Fast and Safe
May 16th, 2004 at 10:46 pm by David FarrarAn excellent site called Fast and Safe has been put together which brings some greatly needed facts to the road safety debate, rather than mere LTSA slogans.
They show how following LTSA advice, you would need 2 kms of clear space to pass a truck travelling at 90 km/hr.
The site has a lot of excellent data from NZ and overseas. You may disagree with their point of view, but they can back what they say with a lot of research.
Personally I welcome a debate on whether the current focus on arbitrary limits and rules actually saves more lives than educating people to drive to the conditions.
I also support making people resit their licensing tests every five to ten years as a far more effective road safety measure.
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May 17th, 2004 at 10:57 am
Thanks, had a good look at the site. Reminds me of a practicing alcoholic or gambler, who is totally lost in their own DENIAL. The major difference being that the gambler’s addiction will probably not endanger me.
And what happened to democracy. Most people have about a one four-millionth share of ownership of any given road, but speed merchants want their “customary rights” to be based without regards to the wishes of the other 3,999,999 owners.
Vote:May 20th, 2004 at 3:06 pm
Well, where to begin??
NZ’ers indulge in a lot of inappropriate behavior on the roads, including overtaking agressively at unsuitable locations and tailgating slower vehicles to try and bully them into pulling over.
NZ does not have the wide, sculpted autobahns of Europe that permit high speeds safely. Our present open road limit is adequate and indeed too high for some roads. We do have some sections of motorway where 120 km/hr would be an appropriate speed. However, given our ill discipline on the roads, would raising the speed limit on these sections lead to increased speed elsewhere? Very probably. In S. Africa they have a ,motorway limit of 120 km/hr and vehicles will routinely over take at speeds of up to 150 km/hr. It will probably happen here too.
My wife, not a NZ’er, routinely comments on the number of drivers here who overtake us when we are already travelling at the speed limit. They are probably the same group that winge when they get a ticket. It’s a very simple rule to obey; travel at the speed limit. Then you won’t be ticketed.
The physics are fairly simple to understand. If you double your speed from say 50 kph to 100 kph, you must either have four times the distance required at 50 kph to stop your vehicle, or brakes four times as big to stop the vehicle in the same distance.
This speed isssue is a simple one for me: there are other road users out there apart from yourself and they have the right to live and not be taken out by some cowboy in a powerful car who thinks speed limits don’t apply to him. Speed is OK, but if you want an adrenalin rush, take your vehicle to a race track.
Vote:May 20th, 2004 at 9:50 pm
Thanks for the reference, David. Our site is in early days, much more info etc to come.
As our site notes, opinions are free but facts are sacred. Your commentators are free to have any opinion they like but we will continue to present only fact-based positions.
One point though: it is equally rude and inconsiderate to drive slowly and not to allow others to overtake as it is to tailgate and pressure from behind.
Our position is that road transport needs to cater for all users – those who want to go quickly and those who don’t. The bureaucratic mindset that one size fits all is not acceptable. Private enterprise would address these needs, government monopolies will not.
Vote:July 28th, 2004 at 6:55 am
uekenhbpip kiuouuxk.
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