & 30mph plagued village, onto the NSL road... and get up to a magnificent, legally permitted 40mph.
Yes folks, we are talking serious stuff here. You may as well sell your Tiv, because only 1st & reverse are allowed in the new state.
May as well sell my bike, 'cos only 50cc scooters will be allowed, provided they have ABS, TC, and airbags.
This document perpetuates the 1/3-of-all-accidents-caused-by-speed lie.
Damn, why did we vote for Tone ????????
C
I can see it now, we drive out of the pitiful 20 & 30mph plagued village, onto the NSL road... and get up to a magnificent, legally permitted 40mph.
Yes folks, we are talking serious stuff here. You may as well sell your Tiv, because only 1st & reverse are allowed in the new state.
May as well sell my bike, 'cos only 50cc scooters will be allowed, provided they have ABS, TC, and airbags.
This document perpetuates the 1/3-of-all-accidents-caused-by-speed lie.
Damn, why did we vote for Tone ????????
C
there's plenty of bo11ocks in this report for you all to chew over, but here's one section that worries me. Under "Chapter 3
Safer drivers":
So basically, they are making NO effort to maintain standards in drivers who passed their test more than 12 months ago. Period. They make passing reference to Advanced Driving, but this is useless without any motivation to take it (as only 4% of driver will ever bother). As long as you drive everywhere within the speed limits (preferably with ice on the road), everyone is happy.
(And, no, _I_ can't believe the "third of all accidents speed-related" line either - WHERE IS THE EVIDENCE?!? )
Safer drivers":
quote:
3.2 We are introducing measures to:
instil in young people the right attitudes towards road safety and safe driving;
guide learner drivers to take a more structured approach to learning, to prepare them for their driving career, not just to pass a test;
raise the standard of tuition offered by driving instructors;
improve the driving test in the light of better understanding about what needs to be examined and effective ways to do it;
focus on the immediate post-test period for novice drivers;
enhance the status of advanced motoring qualifications;
address the needs of professional drivers; and
bring safety benefits for all categories of motor vehicle.
So basically, they are making NO effort to maintain standards in drivers who passed their test more than 12 months ago. Period. They make passing reference to Advanced Driving, but this is useless without any motivation to take it (as only 4% of driver will ever bother). As long as you drive everywhere within the speed limits (preferably with ice on the road), everyone is happy.
(And, no, _I_ can't believe the "third of all accidents speed-related" line either - WHERE IS THE EVIDENCE?!? )
quote:
Damn, why did we vote for Tone ????????
C
Its not realy down to him though, he is just a puppet. The civil servants who perpetuate this b@llsh@t joined the civil service because its a really right on thing to do. The bastards sit around all night with a splif and think up ways to shaft us with their next bit of skewed research. Nobody voted for them and its going to be pretty difficult to get rid of them.

I'm interested, having just had a brief read of ONLY the speeding section to be fair, that you are all so up in arms about this....its at least reasonably sane in my view, compared to other things I've read....
for example...
"6.15 The 70 mph and 30 mph limits are well established and well understood and there is no case for a blanket change on safety or environmental grounds....... There may also be situations where raising the limit may be appropriate if other safety criteria are satisfied, and existing limits are inappropriate."
the rest of it seems fairly predictable, and says nothing other than "we will be investiagting it all further". It doesnt SEEM to say "you're all about to be driving at 5mph everywhere"
I was particularly amused by the bit which said something along the lines of "it might be okay for local councils to change limits, but adding extra signs is expensiev so we better not do it too much".
hmmmm
for example...
"6.15 The 70 mph and 30 mph limits are well established and well understood and there is no case for a blanket change on safety or environmental grounds....... There may also be situations where raising the limit may be appropriate if other safety criteria are satisfied, and existing limits are inappropriate."
the rest of it seems fairly predictable, and says nothing other than "we will be investiagting it all further". It doesnt SEEM to say "you're all about to be driving at 5mph everywhere"
I was particularly amused by the bit which said something along the lines of "it might be okay for local councils to change limits, but adding extra signs is expensiev so we better not do it too much".
hmmmm
I speed read as much of this as I could expecting to need a serious lie down to recover but to be honest it wasn't as bad as I expected.
The speed stuff at least talks about appropriate speed being the issue rather than a blanket "speed kills" mantra. There's also a lot of sensible stuff about driver training and (very nice to see) pedestrian training, particularly for children.
Sure, it doesn't address the driving standard of those already out there but it could be a lot worse.
As always, the problem is not the raw data but the way in which it can be used to support whatever point of view you want. For instance I can say that according to this report "excessive speed is not even a contributing factor in the overwhelming majority of road accidents" or I can say "excessive speed is the biggest single factor in causing road accidents" - and that's before I even take issue with the figures
The way to win this battle is I believe to follow the ABD line which is to point out that we are campaigning for road safety and to assert that the fixation with speeding only distracts attention from the true improvements in road safety which will come with better driver (and pedestrian etc.) skills and a whole range of other messages, and yes, that includes prosecuting the fools who drive through residential areas at high speed or hammer down a motorway at 90 in thick fog.
Steve
The speed stuff at least talks about appropriate speed being the issue rather than a blanket "speed kills" mantra. There's also a lot of sensible stuff about driver training and (very nice to see) pedestrian training, particularly for children.
Sure, it doesn't address the driving standard of those already out there but it could be a lot worse.
As always, the problem is not the raw data but the way in which it can be used to support whatever point of view you want. For instance I can say that according to this report "excessive speed is not even a contributing factor in the overwhelming majority of road accidents" or I can say "excessive speed is the biggest single factor in causing road accidents" - and that's before I even take issue with the figures
The way to win this battle is I believe to follow the ABD line which is to point out that we are campaigning for road safety and to assert that the fixation with speeding only distracts attention from the true improvements in road safety which will come with better driver (and pedestrian etc.) skills and a whole range of other messages, and yes, that includes prosecuting the fools who drive through residential areas at high speed or hammer down a motorway at 90 in thick fog.
Steve
ferfksake.
http://europa.eu.int/comm/transport/extra/res_urban_transport.html
This, and the quote "making car use unacceptable" keeps cropping up with worrying accelerated frequency on certain other websites.
Bad news. The car is going dahhhhn.

quote:
ferfksake.
http://europa.eu.int/comm/transport/extra/res_urban_transport.html
This, and the quote "making car use unacceptable" keeps cropping up with worrying accelerated frequency on certain other websites.
Bad news. The car is going dahhhhn.
Carl
This lot just sit around out of their faces making up acronyms, then finding words to suit them. We should find out where they are and send in the RAF.
quote:
This lot just sit around out of their faces making up acronyms, then finding words to suit them. We should find out where they are and send in the RAF.
Yeah, that would be ok, I Herr Blair didn't have them fannying about all over the shop. I was talking to a Wing Co in the RAF about a month ago, he said current strength in the UK for the RAF is at it's bare minimum for air Defence!! Off Topic but it's worrying with all the stuff that's going down in the world!!!
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