tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5119951275142904676.post3364893527699340264..comments2024-03-27T13:31:19.753+11:00Comments on The Road to Nowhere: Social EngineeringStevehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10160712689280276620noreply@blogger.comBlogger20125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5119951275142904676.post-78902088550730676302017-09-29T19:20:37.221+10:002017-09-29T19:20:37.221+10:00How did you survive those ridiculous high speeds, ...How did you survive those ridiculous high speeds, you should be dead man hahahhahahhaha<br /><br />Funny you mention the legacy issue. On studying up for this article I found that most of the speed limits in this country were set back in the day before, disc brakes, abs, seat belts, crumple zones or any of that safety stuff we have now. And authority's continually keep dropping the limit in the hope that will reduce the toll rather than address the root cause issues in all of this. Why? They are not vote winners or making them any money.Stevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10160712689280276620noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5119951275142904676.post-75605483390166659922017-09-29T03:09:35.270+10:002017-09-29T03:09:35.270+10:00Hey Steve, I'm just back from riding some of t...Hey Steve, I'm just back from riding some of those 130 kph roads. Cars did not burst into flames as Australian transport departments might suggest.<br /><br />It seems universal that what speed is deemed 'safe or suitable' is a legacy issue everywhere. Whatever you had post WW2 seems to become what was 'right' for your area because everyone thinks their country is unique and so anything another country does could never work. I hear this about everything in life everywhere I go. <br /><br />Even the US has legacy speed limits that vary state to state from 55mph max one place then cross an invisible line and it is 80mph.<br /><br />I think be thankful that at least it was originally set at 60mph in Australia which then got carried over to 100kph. When metric arrived I can still recall as a young lad the government wanted to reduce the maximum speed considerably. At the time many roads were dirt or were twisty with unpredictable surveying to reduce the grades over hills for old trucks and buses that lacked power or brakes. My parents car had drum brakes, tube retread tyres and feeble headlights as well as no seat belts with windscreens always getting smashed from stones and the glass flying everywhere as not laminated like now. So there was a moment when the pencil pushers nearly took the 100kph away but fortunately it never got passed.<br /><br />Get on a plane to northern Thailand anytime you want to feel freedom to ride anyway you like. <br /><br />Motorcycle Paradise https://www.blogger.com/profile/13402800735593646123noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5119951275142904676.post-9184911225687842432017-09-01T13:41:40.286+10:002017-09-01T13:41:40.286+10:00Thanks for stopping by Gregg, hope you enjoyed it....Thanks for stopping by Gregg, hope you enjoyed it.<br /><br />CheersStevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10160712689280276620noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5119951275142904676.post-37026539909826289312017-09-01T02:22:44.058+10:002017-09-01T02:22:44.058+10:00This comment has been removed by the author.Gregg Dunnehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08226532816288171657noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5119951275142904676.post-35524519587911878222017-08-31T20:00:24.631+10:002017-08-31T20:00:24.631+10:00😂😂Wayne Moloneyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09231609329312044818noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5119951275142904676.post-35801722992810239882017-08-30T16:58:23.090+10:002017-08-30T16:58:23.090+10:00....yeah wayne....like some german doin a right h.......yeah wayne....like some german doin a right hand turn in front while not paying atttention causing you to bin it.Bushpighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02062074143710788641noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5119951275142904676.post-4193232992739364722017-08-29T21:09:09.336+10:002017-08-29T21:09:09.336+10:00Hi Wayne
I've read that report and concur with...Hi Wayne<br />I've read that report and concur with their assessment. As Keith Codes A Twist of the Wrist put it, you have $10 of attention span, if your spending $7 driving and $2.90 watching your speedo then your not really looking out for anything else that could cause an accident.Stevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10160712689280276620noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5119951275142904676.post-40796010034202673592017-08-28T14:56:20.180+10:002017-08-28T14:56:20.180+10:00Booked for "hogging the fart labe"? Righ...Booked for "hogging the fart labe"? Rightly so I would say..... ;)<br />Flyboyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11304812333120293988noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5119951275142904676.post-34455293230551402722017-08-28T14:50:26.105+10:002017-08-28T14:50:26.105+10:00Yes but dying is pretty inconvenient too. Safety i...Yes but dying is pretty inconvenient too. Safety is NUMBER 1 here. A healthy economy doesn't seem to matter. We really do live in the "lucky