[Travel] Sentencing for 110mph wankpanzer driver. (Sorry can't find original thread)

[dsr-burnley]

So your car has a top speed of 117, mine has a top speed of 155, but in reality has slowed me down. I like cruising around AT the speed limit when safe to do so, I also really like that when pushed I can overtake the person in front of me that is travelling at a speed lower than I believe is safe, I like being able to get a manoeuvre done quickly and safely.

Does your car car have cruise control and do you use it?

No, and therefore no. I'm not sure I'd want it, anyway. I want to have to think while I'm driving because not thinking tends to send me to sleep. (And no, I have never nodded off while driving, though it's far from unknown for me to stop for 5 minutes' snooze.)

 

[dazzer6666]

No, and therefore no. I'm not sure I'd want it, anyway. I want to have to think while I'm driving because not thinking tends to send me to sleep. (And no, I have never nodded off while driving, though it's far from unknown for me to stop for 5 minutes' snooze.)

I have found myself using the speed limiter rather than cruise control on motorways……..really useful to stop the speed creeping up as it can tend to do on a quiet road.

 

[BN9 BHA]

There are plenty!

2 great examples

matt black Mercedes G wagen . . . On my road, used to take a small dog to the park

White BMW X5 used by a fat lass to drive from Shoreham beach to central Shoreham to work.

and the general classic . . .

Any number of US sized 'Ute's' used by below average height tradesmen to carry a clipboard and a tape measure.

This Twitter account is spot on.

 

[Stat Brother]

This should be leading the news but I doubt it'll even be mentioned.

Road deaths up 9% in 12 months

Department for Transport figures show 1,695 people were killed in crashes in 2022, up from 1,558 a year earlier.

www.independent.co.uk

 

[dazzer6666]

This should be leading the news but I doubt it'll even be mentioned.

Road deaths up 9% in 12 months

Department for Transport figures show 1,695 people were killed in crashes in 2022, up from 1,558 a year earlier.

www.independent.co.uk

Reflection of traffic levels going back to normal post-pandemic - slight improvement on 2019 numbers but still awful.

 

[chip]

Deaths on UK roads are very low compared to most other causes of avoidable death and speeding/dangerous driving is not a prominent feature in the cause - we mostly hear of people who become lunatics when it goes wrong.

Fatality rate per inhabitant in road traffic accidents - Data Portal - United Nations Economic Commission for Europe

w3.unece.org

 

[JBizzle]

I have to say, I can drift above the speed limit on M-roads occasionally simply because there's little difference in the way my car sounds or feels between 65 and 75 for example (it's a 2014 Nissan Qashqai, so hardly a new and powerful car), but that's about the extent of it. I'm always surprised by it and drop back to the 60-70 mark.

I honestly cannot see the need to travel at 100+ mph unless you're an emergency service or on an actual racetrack. That video is one of the most awful things I've seen and every single driver should be made to watch it on speed awareness courses and as part of a driving test. It's only seeing the real human impact of speed that makes some people think.

 

[The Fits]

I was in a hit and run a couple of months ago.
I was on a Voi scooter (hireable electric scooter). Just going down a 30 street, fairly late, quiet. At the bottom there's a sliproad, one way, buses only, going onto a much bigger road.
As I approach and not really paying any attention to it, this car suddenly appears going FAST. Basically goes head-on into me at I'd estimate 40 miles an hour. Luckily, I managed to jump off the scooter but the scooter went straight into the front of the car and smashed it up. Driver just drove off. I had a few cuts and bruises but obviously a lucky escape.
So I ring the police- this a driver who is speeding, who is driving up a one-way street the wrong way, who is driving the wrong way up a bus only road, who hasn't stopped when they've been in accident and who has been very lucky not to seriously injure someone.
Essentially the police say that If I'm not injured and the driver/vehicle has gone the only thing I can do is log it online.
About 6 weeks later I get an email saying they've looked into it but won't be taking it any further. Have no idea the extent of it because they hadn't spoken to me etc since I logged the incident.

It's so frustrating because actually all I wanted to do was say to the police 'theres someone driving about the city tonight in a really irresponsible way'. I just wanted everyone else to be safe.

Anyway, the point really of posting this here is that I despair sometimes at the fuzzy logic that goes on about driving and vehicles in general. We are obsessed with parking restrictions, clean air zones, taxing and fining people who are mostly just trying to go about their daily lives, and at the same time there's total nutters on the road who can seemingly get away with anything.

 

[Stat Brother]

Deaths on UK roads are very low compared to most other causes of avoidable death and speeding/dangerous driving is not a prominent feature in the cause - we mostly hear of people who become lunatics when it goes wrong.

Fatality rate per inhabitant in road traffic accidents - Data Portal - United Nations Economic Commission for Europe

w3.unece.org

View attachment 163997

I'm sure the families and friends of the 6 people a day killed on our roads will be greatly comforted by that

 

[ozzygull]

Deaths on UK roads are very low compared to most other causes of avoidable death and speeding/dangerous driving is not a prominent feature in the cause - we mostly hear of people who become lunatics when it goes wrong.

Fatality rate per inhabitant in road traffic accidents - Data Portal - United Nations Economic Commission for Europe

w3.unece.org

View attachment 163997

I think a lot of the issues in the United States is they have very relaxed driving and riding rules.
They seem to be able to ride any size of bike from the age of 16 after passing what is essentally a CBT (Compulsory Basic Training, that allows you to ride a 125 with Learner plates in the UK)

Here is a couple of examples of the numpties





I think it is because there is no publicly funded healthcare, their govement does not care as they don't have to payout to fix them

 

[chip]

I'm sure the families and friends of the 6 people a day killed on our roads will be greatly comforted by that

No, I don't think they will. I'm attending a funeral next week for someone who died in an RTA.

