Biggest menace on the road

[surrey jim]

is it just me or whenever i see a black fiat punto or black ford ka i see a really fit girl inside?

Agree with you on the Ka, they seem to have some right lookers driving them

 

[cuthbert]

People who stop on double yellow lines to pop into a shop because they can't be bothered to walk a bit. The double yellows are not there for decoration you twats.

That's OK they always put their hazard lights on !!

 

[KZNSeagull]

Cheer up - its not that bad over there you know:

 

[KZNSeagull]

or how about:

 

[warsaw]

I don't want to exceed the speed limit between Polegate and Lewes, it's a dangerous road. But equally I do expect some drivers to have consideration for others who might need to actually get somewhere soon, instead of driving at 35mph in the 60 limit causing a queue of 50 cars while they chat to their friend in the passenger seat, oblivious to increasing road rage behind them.

For f***'s sake have some consideration and pull over. And the same applies to TRACTORS, those drivers seem to love being irritating wankers.

 

[glasfryn]

For me, the Nissan Micra must be at the top of the list.

They seem to have a top speed of 30mph and I always manage to get stuck behind one on the way home from work

my Mrs is the driver and you would'nt get stuck behind us in fact you would be a blur in her rear view mirror

 

[glasfryn]

or how about:

View attachment 18318

fooking brilliant

 

[KZNSeagull]

fooking brilliant

My personal favourite (not the best pic though).

 

[Biscuit]

I always find if i'm following behind a driver like this who does 10 mph or more under the limit on most roads, they are also the same drivers who then decide to speed up and go at least 10mph over the speed limit once they reach a road with a 30mph speed limit!

I have never been able to work out why they feel it's unsafe to drive at 50 on a 50 mph limit road, or 40 on a 40mph road but then think that it is prefectly safe and exceptable to drive at 40+ in a 30 mph zone, usually an urban area where they are more likely to encounter unexpected things on their journey like someone stepping or running out in front of their vehicle, etc... - why?


I also agree about the people who hog the middle or outer lanes too and won't move over for faster traffic, especially when they are not overtaking and the inside lane is empty. Seems to me that once people pass their driving tests, they decide to forget the stuff they learn and just choose which rules they like and therefore follow and which they don't like and ignore - We drive on the left in this country and the outer lane(s) are there for overtaking, other countries actually fine drivers who stay in the wrong lane for no reason yet it seems to be common practice and seen as acceptable here.

My facts talk about road deaths per 100k, I didn't say speed was the most important factor or defend speed cameras. I don't think anyone has.

 

[glasfryn]

My personal favourite (not the best pic though).

View attachment 18343

they do believe in getting the most out of just about anything ....good on em!

 

[bhaexpress]

That's OK they always put their hazard lights on !!

yes but when they don't !

 

[Guy Fawkes]

You have cited a lot of stats there but the crucial one is missing. Of the total of 3,201 people killed and 28,954 injured, how much did speed affect the severity of the outcome. Speed in itself isn't necessarily dangerous, for example, just because you are speeding doesn't mean you are responsible for an accident. It is nearly always human error but the effects are exacerbated by speed. People don't like cameras because it means they get caught breaking the law.

What is required is that local authorities should keep the revenue from cameras rather than it going into central government and that should be used to introduce traffic calming measures where necessary. Also, there should be more prosecutions of people caught driving badly. For example, the video cameras on motorways could be used as evidence or the Police should use their on board cameras to actually charge people for such things as cruising in the middle lane, having your fog lights on when visibility is actually ok, tailgating (especially lorries) etc and actually publicise these convictions to drive the message home, rather than just pull them over and give them a 'talking to'.

Actually i think you will find there were stats for that in the original reply as it said factor and not cause. If someone was speeding and there was an accident, it would still be counted as a factor.

five per cent, or 7,314, had breaking the speed limit as a factor. This rose to 12 per cent, or 325, for accidents which ended in a fatality.
The police deciding the driver was going too fast for the conditions was a factor in a further 10 per cent of all accidents, or 15,436, and in 14 per cent of those ending in a death, or 357.

In other words, there were approximately 150,000 accidents from the year in question. The total number of accidents that speed played a factor in the crash where the driver was breaking the speed limit was just 7,314. There were approximately 2550 road deaths in the year used, but just 325 of the fatalities involved speeding vehicle(s)

This means that most accidents and fatalities are not connected to speeding but other factors such as people not paying attention to the road (such as changing a CD, using a mobile etc)

In response to cameras, why don't we use a system similar to those used in Spain and Portugal, they have speed sensitive traffic lights, if they detect a speeding vehicle approaching, they turn red. Speeders will soon get bored of all the starting & stoping this causes and modify their driving. Surely it is a better system than a speed camera that is placed on a safer stretch of road, ie, a straight bit of road rather than where an accident blackspot is which may be on a bend further on, it doesn't help prevent accidents and just adds to the view that speed cameras are there as money making devices rather than improving road safety.