country".Flyboyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11304812333120293988noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5119951275142904676.post-89654809108280104242017-08-27T10:35:44.437+10:002017-08-27T10:35:44.437+10:00Great post Steve. You are spot on with your compar...Great post Steve. You are spot on with your comparisons with Europe. I've done a lot of driving and riding there and the attitude of other road users and the police is totally different to here in Australia. You are more likely to get booked for hogging the fart labe than speeding and as your stats confirm, this lack of policing speeding didn't appear to have any negative impact on fatalities. There was an interesting study done by WA Uni that found stricter policing of speed limits actually had a negative impact on driver awareness hence creating a greater chance of accidents (http://www.news.uwa.edu.au/201610269146/stricter-speed-enforcement-can-impair-driver-safety). Sadly I don't see this changing here any time soon. Not only are the politicians never going to change their tune, a quick scan of 'community safety' Facebook pages will show that the marketing if 'speed kills' has been a great success.Wayne Moloneyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09231609329312044818noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5119951275142904676.post-75182357677809872532017-08-24T20:56:16.650+10:002017-08-24T20:56:16.650+10:00Hi Brandy
I've also read that about the autoba...Hi Brandy<br />I've also read that about the autobahn. Don't get me wrong when they have accidents they are big and people die at those speeds but yes there tends to be less accidents because people are actually paying attention to what the hell they are doing.<br /><br />I've seen a bike rider here busted on the news for texting whilst riding, not sure how he was doing it but is was a P plater(provisional license holder). It would be quite difficult I would think to text and ride.Stevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10160712689280276620noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5119951275142904676.post-69144002160621877632017-08-24T20:52:42.947+10:002017-08-24T20:52:42.947+10:00Sorry about that Geoff. Your authority's need ...Sorry about that Geoff. Your authority's need to look at world leaders like Germany, Sweeden etc and not our money driven policys that will only lead to people resenting police and authority in general. The police are just seen as tax collectors now.Stevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10160712689280276620noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5119951275142904676.post-85776333408469014162017-08-24T20:47:31.981+10:002017-08-24T20:47:31.981+10:00Andrew
We don't have the 4km tolerance on holi...Andrew<br />We don't have the 4km tolerance on holidays, they do something much worse here. They double the amount of points you lose from your license for speeding. A 20kmh over the limit ticket is normally 4 points from your license, well in double demerits long weekends you lose 8 points. You only have 13 points on your license in NSW so its nearly gone in one hit.Stevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10160712689280276620noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5119951275142904676.post-76261946316304263292017-08-24T20:44:18.377+10:002017-08-24T20:44:18.377+10:00I've had the idea for this for quite some time...I've had the idea for this for quite some time and it actually took a little while to get it to work, it was a lot harder to put together than I thought and required a fair bit of research for information.<br /><br />You're spot on with your assessment there are too many people with poor attitudes on our roads. Why, there are hundreds of Dashcam road rage videos available on the net with drivers doing ridiculously stupid shit. RE:40kmh, yeah no one is going to die but this is so inconvenient that it would probably bring this country to its knee's economically.Stevehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10160712689280276620noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5119951275142904676.post-79887496687402421022017-08-24T08:49:18.520+10:002017-08-24T08:49:18.520+10:00It is interesting how they think Speed is the larg...It is interesting how they think Speed is the largest contributor. Wasn't there a study about Germany and the Autobahn about how people going a faster speed actually have to pay attention and are more aware of their surroundings and less likely to be stuffing a fast food burger in their cake-hole than their counterparts poking along going slower?<br /><br />Sure a faster speed crash would cause more damage/fatalities, but I am thinking slower drivers are more distracted and more of a hazard. <br /><br />In Oregon they are currently raising some of our speed limits. Right now our freeways are 65 mph (105 kph) for regular vehicles and 55 mph (88 kph) for commercial trucks. Our regular state highways are 55 mph. They are raising the limit on some of our more rural roads. Usually the police will let you do at least 10% over the limit without citing you. And on the freeways you are practically run over if you aren't doing 75 mph (120 kph) in a 65 zone.