Is it April 1st or are these people having a laugh?

[graball]

http://www.brake.org.uk/target-zero

Spot the school kid laws that these people would like to see introduced. Who exactly did they ask when compiling this list...five year olds?

[dcbwhaley]

http://www.brake.org.uk/target-zero
Spot the school kid laws that these people would like to see introduced. Who exactly did they ask when compiling this list...five year olds?

What a massively over-complicated approach to road safety. Insisting that every road vehicle is preceded by a man carrying a red flag would achieve the same result. But simply banning all road vehicles would prevent all vehicle related deaths and injuries at a stroke and without financial cost.

[graball]

Speed limits are no higher than 40mph for single carriageway rural roads, and 20mph for narrow country lanes....Maximum engine capacity is limited to within the maximum speed limit

Two of my favourites...

Can anyone even explain the second one? That means the the max engine capacity is for 70MPH is .....what exactly?....1600 engines can be capable of out stripping 3 litre engines for top speed, does anyone at Brake even drive or know anything about cars?

[PeterE]

Also significant that there is no mention of pedestrians or cyclists being expected to take any responsibility for their own safety.

The worrying thing is that this organisation receives funding from many major British companies

[graball]

There are restrictions on road use, when sustainable, safer transport options are accessible

So if I can get a train from Telford to London, I'm not allowed to drive there?...classic.

[graball]

# Compulsory road crash awareness education is in nurseries and schools for all ages, warning against driving.

Warning against driving...what exactly does that mean?

[graball]

# New drivers are banned from driving at night and on the fastest roads.
# New drivers are banned from carrying passengers other than their own family members.
#
# There is a ban on overtaking free-moving traffic, except on multi-lane roads.

More magic mushroom induced thinking!

[Mole]

Dreadful. Not the kind of world I'd want to live in! I'm surprised they're not campaigning for "sleep cameras" in everyone's bedroom so that they can (also!) prevent anyone from driving if they haven't (in their opinion!) had enough sleep! It's interesting that they don't let unregistered people on their forums too. Says a lot about a website when it needs to hide it's fora behind closed doors !

Also interesting how they're jumping on the environmental band wagon too. I guess politically, it ticks another box! They must be really suffering agonising mental turmoil about the buses though - seat belts on all seats - so what about the standees? And if they won't carry any of those, that's not going to be very "green" is it?!

[wmoore]

Why don't they just say 'All motor vehicles should be taken away and crushed' that's what they really want.

[botach]

Now ,I don't want to upset the apple cart , but ,whilst being a motorist, I'm also a pedestrian ,and a dog walker . No mention of the "nasty " cyclists then who can't see the signs saying "no cycling ( a red circle with a cyclist in it ) " - and I'm fed up of dog having to get out of way of cyclist who can't read signs .I personally , stand in middle of footpath to block cyclist and make them get off . As a motorist -I give way to these idiots ,but why as a ped should I have to get out of their way .

[CJG]

I quite liked this one-

•Separate cycle paths are next to all road or rail routes.

What may I ask is the point? I've lost count of the number of times where I've witnessed a cyclist illegaly ride on the pavement in spite of the fact that there's a cycle lane provided for them.

It just gets better -

•Finger-print locks are on all vehicles, so only drivers insured and licensed to drive can do so.
•Speed limit activated speed limiters (ISA), limit vehicles to within the posted speed limit.
•Alcolocks and druglocks are on all vehicles.

WIR SIND DER BORG. WIEDERSTANDE IST ZWECKLOS

[Johnnytheboy]

The worrying thing is that this organisation receives funding from many major British companies

One might argue that with the way the wind is blowing it would be worth embarking on an email-writing campaign to these companies saying that we won't be spending our money on suppporters of Brake.

I'd certainly like to know who to avoid patronising on this basis. Here we go:

Corporate Donors
Corporate partners (the big donors)
Government supporters (that'll be my money then)

Nice to see the DfT give them money.

[Pete317]

It's hardly surprising to see Network Rail in there.

[teabelly]

There was an article on the one show about cameras. They wheeled out some woman from Brake claiming that there was overwhelming academic evidence that cameras worked! She obviously hasn't read it or paid attention to the 4 year report which showed weak evidence. Luckily they finished on Quentin Wilson making the point that it was bad driving that was the problem and that we needed trafpol.

[RobinXe]

The worrying thing is that this organisation receives funding from many major British companies

One might argue that with the way the wind is blowing it would be worth embarking on an email-writing campaign to these companies saying that we won't be spending our money on suppporters of Brake.

