[QUOTE=astralex;840233]No, it doesn't matter if you use your car once a year or ten times a day, one in 18,000 Australians will die on our roads per year. Yes, the more you drive the less your chance of having a fatal collision is PER road trip, but that doesn't negate the percentage of the population that will die per year from road deaths. You asked why the emphasis on road safety vs homicide, and that's because 5 times more Australians die on the roads per year than are murdered. I think it's as simple as that. Coupled with the fact that despite 1000 people dying on the roads being a 'drop in the ocean', it's still too many deaths caused due to negligence, and other unnecessary, and often avoidable causes.[/QUOTE]

Dont need to preach to me. I drive around getting paid by the hour. Its worth my while to drive below the speed limit, never running orange lights, and not driving irresponsibly. I get more OT that way. The ute also has my work number on it. Last thing i want is some pleb calling up complaining about my driving.

On top of that, i rely on my license for my pay. Without it, i would be a pretty lame mobile auto sparky.

My only other car is a dedicated race car. I even trailered it to the last event it ran in. It is almosy only ever driven at sancioned motorsport events. Even though it still is licensed, it is very rarely driven on the street. But if it must, again i drive safe and slow. Last thing i want is a popo giving me a hard time over it.

Agree, money would be better spent on training up and coming drivers and road fatigue. There's some roads in pretty bad shape out there.

Too much focus on being over the speed, rarely focusing on bad drivers. We need less cameras and more cops on the road, but I guess that costs more.

[QUOTE=ZiN;840265]We need less cameras [B]and more cops on the road[/B], but I guess that costs more.[/QUOTE]

I couldn't agree more, the more covert/unmarked cars and bikes the better too.
If I can drive 90kms twice/week and see umpteen people on their mobile phones - cutting in front of other drivers in an unsafe manner - camping in the RH lane on dual carriageways etc. in both directions then surely the cops can too.

Problem is you never see a Hwy Patrol car on that stretch of highway or see an unmarked car that has a car pulled over, because they have the "point to point" speed cameras, "occasionally" they will setup a mobile speed camera within approx. 200m of the point to point camera in the south bound lane. :eek: :eek:

[QUOTE]camping in the RH lane on dual carriageways etc. in both directions[/QUOTE]


I dont see this as a problem. When roads like roe, tonkin, (and even the freeways in places) are only 2 lanes, but have to carry the ENORMOUS volume of traffic on our roads today, then it is impractical / impossible to only use one lane. Even alot of the smaller 2 lane roads carry massive traffic every day. Simply saying that "sticking to the left is correct" is pretty much a retarded statement. The only time its practical is when the left lane isnt already carrying peak capacity road volume. So at low volume hours or on low volume roads. (Country roads etc) unfortuantly most of our busy roads are already carrying peak volume, or higher. So left lane isnt an option.


But what does shit me, is using the right lanes but sitting well under the limit. If your in the right lane, you should go as fast as possible. (And by that i means as fast as the traffic infront of you will let you.)



The reason ive boldened the word enormous is because going back to my original points about the road toll VS the number of road users. There is an enormous massive gigantic stupendous volume of traffic

[QUOTE=Goosey;840239]traffic light cameras. [/QUOTE]
Now, more of these I would like to see. We've just got our first couple of red light cameras here in Bunno and not before time.

There is just NO excuse for contravening a red light, which, many times the driver canes it to get through after misjudgment. I've seen it too many times and in my 38 years of driving and 16 years in the police force, been facing green when another car/truck rips through on red. If it wasn't for the fact that I, and I believe the majority of drivers actually look each way despite facing green.

Yep, completely agree. I used to take off quite hard/quickly from lights in order to put some distance between myself and potential tailgaters (and move over to the left quickly if in the right hand lane at lights). However, after having nearly been wiped out by a truck a few years ago at the intersection of Garrett Road and Guildford Road (notorious, even with a camera), I take off rather sedately now. I see red lights being run at least twice a week during the commute to work.

[QUOTE=Bram;840439]I dont see this as a problem. When roads like roe, tonkin, (and even the freeways in places) are only 2 lanes, but have to carry the ENORMOUS volume of traffic on our roads today, then it is impractical / impossible to only use one lane. Even alot of the smaller 2 lane roads carry massive traffic every day. Simply saying that "sticking to the left is correct" is pretty much a retarded statement. The only time its practical is when the left lane isnt already carrying peak capacity road volume. So at low volume hours or on low volume roads. (Country roads etc) unfortuantly most of our busy roads are already carrying peak volume, or higher. So left lane isnt an option.


But what does shit me, is using the right lanes but sitting well under the limit. If your in the right lane, you should go as fast as possible. (And by that i means as fast as the traffic infront of you will let you.)
[/QUOTE]

I concour.

I've said it before, I believe there are three general types of drivers in relation to speed.

1. Those that do the correct speed limit dictated BY an accurate GPSS reading.

2. Those that incorrectly believe they are doing the speed limit due to 'slower than actual speed' speedometer calibration. Eg, speedometer is showing 100kmph but actual speed is 94kmph.

3. And those that feel more comfortable doing slightly less than the speed limit but again are doing significant less due to inaccurate speedometer calibration. Eg, think they are doing 95kmph but actually doing 90kmph or less.

So obviously on a two lane road this is a fundamental problem.

The only way around this imo is for everyone to use GPS speedo, giving all drivers an accurate understanding of their Actual speed.

Personally I find the actual speed limit to be, generally, fast enough on any given road.

Furthermore, when doing the actual speed limit, only very rarely does someone push up trying to go faster.

Also moving into the left lane as a matter of principle is not feasible due to the drivers listed in points 2 and 3 above.
Trying to stick left, whilst doing the actual speed limit is a dangerous activity due to excessive lane changing, braking and acceleration caused by majority of driver not knowing their Actual speed.