<br /><br />Now if we could get folks to stop texting and driving (not an issue with motorcyclists) I think all roads would be safer. While they are raising our speed limits they are also raising the fines for using a cell phone while driving. Only hand- free bluetooth usage is currently legal in Oregon.Trobairitzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03453398807198746434noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5119951275142904676.post-84206325549969056162017-08-24T07:53:27.543+10:002017-08-24T07:53:27.543+10:00Absolutely excellent Steve - a first class article...Absolutely excellent Steve - a first class article. As a matter of interest, NZ and Australia actively collude on a heap of transport matters so it's no accident that similar strategies are put in place. One of my mates who works for our transport authority visits Oz every month for joint meeting. He's a biker but his speciality is heavy transport.<br /><br />Got to agree with both you and your bro. Ever since I've been involved in mentoring advanced riding, I'm always evaluating every rider and driver round me and overall, it's bloody disappointing. In NZ with its relatively low population density (Oz too, I suppose), people could get away with being a crap driver with relatively low consequences. Consequently, expectations re testing were low from officialdom. Now circumstances are changing, no political party wants to jeopardise their election chances by addressing the root cause of the matter. Totally agree that more rigorous training and testing is the only way to really fix things. Geoff Jameshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05041523109817248619noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5119951275142904676.post-39155171810892572522017-08-23T19:37:25.718+10:002017-08-23T19:37:25.718+10:00Andrew, my job is basically risk management and I ...Andrew, my job is basically risk management and I can't go a single day without shaking my head at some driver/riders stupidity. I don't want people wrapped up in cotton wool, I just want people to apply sensible risk analasys to how they drive. It is bloody frustrating.Flyboyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11304812333120293988noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5119951275142904676.post-85642539847370016342017-08-23T19:15:56.135+10:002017-08-23T19:15:56.135+10:00Good artical hoss......you forgot to mention that ...Good artical hoss......you forgot to mention that you cant stop a drug fucked houso or truck driver from killing and they do more than their fair share....and the cops turn a blind eye to them as they cant pay the fines like us workers can.Bushpighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02062074143710788641noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5119951275142904676.post-80532713959492806932017-08-23T16:45:33.116+10:002017-08-23T16:45:33.116+10:00Great post Steve. I hope you enjoyed all our 110k...Great post Steve. I hope you enjoyed all our 110km/h roads...Speeding is just about the worst offence you can commit here too.<br /><br />Thanks very much for all your Aussie traffic safety ideas as our leaders tend to steal them too. I love that #7, every 1 km over blah, blah nonsense<br /><br />We've copied one of your ideas with decreased tolerances over long weekends (and normally all through the Xmas/New Year holiday season) and if you're 4k over you're public enemy number 1. It was touted as going to save lives but over at least one period the road deaths increased...<br /><br />You're right, speeding is just too easy to enforce while other dumb ass behaviour not so easy (or profitable?)<br /><br />Training over here is probably even worse than in Oz - although ACC are now offering (non compulsory) some good discounted courses (paid for by my horrendous rego fees). I still reckon that some of the road improvements (which make those roads theoretically safer) make dumber drivers - you've only gotta see what some idiots do in bad weather or on roads that aren't in race track condition. People need to learn how to recognise hazards and how to avoid them.<br /><br />BTW: I've had a bit to do with H&S over the years and you'd be surprised how many motorcyclists work in the field. I reckon we tend to be a lot better at seeing hazards and working out how to avoid them - it's in our best interests eh?<br /><br />My winge was shorter than yours...Andrew Thomsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00716829007873864871noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5119951275142904676.post-81131547909377760562017-08-23T15:02:25.585+10:002017-08-23T15:02:25.585+10:00Very well written little bro. Who wrote it? Lol.
...Very well written little bro. Who wrote it? Lol. <br />I agree, we have two major problems in this country. Number 1 is that there is no driver training to speak of. 100 hours of sitting next to your parents and learning their bad habits(if the hours aren't just fudged in the first place) and Number 2(a very close second might I add) is the extremely poor attitude of Australian drivers. I haven't travelled extensively but where I have been I must say that Asian, North American and Kiwi drivers showed much more courtesy and common sense in one day than I have seen in several years on Australian roads. It is the "fuck you mate" attitude coupled with little to no actual driving skills that is killing people. Maybe compelling everyone to shuffle around at 40km/h does save lives as collision speeds are greatly reduced? Anyway, until we Australians change our attitudes on the road, nothing will change.<br />Good post.Flyboyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11304812333120293988noreply@blogger.com