I'd certainly like to know who to avoid patronising on this basis. Here we go:

Corporate Donors
Corporate partners (the big donors)
Government supporters (that'll be my money then)

Nice to see the DfT give them money.

Letter written to Direct Line Insurance, whose renewal I have not taken, on the grounds of their "corporate partnership" with an organisation so incapable of working with statistics that I wonder how their own actuaries ever manage to turn a profit!

[RobinXe]

How does "Target Zero" reconcile itself with all the non-motoring deaths on the rail network each year? Are these considered acceptable losses for getting people off the roads? Not exactly zero then, is it?

An idle wonder as to how many people die each year as a result of the existence of buses occurs...

[RobinXe]

Seat belt locks are on all vehicles, preventing the vehicle being driven unless belts are fastened.

No more putting boxes heavier than a small child + car-seat on the back seat of your car.

Occupant crash protection measures are on all buses as well as all other vehicles, such as 3-point belts.

Bus travel becomes even slower as the driver is murdered by East London pikeys after he refuses to drive off until they sit down and put on their 3-point seatbelts. Another road death that isn't a "road death".

Compulsory qualifications are required for vehicle mechanics, renewed in line with technological developments.

It is now cheaper to service your aircraft than your car.

Vehicles must have compulsory servicing, in line with manufacturer recommendations on timing and standards. An on-board clock prevents a vehicle starting if a service date is missed.

Like the oft-misfiring BMW service indicator, only it prevents you from going and getting it sorted!

Vehicles can’t be started if the on-board computer identifies a safety critical defect between services.

How exactly is the computer going to identify a split CV joint gaiter, that one of my MOTs picked up as a safety-critical failing?

Compulsory road crash awareness education is in nurseries and schools for all ages, warning against driving.

One might suggest that education on a topic is best left until less than 15 years before one is likely to practice it.

Driver training focuses on hazard and crash awareness and prevention measures.

Does it not already?

New drivers are banned from driving at night and on the fastest roads.

The statistically safest roads?

New drivers are banned from carrying passengers other than their own family members.

Because its ok to kill a whole family together? I'm not even allowed to have both my parents on the same aircraft during Families' Day flying at work. Have these people not seen Saving Private Ryan!?

Cameras on roads and in vehicles can identify vehicles, drivers, and any offences that can still feasibly be committed, such as red light running or mobile phone use.

Would the cost of a computer system capable of detecting DWDCA not be likely to exceed the annual salary of a traffic police officer?

Large numbers of highly trained traffic police are armed with relevant detecting equipment, to patrol and identify offences that can still be committed.

That'd be the Mk1 Eyeball then...

There are of course many, many, many more bullet points which I haven't addressed, that is because they are either so incredibly insane that I feel poking fun at them does not constitute sport, or that the joke at their expense is so clear that it would be crass to enunciate it! I do wonder if anyone at BRAKE would be willing to engage in debate on this topic!

[safedriver]

I always suspected the hysterical BRAKE spokes"persons" were flaky, now we really know how crazy they all are. Better still so does everybody.

Having said that we do all need to reflect on how well we all drive as individuals. Personal responsibility and being aware of that responsibility would go a very long way to make the roads safer, indeed. make Britain a whole lot better in all aspects of life

[botach]

How does "Target Zero" reconcile itself with all the non-motoring deaths on the rail network each year? Are these considered acceptable losses for getting people off the roads? Not exactly zero then, is it?

An idle wonder as to how many people die each year as a result of the existence of buses occurs...

Strange to see Network Rail on the list shouting about safety . I've been sort of retired about a year now , and about six months before that ,we all got pulled in to Network Rail HQ locally for a safety lecture on Near Misses ( something which could upset a train driver) .Now over the past ten year or so ,i've had licence to wander legally on the Rail network ,particularly the West Coast main Line ,on my own and in charge ( safety wise) of a group on both live and closed situations. Those of us in a similar position all commented that the most dangerous thing on the railway was a group of network rail blokes out on track ,and at top of list was one in pristine orange kit .As a person in charge of a group ,I've shared lookouts with another group of contractors without a qualm ,BUT never would I rely on similar from Network Rail .

[Johnnytheboy]

Compulsory road crash awareness education is in nurseries and schools for all ages, warning against driving

"Warning against driving"?



Wouldn't the time be better spent teaching children road safety they can put in to practice, like ped and cycle safety?

Or is this just about indoctrinating the young and impressionable?