In terms of prosecuting those who lane hog, tailgate etc, you need Police on the road to spot and deal with them, but they are not there because the forces rely more on speed cameras for improving road safety despite their obvious limitations as they target just one behaviour rather than tackle more dangerous behavoiurs that can lead to an accident, this is why cameras are unpopular and seen as a revenue stream rather than true safety measure. It's lazy Policing.

Letting local authorities keep all the revenue may just result in cameras being sited where the local authorities believe they could maximise the income from them rather than possibly placing a camera where there would be a justification to locate it. There have been examples of Local Authorities reducing speed limits on stretches of roads unneccessarily just to make a case for a speed camera to be installed.

 

[newhaven seagull 85]

i'am not a menace on the road ,far from it infact. Yesterday my van turned invisible,it was invisible to the wonderful lady driving her yaris who pulled out onto the A26 just so that i could test my brakes, you will be pleased to know that they work. i was also invisible to the gentleman who decided that he could not wait for the tractor to reach the A27 at beddingham so overtook just after a bend again on the A26 , he was following another car who just had room, again you will be pleased to know that luckily i managed to slow down in time so that our front bumpers did not kiss.

note to self use the C7 it must be safer!

 

[tedebear]

Seagulls! Sadly we ran one over the other day, it didn't move and there was oncoming traffic that Zef obviously couln't move into and parked cars....I feel bad even though I don't really like them....

 

[drew]

Actually i think you will find there were stats for that in the original reply as it said factor and not cause. If someone was speeding and there was an accident, it would still be counted as a factor.



In other words, there were approximately 150,000 accidents from the year in question. The total number of accidents that speed played a factor in the crash where the driver was breaking the speed limit was just 7,314. There were approximately 2550 road deaths in the year used, but just 325 of the fatalities involved speeding vehicle(s)

This means that most accidents and fatalities are not connected to speeding but other factors such as people not paying attention to the road (such as changing a CD, using a mobile etc)

In response to cameras, why don't we use a system similar to those used in Spain and Portugal, they have speed sensitive traffic lights, if they detect a speeding vehicle approaching, they turn red. Speeders will soon get bored of all the starting & stoping this causes and modify their driving. Surely it is a better system than a speed camera that is placed on a safer stretch of road, ie, a straight bit of road rather than where an accident blackspot is which may be on a bend further on, it doesn't help prevent accidents and just adds to the view that speed cameras are there as money making devices rather than improving road safety.

In terms of prosecuting those who lane hog, tailgate etc, you need Police on the road to spot and deal with them, but they are not there because the forces rely more on speed cameras for improving road safety despite their obvious limitations as they target just one behaviour rather than tackle more dangerous behavoiurs that can lead to an accident, this is why cameras are unpopular and seen as a revenue stream rather than true safety measure. It's lazy Policing.

Letting local authorities keep all the revenue may just result in cameras being sited where the local authorities believe they could maximise the income from them rather than possibly placing a camera where there would be a justification to locate it. There have been examples of Local Authorities reducing speed limits on stretches of roads unneccessarily just to make a case for a speed camera to be installed.

The inescapable fact is that they only make money from those that break the law. Now, I'm not saying I'm perfect and regularly go above 70 on the motorways but around towns it's another matter.

With regard to bad driving, there are plenty of video cameras on the motorways and they could be used to prosecute the car owner/driver. Traffic lights should all have cameras that record cars jumping the lights and get them prosecuted and publicise the fact. I suspect many people aren't aware of the rules relating to driving in the middle lane or having your rear foglights on all the time and prosecutions would increase awareness.

As for the stats, they will include every type of accident such as the driver that scrapes the car along the garage or drives into lampost. The report also suggests there were a further 15000 accidents where the driver was driving too fast. It also goes on to say that they should use figures from hospitals which might double the actual numbers.

One stat that I have never seen and would like to know is a breakdown of the prosecutions where speed cameras provide the evidence split showing how much over the limit the vehicles were actually doing!

 

[public school boy]

Ethnic women drivers or those from Burgess Hill

 

[Gully]

People who persist with using mobile phones while driving, or even worse texting...I have actually seen someone doing it going round a roundabout...as a man there is no way that I could multi-task like that.

 

[Everest]

People who overtake a line of stationary traffic just before the 2 lanes merge into 1.

Oh...

 

[clapham_gull]

Well it's obviously cyclists isn't it ?

Like the one who I had an argument with in Balham on Wednesday. Went right through the crossing on a red light and when he came back for an argument (after I did my usual "doesn't apply to then..."), I discovered he stank of beer. After I pointed that out the argument didn't last very long.

 

[Bwian]

All of the Hooray Henriettas driving their 45 year old Bedford Horse Shit Boxes at 15 mph while the rest of the world needs to get somewhere with a reasonable degree of urgency. And then they ride their frigging horses 2 abreast clogging up country roads whilst glaring at car drivers with that 'we're on horseback-don't drive past us at any speed above 5mph' look.

I hate horse boxes