However, being alive is inherently dangerous and we will all die of something. Some 5200+ (~14 per day) people in England will kill temselves over the next 12 months and alcohol killed 7556 (~21 per day) in 2022. Roads are relatively safe in the greater scheme of things and not really that newsworthy. Young people killing themselves and others drinking themselves to death are a bigger problem.

 

[Stat Brother]

It's a standard story

Caerphilly: Man sentenced for crash which killed two generations

The family of Denise and Justine Hughes say they cannot "begin to express" their heartache.

www.bbc.co.uk

But for...

He received a 30-week sentence, suspended for 15 months, and was also disqualified from driving for two years at Cardiff Crown Court on Monday...


...
Shane Draper, from Gwent Police, said the case was "tragic" and had resulted "in the needless loss of two lives and impacted the life of a young boy".
He added: "Denise and Justine Hughes tragically lost their lives due to the irresponsible actions of Rhys Miles, who drove carelessly, and lost control of his vehicle.
"I hope this sentence serves as a reminder to everyone who gets behind the wheel - your responsibility isn't just to ensure your own safety, but the safety of everyone around you."

 

[keaton]

No, I don't think they will. I'm attending a funeral next week for someone who died in an RTA.

However, being alive is inherently dangerous and we will all die of something. Some 5200+ (~14 per day) people in England will kill temselves over the next 12 months and alcohol killed 7556 (~21 per day) in 2022. Roads are relatively safe in the greater scheme of things and not really that newsworthy. Young people killing themselves and others drinking themselves to death are a bigger problem.

The crucial difference being that alcohol is killing the people drinking. Dickhead driving kills other people

 

[dsr-burnley]

The crucial difference being that alcohol is killing the people drinking. Dickhead driving kills other people

I don't think anyone's arguing that "dickhead driving" shouldn't get a harsher punishment. That's what the OP is on about and with no dissent.

The question has morphed largely into a discussion about whether there should be extra restrictions on normal, legal driving, and that's the question where there is differences of opinion.

 

[GT49er]

Slightly off-topic, but does anyone else think the the various 'clean air zones' being imposed in several cities actually penalise poorer people who are only driving their old car because it's all they can afford. Maybe it would be better and fairer to impose these charges on the two and a half ton killer SUVs that are totally unnecessary in an urban setting, and take up a lot more road space than, say, a fifteen year old Ford Fiesta.

Scrapping old cars and building new ones to replace those prematurely scrapped in the name of reducing pollution has its own not inconsiderable carbon footprint too!

 

[dazzer6666]

Slightly off-topic, but does anyone else think the the various 'clean air zones' being imposed in several cities actually penalise poorer people who are only driving their old car because it's all they can afford. Maybe it would be better and fairer to impose these charges on the two and a half ton killer SUVs that are totally unnecessary in an urban setting, and take up a lot more road space than, say, a fifteen year old Ford Fiesta.

Scrapping old cars and building new ones to replace those prematurely scrapped in the name of reducing pollution has its own not inconsiderable carbon footprint too!

Fairer, yes - but then it wouldn’t be a ‘clean air‘ tax, just a tax - and therefore harder to sell/politically justify etc. 15 year old Fiesta is almost certainly churning out more CO2 than a new SUV……the owner of the new SUV will be paying a lot more road tax already.

 

[GT49er]

Fairer, yes - but then it wouldn’t be a ‘clean air‘ tax, just a tax - and therefore harder to sell/politically justify etc. 15 year old Fiesta is almost certainly churning out more CO2 than a new SUV……the owner of the new SUV will be paying a lot more road tax already.

Quite possibly not. You'll quite probably get stung for far more tax if you drive an older car than if you buy a new one.

 

[dsr-burnley]

Slightly off-topic, but does anyone else think the the various 'clean air zones' being imposed in several cities actually penalise poorer people who are only driving their old car because it's all they can afford. Maybe it would be better and fairer to impose these charges on the two and a half ton killer SUVs that are totally unnecessary in an urban setting, and take up a lot more road space than, say, a fifteen year old Ford Fiesta.

Scrapping old cars and building new ones to replace those prematurely scrapped in the name of reducing pollution has its own not inconsiderable carbon footprint too!

It's one of the hard-to-reconcile contradictions, isn't it? Go on the cost of living threads, and there is loads of sympathy for the poor (about a third of the population), many of whom resort to food banks. But when the environment is concerned, many of the solutions involve putting prices up so the por can't afford it and the rich can carry on. It's a tough one.

 

[keaton]

It's one of the hard-to-reconcile contradictions, isn't it? Go on the cost of living threads, and there is loads of sympathy for the poor (about a third of the population), many of whom resort to food banks. But when the environment is concerned, many of the solutions involve putting prices up so the por can't afford it and the rich can carry on. It's a tough one.

I think the people who are the most focused on the environment want reliable and affordable public transport. The most disadvantaged aren't going to be driving many cars

 

[schmunk]

Slightly off-topic, but does anyone else think the the various 'clean air zones' being imposed in several cities actually penalise poorer people who are only driving their old car because it's all they can afford. Maybe it would be better and fairer to impose these charges on the two and a half ton killer SUVs that are totally unnecessary in an urban setting, and take up a lot more road space than, say, a fifteen year old Ford Fiesta.

Scrapping old cars and building new ones to replace those prematurely scrapped in the name of reducing pollution has its own not inconsiderable carbon footprint too!

The "ULEZ penalising the poor" argument is nonsense, really.

All petrol cars manufactured since 2005 (and presumably some earlier) are ULEZ compliant, meeting the Euro 4 standard.

Anyone who can't afford to buy and run an 18 year old car can't really afford a car.