From today's local newspaper:
"In recent examples of irresponsible driving, a motorcyclist was trapped at 240km/h on the West Coast and a motorist caught doing 195km/h near Citrusdal while driving under the influence of alcohol and with three children in the car. "
Both these roads are single lane, with no centre strip...
The motorcyclist got a big fine, but no reports of the drunken family man.
Any suggested punishments? I think car confiscation and a spell in the local jail would be reasonable, and a bit of community service at the local children's hospital thrown in...
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The drunk guy with the kids in the car should have his licence removed permanently.
There is even an argument about whether he can be trusted with the kids or not.
Fines should be unimaginably high, with money returned to his wife and children if appropriate.
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I'l keep an eye on developments - and keep it posted.
I suspect out transport minister, who seems to be getting very tough, will be keeping a close eye as well.
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As I remember 200 kph is no more than 125 mph, so 240 should be safe for a good moden bike or car (eg Toad), given a clear road?
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Tomo wrote:
>
> As I remember 200 kph is no more than 125 mph, so 240 should
> be safe for a good moden bike or car (eg Toad), given a clear
> road?
240 = 150mph, and on an autobahn, or similar, would be ok.
But the West Coast road, where he was stopped, is NOT an autobahn, it is a single laner, and at this time of year is never clear - incredibly busy, with holiday makers, etc.
It is also the type of road where one has to keeps your wits about you ... lots of debris, pedestrians, blind curves, roving animals - I'd hesitate to exceed 70mph there, on a good day. Also, the surface isn't up to a very high standard.
Tomo, I'm not opposed to a bit of generous right foot, but under the circumstances, what he was doing was downright criminal.
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You will find that in this country (the UK) motorcyclists are also punished more severely than motorists. Generally, motorcyclists are better drivers, than motorists as they have to be aware of road conditions, manhole/drain covers, loose surfaces, smooth white lines, diesel spills, the weather and of course motorists etc, and they are aware that they are the ones most likely to be hurt in an accident.
The best combination is a motorcyclist or drives a car.
I think all car driver should spend six months on two wheel before they are allowed on four, that would give them some real road craft.
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Anthony,
Just seen this on the web. Looks like a step in the right direction.
"? A new British learner driver?s test will examine candidates on their ability to spot motorcycles among other traffic. The new Hazard Perceptions Test will be added to the standard UK driving licence requirements next October.
Candidates seated in a driving simulator will be shown video clips filmed from the top of a car and scored on how quickly and correctly they react to the various road hazards that appear in the visuals.
The British government has long been promising to tighten up the requirements of the driving licence test to reduce the number of motorcycle accidents caused by car drivers.
According to assistant chief examiner Trevor Wedge of the Driving Standards Agency, responsible for administering the test, rookie drivers can take up to two seconds longer to identify danger than more experienced road users. Prospective drivers will have to respond competently to a number of clips containing at least 15 hazards to pass.
?There?s a whole range involving motorcycles,? explained Wedge. ?They include situations in which a motorcyclist is filtering. In one, a driver is turning right and another car travelling in the opposite direction has stopped for him to do so.
?We want to see the test candidate realise that, because a car isn?t going to come past that stationary vehicle, a motorcycle won?t.?
The new test will apply to learner motorcyclists as well, which is not as silly as it sounds.
Motorcyclists? organisations in Britain have welcomed the new test, although veteran campaigner Ian Mutch of the Motorcyclist?s Action Group pointed out a possible failing. Since all the video clips are shown from a front-facing viewpoint only, there?s no way to simulate a situation in which a driver has stopped before pulling out into a road and must check both directions before moving on.
The scenario in which a car driver pulls out in front of an oncoming motorcycle and later claims not to have seen the bike?s headlight remains one of the most common causes of injury to motorcyclists all over the world.
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Forthcoming euro legislation will require all new cars to have permanent headlights, Volvo style. Most of the motorcylcle press reckon this will reduce the impact (no pun intended) of bikes using their lights for daylight running.
So have some sympathy for the main beam bikers filtering through traffic; rather make sure I'm seen and run the risk of momentarily irritating a few, although even when using this there are still an alarming number of drivers who insist on making a useless lane change in crawling traffic.
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