Speed Kills

[Manx Track cars]

Better Training for young drivers during the learning period and afterwards, a watered down advanced driving course for them to realise what happens to your body during a collision (internal organs sieved through the ribcage to produce puree de offal)

 

Under 25's are involved in accidents far more than any other group including dodery old gits in Micras (really).

 

Here's an idea - how about the IoM government get in the driving seat (!) and show the UK and europe how to educate the islands drivers from a young age to avoid bad driving in the future?? Na - never happen - Governments are all reactive and not proactive. By the time it gets sorted I will be in my Micra causing havock on the roads by pulling out of junctions right in front of a fast approaching Corsas

[Stu Peters]

What about testing those who think they know how to drive? Over confidence plus stress etc surely must be a very dangerous combination.

 

My wife training for her big walk was nearly wiped off the road twice by professional drivers i.e. police drivers who were cutting corners on the country roads at high speed. She had to lean tightly into the hedge to avoid serious injury and was missed by inches.

 

I'll get flamed to hell for this Charles, but aren't there enough pavements for people to walk on, without exposing pedestrians to the dangers of walking along unrestricted roads full of blind bends?

[Mr. Sausages]

How about racing on private tracks?

[ian rush]

Just what is the point in doing more than 70mph on Manx public roads

[Mr. Sausages]

The vibrations give them erections.

[Charles Flynn]

What about testing those who think they know how to drive? Over confidence plus stress etc surely must be a very dangerous combination.

 

My wife training for her big walk was nearly wiped off the road twice by professional drivers i.e. police drivers who were cutting corners on the country roads at high speed. She had to lean tightly into the hedge to avoid serious injury and was missed by inches.

 

I'll get flamed to hell for this Charles, but aren't there enough pavements for people to walk on, without exposing pedestrians to the dangers of walking along unrestricted roads full of blind bends?

 

No, my wife liked living dangerously! It was the only way she could train mentally for walking John O'Groats - Land's End. Certainly the mental pressure of walking for 50 days on British Roads is enormous and some drivers were not sympathetic to a walker on roads with no pavements. The problem of course is you can't catch these fellas as they are off in the distance in no time - some at 148 m.p.h. I believe!

[Stu Peters]

Just what is the point in doing more than 70mph on Manx public roads

 

I rarely drive above 70mph, and it's nothing to do with achieving tumescence Mr Sausages...but the same argument could apply to ANY speed.

 

Why the need to go over 30mph? Why bother buying a faster computer? In a family saloon I'd tend to agree with you Ian, but in a powerful sports/performance car, short bursts at a higher speed shouldn't be a problem to anyone, road and traffic conditions permitting.

[Manx Track cars]

DUKE Track days at Jurby are great fun and everyone should get up there and see what it's about driving a car quickly without Manx stone walls , Trees, pedestrians, cyclists etc. This would be a good arena for training...

 

Go to: www.manxtrackcars.webeden.co.uk

 

See what it's about on the website you can drive you're own car on a track for £60 for three hours. The website also gives you some pointers on driving technique and car set ups

[Charles Flynn]

Does anyone know if your carbon dioxide emissions go up at higher speeds?

 

Could be a problem for some people on the planet - not that I am any saint myself in this respect.

[ian rush]

Just what is the point in doing more than 70mph on Manx public roads

 

I rarely drive above 70mph, and it's nothing to do with achieving tumescence Mr Sausages...but the same argument could apply to ANY speed.

 

Why the need to go over 30mph? Why bother buying a faster computer? In a family saloon I'd tend to agree with you Ian, but in a powerful sports/performance car, short bursts at a higher speed shouldn't be a problem to anyone, road and traffic conditions permitting.

 

There's a difference between 'shouldn't be a problem to anyone' and an actual definable benefit in doing that extra speed. I also don't think having a faster computer will contribute towards 25% of road accidents or indeed any accidents in the immediate vicinity of its desk.

[ian rush]

Does anyone know if your carbon dioxide emissions go up at higher speeds?

 

CO2 does go up. Cars are less efficient as speed increases.

 

Anway, in twenty or thirty years time I imagine cars in technologically advanced states will have limiters on them, even if the technology to enforce that limit does not extent to blanket coverage.

