Lead footed B's.

[Mr Volvo]

While I agree with rick on experience of high speed driving being needed for the highways. I must add that the only times I believe I have been in a situation that was scary (not life threatening, just those moments where you go "phew" glad I noticed that!) have been driving in the city, goping slow.

I guess it all depends on where you grow up, 'cos I grew up in the country doing 100 regularly, but of course most country driving involves going straight and looking out for animals. Where as city driving requires far more attention to the oncoming traffic and also a greater knowledge of road rules.

So maybe we need regional restricitons on liscences unless certain skills can be shown in a test situation.

[Zrush]

This article is right out of our newspaper here today and I immediately thought of this thread. A 56 year old man in a 1995 Chevy Camaro Z28 was racing a Corvette on a city street. The speed limit was 45mph and they were topping speeds of 90mph. The Camaro driver lost control, crossed over the median and killed 3 kids in another car and also killed his wife riding in the Camaro with him. This is what HIS attorney said:

"We know he was going faster than the speed limit. The problem was that the rear tires of his Camaro lost traction, sending him out of control and into an oncoming car, killing four people. Perhaps a finicky traction control system is to blame."

Can you believe it!!! This is why some attorneys make me furious!!!!!

:tapemouth :mad:

[TomoHawk]

I think I forgot to mention that in Germany, you have to be 18 to get a license, it takes about a year and about US$2000, so it kinda weeds out the cheeper, less serious people who think driving is a right to be easily had.

[TomoHawk]

I'm not suprisee at what that attorney said. I wouldn't be suprised if both those people wanted to sue to the car company or the trire manufacturer! :mad:

ST000PIT!! ( with 3 zeros!)

[MikeW]

Originally posted by zrush

Can you believe it!!! This is why some attorneys make me furious!!!!!

:tapemouth :mad:

Just remember, it's 99% of attorneys that make all the rest look bad.

[1 Bravo 6]

The deaths were tragic.

At 56 y.o.a. the Camaro driver should have had more bloody sense.

Now, whether he gets a prison sentence or not, he has to live with the knowledge that HE is responsible for the deaths of 3 inocent kids and his wife.

Going through life with the knowledge that YOU have KILLED people is a very heavy burden to bear.

Rick.

:cry:

[datsun260z]

He probably wont get a prison sentence because of his age. But if it had been a teenager who was driving they would have gotten time for sure, especially if it had been three older people killed rather than younger people.

So how old was the driver of the car he was racing???

[symon]

What an idiot with the Camaro ! When I want to go fast I go to a race circuit. I prove to myself how good or bad I am as a driver !

I agree with Mr Volvo, that driving through a city can be a dangerous experience. It appears that most people, especially the motorbike drivers, practice with a Playstation before leaving home :stupid: . When I go to Barcelona city I normally go in my Hilux 4x4 ( with raised suspension, battle scars from off roading, etc ) & most people give me a wide berth because they they will come off worse .

[Zrush]

Witnesses to the tragic race say the Camaro driver was starting off from the green light. The Corvette driver cut off the witnesses to drag the Camaro. So the Corvette driver was the instigator, but the Camaro driver should have left it alone. The newspaper never mentioned anything about the what happened to the Corvette driver. I expect he saw the accident in his rear view mirror and high-tailed it out of there and was long gone. To me, he's just as responsible for the deaths as the Camaro driver. These types continue to do this until they kill themselves.

[Rusty1]

O.K. here goes, I have read this thread with interest for some time and I have been surprised (and impressed) that it hasn't become a cop bashing fiasco.

I am a T.M.U. (Traffic Management Unit) member of the Victoria Police. I worked afternoon shift this arvo (Australia Day) and had the absolute pleasure of attending yet another fatal accident. Fortunately this time I did not have to explain to mum and dad why little johnny wont be coming home.

Did the driver (who at this stage is still alive) crash because of his speed? Of course not, he crashed because he made a mistake, it is too early to tell if it was because of the alcohol he had consumed, lack of experience with the road or general stupidity... but one passenger (possibly two, I will know when I go back to work three hours from now) are dead because of the speed the car was travelling when it hit the tree.

Speed enforcement is used because it is an easy fix. Over the years the road toll has dropped considerably but the number of collisions (they are never accidents) has remained constant. My theory is that the road toll has dropped due to a combination of greater vehicle safety, better roads and lower speeds.

I hate speed camera's, but blind fear of them has caused the majority of drivers to slow down, like I said earlier, it is an easy fix. Yes I think the government should put them at black spots, not safe open roads, I think the public would be more tolerant of them of they were used responsibly.

Most suburban collisions happen at intersections. Fine, more red light camera's.

To really reduce the number of collisions on our roads, drivers have to wake up. Training has merit, although I have met a stack of P plate drivers over the years who tried to tell me that they were really good drivers because they attended a weekend course in defensive driving. People need to realise that a car can be a weapon, and that driving is a responsibility not a right.

I have two sons, I just spent the last half hour watching them sleep, it scares the hell out of me that they are going to grow up and be passengers in cars driven by other teenagers. When I look back at some of the stupid things my friends and I did as a teenager in cars, it is a wonder any of us got the chance to grow up at all. I learned from my stupidity some people never get the chance to learn.....

Death sucks, I am going to go and give my kids a hug and then lay in bed and stare at the ceiling until it is time to go back to work.

[Sean Dezart]

Thanks Rusty1 for owning up here to being, of all things in this thread, a traffic cop.

Me too, I've done some silly things and my 'collisions' allowed me to walk away and learn. I'm already more defensive now than I was 5 years ago and doubly so compared to my early twenties. I don't want to end up like Mr Volvo (only kidding) but we've all got the responsibility to take it easier, respecting others (and ourselves).

I just wish it was easier and cheaper to take my car to a track and enjoy it in 'comparative' safety and without risking others ! It's mostly frustration that sends people crazy like that Camaro driver - if he'd had access to a track every Saturday, he wouldn't have felt his manhood at risk by a complete stranger !

Thanks also for the reflection regarding your kids - I'm a father to be and I owe it to him/her ? to be there and to be there to ensure that he/she, stays there too !

[Rusty1]

Sean,

I think you have hit the nail on the head, cars are fun, driving fast is fun, I have been fortunate, I am in a motorcycle club that gets regular track time at the Phillip Island Grand Prix circuit, riding and driving fast is an incredible adrenalin rush.

The point I was trying to make about road driving but forgot to mention was that attitude is everything. If every driver on the road was thinking about their driving, observing the road hazards and adjusting their driving to suit, I would be out of a job and there would be no need for speed limits etc

I will never forget a lecture I attended from a Police Motorcycle Instructor, I do not remember the details but he covered reaction times and the distance on meters per second a vehicle travelled at a given speed. He was able to prove that a motorcycle travelling at 160 kph with a rider who was "switched on" (concentrating) could stop faster than a motorcycle travelling at 100 kph with a rider who was simply "going with the traffic flow" and not paying any particular attention to his surroundings. Speed limits are set for the lowest common denominator of driver, and unfortunately I can't see that changing.