| Found on the Web [message #796365] |
Fri, 29 February 2008 05:29 |
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Post removed (X-No-Archive: yes)
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| Re: Found on the Web [message #796408 ] |
Fri, 29 February 2008 15:18 |
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On Feb 28, 11:29 pm, Scott in SoCal <scottenazt... [at] yahoo.com> wrote:
> There's WAY too much to reproduce here; I urge you all to clink of the
> link and read the full article.
>
> http://www.carbibles.com/speeding_facts.html
>
> Speeding - it's an emotive issue and one which the police and
> government always use as leverage whenever they get a chance.
This sure sounds like it will be an unbiased and well reasoned
article...
> Constable Tim NiceButDim, when interviewed next to a smouldering pile
> of twisted metal on the side of the M25 will say "This accident was
> caused by people speeding, plain and simple." Similarly, Highway
> Patrol Officer Chad SteroidAbuse, when interviewed next to a
> smouldering pile of twisted metal on the side of Interstate 15, will
> say "This accident was caused by excessive speed and nuthin' more."
Uh huh...
ISTM if that were true, quotes from real cops with real names would be
easily obtainable, and the use of fictional characters unnecessary.
> It's the same the world over, but separating actual fact from emotive
> fiction is always difficult.
Lol... well, I wouldn't say "always"...
> As part of my research when authoring the
> Speedtrap Bible, I spent a day at the Transport Research Laboratory in
> Crowthorne, in England.
Well, at this point it's pretty obvious that you're an idiot, no
matter what you do with your spare time.
> Is speed a contributing factor in most road accidents? TRL323
>
> The short and politically incorrect answer is no, and here's why.
<>
> What this means is that in 7.3% of the accidents, speed was one of
> many factors, and in only 6% of the accidents was it a definite causal
> factor. Look at the top 4 factors and you'll see that they can
> generally be categorised as the old police adage of "driving without
> due care and attention." More to the point, if you take into account
> "loss of control" accidents (which covers a multitude of sins
> including wheels coming off the vehicle, black ice, etc) then
> according to the report, only 4% of all accidents are caused by loss
> of control of the vehicle with excessive speed as the primary
> contributing factor.
Well, Sparky, just because it isn't the "primary contributing factor"
does not indicate it isn't a significant factor.
Generally, I think if a driver cannot manage to control their vehicle,
they're going too fast for their skill set.
> 2. <> The government and road
> safety campaigners will always tell us that pedestrians are killed
> because of speeding motorists. This simply is not the case. Would you
> believe a staggering 84% of pedestrians involved in accidents are
> killed or seriously injured due to their own incompetance?
Eh, maybe, but that still doesn't mean you can run over them.
> In the TRL
> report, the prime factors involved in pedestrian fatalities are listed
> as:
>
> * Pedestrian entered carriageway without due care (84%)
> * Vehicle unable to avoid pedestrian in carriageway (12%)
> * "Other" (4%)
>
> So in the real world, it's not motorists tearing up and down town
> centre roads at speed that is to blame for pedestrian fatalities, but
> the pedestrians themselves for stepping in front of moving vehicles
> without bothering to look where they're going.
Spurious conclusion, Sparky, you don't have enough data for that, and,
you make no mention of "why" the (vehicles) drivers were unable to
avoid a pedestrian in the carriageway, or who had the ROW.
> Conclusion : Speeding isn't the problem.
Perhaps not "the" problem, but only an idiot would conclude it's not
"a" problem.
> So speed doesn't kill. Well - it does - but in nowhere near the
> numbers we're told. The police and governments should be spending more
> time on educating people to drive properly and pay attention - less
> loss-of-control or inattention accidents would be the result of that.
Yes, that sounds like an excellent suggestion, except that you can't
educate people who already think they know how to drive, or make them
pay attention.
> They should spend more time making pedestrians responsible for their
> own actions instead of blaming drivers. That would reduce the
> pedestrian culling.
Spurious conclusion. It doesn't matter who is made "responsible, the
pedestrians will still be culled.
> They should spend more time and resources banning
> cellphones and arresting drivers for drunk and drugged driving - all
> major causes of accidents as supported by dozens of reports.
"Dozens of reports"?! Well, that clinches it.
> But
> speeding remains the lowest fruit in the tree and consequently the
> easiest one to pick, even though it's the single least responsible
> line item for the cause of accidents.
Lol.
-----
- gpsman
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| Re: Found on the Web [message #796562 ] |
Sat, 01 March 2008 08:33 |
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Post removed (X-No-Archive: yes)
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