Another timely beatup with no statistical relevance:-

http://www.dailytelegraph.news.com.a...E21302,00.html

I'd like to see crash stats for the same section of road.

And maybe if "attitude" is a problem then get serious about it and introduce compulsory retesting/training every 5 years or so.
Doesn't any government have the political proverbials to do what is obvious?

I guess another round of speed cameras and fines is to be introduced, pucka up lads!

alx


"

Speed blamed for our road toll
By RHETT WATSON and CLARE MASTERS
10aug03
SPEED now causes almost half all fatal road accidents, with drivers ignoring warnings to slow down.

Experts say speed is a worsening problem on NSW roads, with record numbers of drivers ignoring the perils and pushing the pedal.

A Sunday Telegraph investigation shows police are losing the battle against speedsters on the M4, one section of which which they
have nicknamed "Conrod Straight".

A 10-minute radar check conducted by St Marys highway patrol police for The Sunday Telegraph at 5pm on Thursday showed one car every
30 seconds was travelling 20km/h or more over the 110km/h limit.

Four cars were clocked at close to 150km/h, and hardly any were driving at or below the speed limit.

RTA figures reveal an increasing problem with speeding, with 46 per cent of fatal crashes in the metropolitan area during 2002
involving lead-footed drivers, up from 37 per cent in 1993.

Speed is believed to have been a factor in crashes on Thursday at Bayview, in Sydney's north, and Jindabyne that killed three
people.

The disturbing trend of motorists treating the state's roads as racetracks led police to enact new powers 10 days ago, allowing them
to confiscate licences on the spot.

Almost one motorist a day has lost their licence since. One case involved a 23-year-old man clocked at 197km/h in an 80km/h zone.

One-third of the drivers who have lost their licences were caught on the "Conrod Straight" section of the M4.

For St Marys highway patrol supervisor Sergeant Steve Blair, these figures are far from surprising.

He says they demonstrate a state-wide dilemma: people failing to recognise the dangers of speeding.

"People are cocooned in their vehicles - there are so many creature comforts in them these days thatit's like they're in their
lounge rooms - and they don't take notice of what's around them.

"It takes only a fraction of a second to lose a life."

Professor Brian Fildes, from the Monash University Accident Research Centre, in Melbourne, says huge gains in vehicle technology
over the past 25 years have been the main contributor to speeding problems.

Professor Fildes says drivers are also in denial.

"The biggest problem is that people just don't believe speed is a problem," he says.

"They think it's a problem other people have."

Many solution have been suggested - more police, tougher fines, better technology - but NSW Police Traffic Services commander Chief
Superintendent John Hartley believes, in the end, it's up to drivers.

He wants to see speeding stigmatised in the same way as drink-driving.

"Education is our only solution," Hartley says.

"We can legislate all we want, but unless people want to do the right thing and drive safely, we'll have to keep enforcing speed
limits.

"I don't see fines as the solution; it's more about demerit points and making it socially unacceptable to endanger people's lives by
speeding."

Police are certainly out there booking people - 35 per cent more tickets are being issued than five years ago.

Recent crackdowns through the Operation Vikings initiative have seen the number of fines issued monthly rise from 18,000 to 60,000.

Steve Blair is used to the contempt from drivers caught in speed traps, but makes no apologies.

It's not personal: he simply believes the more people he catches, the less likely they will be to kill themselves or someone else on
the road.

"The hardest part for us is that often, as a consequence of someone speeding, we're out at 3am knocking on a door and saying: 'I'm
sorry, but your son has died in an accident.'

"It's horrible. That's the most gut-wrenching part of our job.""




--
alx

alx wrote:
>
> Another timely beatup with no statistical relevance:-
>
> http://www.dailytelegraph.news.com.a...E21302,00.html
>
> I'd like to see crash stats for the same section of road.
>
> And maybe if "attitude" is a problem then get serious about it and introduce compulsory retesting/training every 5 years or so.
> Doesn't any government have the political proverbials to do what is obvious?
>
> I guess another round of speed cameras and fines is to be introduced, pucka up lads!
>
> alx
>
> "
>
As we all know speeding is NOT the problem , driving to fast in
conditions is a factor , so the speeding is a revenue problem , the
govt. want us to fund them but if this trend continues then a change of
govt. in the foolish hope of salvation will occur. Lets be honest most
politicians are full of Shiite once into power (along with a lot of
corrupt civil servants) governmental change is not an answer how ever a
refusal to obey the fines en-mass will work.. clog the court system and
it will fail.
I can see civil rebellion approaching

So what is the trend between 1993 and 2002?

Was '02 a statistical "blip"? Was 93 a statistical blip? Is this why these years were chosen for comparison?

Was there a change in the method or determination of "speed"?

How has the demographics of licensed drivers changed in metropolitan areas?

How has the standard of training and assessment changed? If changed, is it effective?

Where are these accidents happening more? On "Conrod Straight" style roads?

What correlation with road funding (or defunding)?

I don't deny that "speed" kills, just the misuse of statistics reporting to achieve social engineering and pursue political agendas.

The style of the story reeks of rechurned stats, half-baked, skewed, slanted analysis.

I'm surprised there wasn;t a recycled pic of a '92 GSXr-750 doing a wheely past a speed camera with the finger up.







"Biggus The Greatest......" <junkmailplease-(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> >Another timely beatup with no statistical relevance:-
>
> >> A 10-minute radar check conducted by St Marys highway patrol police for The Sunday Telegraph at 5pm on Thursday showed one car
every 30 seconds was travelling 20km/h or more over the 110km/h limit.
> >> Four cars were clocked at close to 150km/h, and hardly any were driving at or below the speed limit.
>
> > > RTA figures reveal an increasing problem with speeding, with 46 per cent of fatal crashes in the metropolitan area during 2002
involving lead-footed drivers, up from 37 per cent in 1993.
>
> they would be stats for the speeding wouldnt they?

"alx" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:bh708e$tmr$(E-Mail Removed)...
> I'm surprised there wasn;t a recycled pic of a '92 GSXr-750 doing a wheely
past a speed camera with the finger up.

Stop thief!! That's my stolen bike!!