Stu: Why? So drivers can stop thinking for themselves and fob even more responsibility off to someone else? Already well on the way there as it is.

umm, i've driven in major cities and small towns with the clock and it just works. it tells you when the green light will end and when the red will turn green.

Stu: If you're approaching traffic lights, you should be prepared for a change in colour. This is especially true if they're "stale" green. You don't have to brake, but at least back off the accelerator.

Some people do it because the dickhead behind them is tailgating :)

Every second time I go into a car park I see a car idling and being used as a giant phone charger as someone sits there using their plugged in phone. Sometimes this goes on for twenty minutes. 

Geektastic: Eight people dead this last weekend on the roads and STILL no mention of suboptimal driver education as being any part of the problem. The minister thinks it’s all down to “the roads”. That’s because roads control cars, eh minister?

Yep, so it rains on the weekend, the roads that haven't seen any moisture for some weeks get slippery.

Drivers still drive the same stupid way as before.

Roads fault, yeah right.

No amount of spending on roads will stop impatient and rude driving. We need better driver education, and more importantly, an attitude change. The nicest people in the world can get behind the wheel and turn into a selfish demon. Don't ask me how to achieve this. I don't know.

I feel for all the families affected by the tragedies on our roads.

floydbloke:

 

Journeyman:

 

...Did you happen to get the number plate?

 

 

Yes we did.  Mrs Floyd has reported to the police.

 

Update 22022020.

Wifey got a phonecall from Dave the policeman.  He has spoken to the truck-driver.  Truck-driver admitted it, is rather embarrassed that it's on Youtube and said something about not being able to stop in time with a full load.  Dave's boss now has to decide whether they will prosecute.

They haven't done anything about the ute driver yet.  Wanted to confirm with us first that we definitely have the correct rego number, which we do.

Update 24022020

Dave's boss agreed definitely worth a ticket so both drivers will be receiving a $150 infringement notice. No demerit points.

(Been asked to retain the footage for a bit.  I'm guessing the drivers have the right to dispute and go to court.)

Geektastic: Eight people dead this last weekend on the roads and STILL no mention of suboptimal driver education as being any part of the problem. The minister thinks it’s all down to “the roads”. That’s because roads control cars, eh minister?

It is a veiled admission that we have 3rd world driving standards and they don't see enforcement or education as a solution (absent or failed safety controls).

He is talking about what is technically called "Engineering Controls" which is one of the elements of safety - in a nutshell, if through clever design you make the roads (or a machine) fool proof, fools stop hurting them selves on said the roads/machine.  The more engineered safety you have, the less training and education you can get away with. For instance if a machine has all the dangerous spinning/cutting/crushing parts safety guarded, then the operator doesn't need any safety training.

In 3rd world countries like Egypt and UAE where there is poor driving skills/non existent licencing but lots of money for roading there are median barriers everywhere. You can only turn with the flow of traffic, you can't turn across the traffic. This can be inconvenient, but it solves the problem on people driving into oncoming traffic when turning, overtaking, queue jumping etc. 

Another element of general safety is "Elimination" - that is don't do the activity that leads to harm. This is where I suspect the drastic reduction in speed limits around AKL are leading to (circa 30kph), the elimination of free left turns, and elimination of intelligent programming and vehicle sensors at traffic lights - aka Traffic Pacification. Obviously if you make driving so inefficient, painful and slow, people will give up driving which eliminates traffic deaths. At the moment Aucklanders are rebelling by simply driving through red lights they perceived as a nuisance or un-necessary, so it is exacerbating not improving the safety problem. Bus lanes are a dual purpose element of Traffic Pacification, in that public transport improves at the expense of private transport.

tripper1000:

 

It is a veiled admission that we have 3rd world driving standards and they don't see enforcement or education as a solution (absent or failed safety controls).

 

You may well be correct.

To suggest that New Zealanders are somehow incapable of being taught to drive properly and that therefore we must assume in our design that they will drive badly is a rather damning indictment of New Zealand, don't you think?

Geektastic:

 

tripper1000:

 

It is a veiled admission that we have 3rd world driving standards and they don't see enforcement or education as a solution (absent or failed safety controls).

 

 

You may well be correct.

 

To suggest that New Zealanders are somehow incapable of being taught to drive properly and that therefore we must assume in our design that they will drive badly is a rather damning indictment of New Zealand, don't you think?

 

Yet, somehow, in a 500m radius of any police car, driving standards are impeccable.  Indicators suddenly start working, speed limits become a thing, following distances are observed etc.  It's like magic.

geoffwnz:

 

.... speed limits become a thing ....

 

I actually thought there was an unwritten rule that the speed limit is actually 10kph lower than posted ??? And if you brake sharply, the cop will respect you more for your extra care on the roads...

NzBeagle:

 

geoffwnz:

 

.... speed limits become a thing ....

 

 

I actually thought there was an unwritten rule that the speed limit is actually 10kph lower than posted ??? And if you brake sharply, the cop will respect you more for your extra care on the roads...

 

I wonder if the Police get annoyed at how slow they must drive.

Whenever there is one on a road, and especially a multi-lane road (like the motorway or expressway), there is a pod of 90km/h cars surrounding them.

I'll stay doing 100km/h according to my speedo, which I know is probably 95/96, but I will still pass this pod.