It’s all about safety!

thepits wrote: Peter Fenwick wrote: thepits wrote: And what's wrong with Status Quo?!   Not my thing....... I prefer my rock a bit heavier AHA! such as........ http://www.acdcrocks.com/  or  http://www.deep-purple.com/ or did you mean  http://www.thedarknessrock.com/home.html

None of the above. In fact I can't stand the darkness.

I was thinking of Machinehead, Monster Magnet, Overkill, Korn, Ozzy to name but a few.

Back on topic please.

(..no mention of Slayer, Obituary etc..? )

thepits wrote: And what's wrong with Status Quo?!

Not my thing.......

I prefer my rock a bit heavier

thepits wrote:   livvy wrote: spokey wrote: But I'm not going to keep quiet when someone defends the status quo... Who's defending the status quo.... whats the matter with Status Quo - why do they need defending? http://www.statusquo.co.uk/     (sorry! just trying to inject a bit of humour into the thread.)

Status quo............oh my god!!

livvy wrote: spokey wrote: But I'm not going to keep quiet when someone defends the status quo for the uncaring masses while moaning at enthusiast drivers for not making more effort to do things. Who's defending the status quo. I'm for action. But it has to be realistic with achieveable goals towards minimising/reducing death & injury on our roads.

Which is basically to slow everyone down (not just with speed limits), rather than spend any money making the roads better or providing a viable alternative.

The kind of action you are promoting is more scameras, more fascist bungling, more restriction of the individual, moaning at people to join the IAM and absolving the government for any of the blame.

Sadly, I suppose that is realistic. Certainly very apt for NeuLabour.

spokey wrote: Anyway. It's just 225 people, for which we carry this crushing load of invasive regulation and spying. Meanwhile, 20 000 die needlessly due to government incompetence IN HOSPITALS. Why aren't they making so much effort on that front?

It's not just 225 people , it's not just deaths from speeding or tackling just speeding & with ANPR etc it's not just traffic offences.

Yes, I know about the problems in hospitals, I know about the waste in hospitals, I know that the amount of training etc (& they are given a lot with constant reminders everywhere on the wards I have experience of) that is given & focused on contamination leading to MRSA etc. It's a totally different discussion. The pressure that doctors & nurses are under due to numbers leads to complacency & corner cutting in hygiene there, so let's help them out by keeping people from going to hospital in the first place through unnecessary collisions & that will free resources to also help with that fight.


Edited by livvy

livvy wrote: But there are cheaper cost effective measures that can still be aimed at reducing deaths on the roads. Encouraging people to further their skills with inexpensive driving organisations is one.

Livvy, that is utter, utter horsepucky.

The government is crushing us underfoot with a morass of regulation and fascist spying, and you want me to accommodate them by just accepting that AND doing for myself what they should be doing for everyone?

Anyway. It's just 225 people, for which we carry this crushing load of invasive regulation and spying.

Meanwhile, 20 000 die needlessly due to government incompetence IN HOSPITALS. Why aren't they making so much effort on that front?

livvy wrote: Our test is actually rigorous compared to most nations. Our pass rate is already only about 42% nationally. Bewteen 1200 & 1500 new drivers licences are revoked every month because they have reached 6 penalty points within their first 2 years of driving.

But livvy, it's all about the lives you can save! And all you have to do is stop striking a balance, and take decisive action.

livvy wrote: What have you done personally about getting yourself tested or skidpan control ?

If it's any of your business, I get my ears boxed by a class 1 traffic policeman once a year (it's too humiliating doing it more often than that) and I make an effort to do at least one skidpan course per annum. I also do track days in as many of my cars as I can afford to make sure I know how each behaves on the limit.

But, on my own, I am not the problem. I am part of a huge community of drivers, 99.9% of whom see driving as an unpleasant chore to be endured with as little effort as possible. None of them do anything about their driving. If I saw more evidence of drivers making as much effort as I do, I'd shut up. But I'm not going to keep quiet when someone defends the status quo for the uncaring masses while moaning at enthusiast drivers for not making more effort to do things.

livvy wrote: I don't have a problem with re-testing. I think the introduction of something on such a scale would be a massive undertaking & the feasability needs careful consideration. The money it would cost may be more productive in other areas.

Yeah, like hospitals.

How much is your life worth? Or your daughter or son or partner or mom or dad or whoever?

spokey wrote: How about: "make the driving test more rigorous"? How about: "make the driving test a bi-annual event"? How about: "make the driving test include things like skid pan car control"? Unlike you livvy, I'm fully aware that my driving style is not perfect. Making drivers more lazy and more stupid might mask the symptoms, it does little to address the root cause.

Our test is actually rigorous compared to most nations already.
Our pass rate is only about 42% nationally.
Bewteen 1200 & 1500 new drivers licences are revoked every month, because they have reached 6 penalty points or more within their first 2 years of driving.

What have you done personally about getting yourself tested or skidpan control ?

I don't have a problem with re-testing. I think the introduction of something on such a scale would be a massive undertaking & the feasability needs careful consideration. The money it would cost may be more productive in other areas.


Edited by livvy

livvy wrote: It's not about not wanting people to have the freedom to drive if they wish. A large part of our population need to drive. It's about wanting them to do it responsibly & within our laws. Within the rules they had to in order to pass their tests.

It's about the government making public transport AND motoring a complete PITA to encourage a larger percentage of dole-scrounging chavs to sit at home watching Trisha and voting for a continuance of the welfare state.