[feelslikeitshould]

Does anyone know if your carbon dioxide emissions go up at higher speeds?

 

CO2 does go up. Cars are less efficient as speed increases.

 

Anway, in twenty or thirty years time I imagine cars in technologically advanced states will have limiters on them, even if the technology to enforce that limit does not extent to blanket coverage.

 

I thought it was most efficient to travel at a constant of 50mph in the highest gear managable.

 

And you can choose to limit your speed in some Renaults and Mercs. Obviously you have to press the button to make that happen and if you don't want to limit yourself to 70 or 50 or 30 then you don't have to. I know someone who got done speeding in a 30mph zone (no excuse for that) and since then, he limited his Merc within speed limits so he couldn't speed even he was tempted. Why you can't just have a glance at your speedo and ease off the go faster pedal I don't know....

[Lost Login]

What about testing those who think they know how to drive? Over confidence plus stress etc surely must be a very dangerous combination.

 

My wife training for her big walk was nearly wiped off the road twice by professional drivers i.e. police drivers who were cutting corners on the country roads at high speed. She had to lean tightly into the hedge to avoid serious injury and was missed by inches.

 

Virtually everybody who drives believe they know how to drive. There have been numerous surveys done anyway but try it yourself and ask those you know if they belive they are an average driver or better than or worse than average. Suprise surprise only a small minority believe they are worse than average.

 

You can apply the same argument to those who argue that they speed when it is safe for them to do so and they do so within there capabilities. How many if asked would say they did it otherwise, even those whose accident was a result of speeding.

 

At that rate they would retest nearly everybody and at the same time fail nearly everybody as most drivers who as an exercise sit a driving test fail it for one reason or another.

[Lost Login]

Just my 2p worth...

 

 

The big news today of course is that less than 5% of UK accidents are caused by exceeding speed limits. This alone confirms what a lot of us have believed - intuitively - for years. We've been indoctrinated by the 'speed kills' lobby, and it is FUNDAMENTALLY flawed.

 

We've all been fed a lie, and it's time to resist the creeping speed limits appearing everywhere and start tackling dopey, dangerous, uninsured and unlicenced drivers, poorly maintained vehicles (my pal's car was written off today because of the diesel spill at the Bungalow), retest motor convicts and old people, and start giving enthusiastic drivers the opportunity to learn how NOT to crash.

 

I'm NOT having a pop at older people - I'm on the way to being one myself - but it seems to me that an awful lot of elderly drivers either can't see or hear properly, or don't have the mobility or reactions any more to be in control of a ton of metal.

 

A driving licence shouldn't be for life - it should be a privilege that has to be renewed.

 

Many of your points may be valid but from reading the Times piece 26% of all fatal accidents Speed was a contributory factor. To me that seems to suggest that speed is a big issue still.

 

I do not know what the percentage is in respect of drink driving but if it is low should it be suggested that we no longer need drink driving laws, or like some suggest in respect of speed that we govern ourselves in respect of our own ability. Do we also abandon cos it is hard to enforce an argument thati s again put forward in respect of speed limits, though I would suggest most, if they do not obey, pay credence to them. We self police in respect of drink driving just as we tend to driver slower in a 30mph zone.

 

Driving needs to be safer, better education is required, clamp down on isurance etc etc. However until the vast majority have done an IAM and passed then the laws then to be set to govern driving need to be set to take into account their skill set. Speed limits may be a blunt instrument but they are at least an instrument however crude.

 

They may also work. The pro speed lobby argue that despite increasing numbers of speed cameras etc etc the number of accidents etc has stayed steady over the last ten years. Surely if they work the numbers of accidents should have declined.

 

The anti lobby argue that accidents over the last ten years have not increased despite the number of cars and increased mileage being driven. Therefore speed camera's are working or accident figures would have gone up in line with increase vehicle usage.

 

Whose righ. You pays your money and take your choice.

[Nitro]

Young people are sometimes over confident, feel like they know what to do all the time, etc, I think some IAM or a higher level of driving would be a good thing, As long as it isn't to much money, At £25 a basic lesson now its quite a bit!