why do people keep crashing?
why do people keep crashing?
Author
Discussion

The real Apache

Original Poster:

39,731 posts

314 months

Wednesday 21st July 2010
quotequote all
A short drive of 70 odd miles from Cambridge to Slough and there's a prang around jct 18, mega tailbacks, we duly slow down to watch them administer CPR to someone poor sod and then speed up. On the way back it is just clearing with said poor fk being airlifted out and we queue for about half an hour only to encounter another cock up around jct 22 with an apparent oil spill. Take a diversion through St Albans, join the A1 north only to encounter a lane closure due to another clusterfk seemingly unable to drive in a straight line without causing fking mayhem.


Who lets these cock sockets loose on our roads? what happened to driving standards?

mrmr96

13,736 posts

234 months

Wednesday 21st July 2010
quotequote all
The outgoing government focused on 'speed' only, rather than trying to make roads safer. This was therefore to the detriment of focus on all the other aspects of road safety.

(Similar to how 'climate change' is the only environmental effect worth talking about, well and the recent oil spill. But no one talks about any other aspect of the enviroment anymore.)

I think it's because targetting (taxing/fining) 'speed' is a f_ck lot easier than targetting bad driving. In the same way as it's easier to tax/fine CO2 emissions.

davepoth

29,395 posts

229 months

Wednesday 21st July 2010
quotequote all
Indeed - Everybody aged 30 and under learnt to drive under the "as long as you are under the speed limit you are safe" banner.

dudleybloke

20,553 posts

216 months

Wednesday 21st July 2010
quotequote all
lack of observation mostly.

eldar

25,291 posts

226 months

Wednesday 21st July 2010
quotequote all
dudleybloke said:
lack of observation mostly.
Which Safety Camera Partnerships happily exploit....

MC Bodge

29,743 posts

205 months

Wednesday 21st July 2010
quotequote all
Driving too close and switching lanes without looking on busy motorways. Indicating has also become optional.

Many drivers feel very safe in modern cars, so don't feel the need to think much about driving.

Edited by MC Bodge on Wednesday 21st July 19:00

varsas

4,075 posts

232 months

Wednesday 21st July 2010
quotequote all
Too many people not having any realisation of what's going on around them, just not taking the time to think about what they are doing. Drive a van about for any length of time and you will get loads of people hiding off your rear quater, where you can't see them. You see people doinging it to lorries as well, even moving alongside them at roundabouts...no thought as to what will happen in 5 seconds time. Going up to roundabouts and having to stop because they haven't looked while approaching it, tailgating the car in front...not because they are annoyed or being held up but simply because they aren't thinking about leaving the correct distance.

One of these people + one reasonable driver is OK
One reasonable driver + one reasonable driver also OK.
One non-caring driver + one non caring driver is only OK most of the time. Sometimes it's not, that's when you get accidents that shouldn't happen.

Bonefish Blues

36,567 posts

253 months

Wednesday 21st July 2010
quotequote all
eldar said:
dudleybloke said:
lack of observation mostly.
Which Safety Camera Partnerships happily exploit....
Not in Oxfordshire any more biggrin

Robb F

4,614 posts

201 months

Wednesday 21st July 2010
quotequote all
davepoth said:
Indeed - Everybody aged 30 and under learnt to drive under the "as long as you are under the speed limit you are safe" banner.
I agree thats what we were taught, but that doesn't mean we all believe it wink

Urban Sports

11,321 posts

233 months

Wednesday 21st July 2010
quotequote all
I agree it's been a nightmare commute for me recently.

Today took the cake, a sheath in a truck jackknifed on, and I mean actually on the Runcorn bridge, turning my already unpleasant 20 minute commute into a 1 hour 20 minute queue fest.

Just one of what seems to be a very common occurrence at the moment.

Don't get me started on the bellends that climb the bridge to commit suicide on a Friday afternoon only to be talked down 2 hours after the bridge has been closed!

rage

davepoth

29,395 posts

229 months

Wednesday 21st July 2010
quotequote all
Certainly not. I passed my test in 2000 and am very much of the "so long as I am not upside down in a hedge and on fire, I am safe" school. biggrin

Jasandjules

72,606 posts

259 months

Wednesday 21st July 2010
quotequote all
mrmr96 said:
The outgoing government focused on 'speed' only, rather than trying to make roads safer. This was therefore to the detriment of focus on all the other aspects of road safety.
I could not agree more.

There are plenty of drivers out there who now believe that as long as they adhere to speed limits they are "safe" drivers. Thus general observation, indicating, lane discipline etc falls away as people concentrate purely on their speed.


andrew.

10,358 posts

222 months

Wednesday 21st July 2010
quotequote all
Bonefish Blues said:
eldar said:
dudleybloke said:
lack of observation mostly.
Which Safety Camera Partnerships happily exploit....
Not in Oxfordshire any more biggrin
please explain

Liquid Knight

15,754 posts

213 months

Wednesday 21st July 2010
quotequote all
Very limited traffic Police due to "Safety" cameras taking over (even tough they only improve a hundred Yards of road either side of it), reduced budget (about to get even tighter), more pot holes and a general reduction in driver quality because of the lack of significant deterant.

Bonefish Blues

36,567 posts

253 months

Wednesday 21st July 2010
quotequote all
andrew. said:
Bonefish Blues said:
eldar said:
dudleybloke said:
lack of observation mostly.
Which Safety Camera Partnerships happily exploit....
Not in Oxfordshire any more biggrin
please explain
Central subsidy of 600K pa has been summarily withdrawn. OC Council Committee has voted to cease all camera activity with immediate effect, subject to full ratification at upcoming council meeting - rather like Swindon last year.

andrew.

10,358 posts

222 months

Wednesday 21st July 2010
quotequote all
Bonefish Blues said:
andrew. said:
Bonefish Blues said:
eldar said:
dudleybloke said:
lack of observation mostly.
Which Safety Camera Partnerships happily exploit....
Not in Oxfordshire any more biggrin
please explain
Central subsidy of 600K pa has been summarily withdrawn. OC Council Committee has voted to cease all camera activity with immediate effect, subject to full ratification at upcoming council meeting - rather like Swindon last year.
cheers thumbup

goldblum

10,272 posts

197 months

Wednesday 21st July 2010
quotequote all
As at least half the population of this country are incredibly stupid

you stand a 50/50 of being in an accident every time you go out.

clarkey328is

2,220 posts

204 months

Wednesday 21st July 2010
quotequote all
musclecarmad said:
i think if you crash on a motorway you should be fined.

if anyone noticed yesterday there were 2 crashes on the m62 and it was shut both ways for six hours - to cap it off, off one of the exits the main road bradford road was closed both ways too - can you imagine how long it took for some people to get home. 6 fking hours for a 30 minute journey. Then a further hour and a half to get the the gym which is normally a ten minute journey.

People who have accidents and it's their fault and it holds people up should be fined.
See, I find people that drive to the gym pretty weird, why not just walk or jog?

grumbledoak

32,571 posts

263 months

Wednesday 21st July 2010
quotequote all
goldblum said:
As at least half the population of this country are incredibly stupid

you stand a 50/50 of being in an accident every time you go out.
Right and wrong, in equal measure.

Good hit.

MC Bodge

29,743 posts

205 months

Wednesday 21st July 2010
quotequote all