Safe Speed Forums

OK, so the people who determine these "days" have decided we need a World Health Day. This year, it seems that road safety is to be the focus. Of course, the BBC have got one of their Vox Pop "Have Your Say" pages on the subject, and there are already a lot of opinions there. Read, wince occasionally at the naiveté of the ignorant, and post your thoughts:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/talking_point/3571045.stm

Well, as it would probably be ignored if I replied on the BBC site, I thought I'd raise a few points here.



Ah yes, because all people between the age of 17 and 20 are extremely immature, but come their 21st birthday they immediately enter a whole new realm of maturity!



What about removing the speed limiters, which seem to me to be the main cause of lorries taking up two lanes of the motorway - one lorry doing 56.4mph overtakes another doing 55.6mph, both of them driving 'on the limiter' - takes miles and miles for one to get past the other. If we gave them control back of their speed, they could overtake more quickly and it would be safere for everyone concerned.



Surely advertising of a car advertises that brand of car to you, rather than the notion of having a car? Similarily to how banning tobacco sponsorship in sport won't stop smoking - you don't smoke because your favourite race driver is sponsored by Marlboro; although you may decide (if already a smoker) to smoke that particular brand as a result of it.



Ah, yes, that worked brilliantly for HGVs didn't it? I don't like to think of the motorway where everyone is limited to 70mph. It would theoretically work perfectly of course, but the boredom factor, and the fact that the limiters would never be set to *exactly* 70mph, would cause problems imo...



So by doing 75mph on a motorway you're treating the road like a race track? I don't think you'd win too many races driving like that.

Ah, there are too many. I'll leave you to form your own opinions.

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-mike[F]
Caught in the rush of the crowd, lost in a wall of sound..

I interviewed the author of the survey called 'The Crash Index' and a psychologist who were wheeled out to publicise this. Interestingly, they agreed that the predominant factors in road accidents were 'over confidence' both in the drivers own capability and that of the vehicle along with a failure to judge accurately speed, distance and direction of other road users. They also agreed that speeding per se was not a major cause. I just wonder whether these figures will be interpreted differently by other agencies?

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Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups.

Trouble is this started out as World road safety day and New Labour spin managed to turn it into UK slow drivers down day.

The issue being raised by the WHO was how bad road safety is in some parts of the world with the developing world taking the brunt of the casualties and getting worse. Nothing really to do with road safety on the worlds safest roads which are getting better (just).