[AsterisK]

From www.CarAdvice.com.au - link contains sauce + video

Quote

Mark Skaife, Australian V8 Supercar driver and Holden Ambassador, has come under fire from Victorian Premier John Brumby after presenting a proposal to make Australia’s roads safer by employing a more European approach to speed and driver training – a view long held by CarAdvice.

In his proposal, Skaife highlights the fundamental flaws of Australia’s current road system including the desperate need for improved young driver training and increasing the number of safer cars on our roads.

Unfortunately with the demonization of speeding engrained in the minds of Australian motorists and politicians, Skaife’s suggestion to bump the national speed limit up to 140km/h has become the sole focus of the proposal with Premier Brumby saying that it would have a “catastrophic impact” by sending the death toll soaring.

“We have no plans to change the speed limit,” Premier John Brumby said. “You will never lower your road toll if you have a top speed limit of 140km/h — indeed, if you drive at that speed in Victoria you will lose your licence. It is a hoon driving offence.”

Following years of road safety campaigns convincing the Australian public that “every kay over is a killer”, the proposal is struggling to gain momentum in parliament with Deputy Commissioner (Traffic) Ken Lay backing Premier Brumby in rejecting the plan.

This has left Skaife noticeably frustrated with the majority of his opposition misinterpreting the core initiatives of his proposal to improve the standard of safety on our roads.

“He’s missed some of the critical pillars of what I was saying — improved driver training, better roads and maintenance and encouraging people to drive safer cars,” Mark Skaife said.

“Don’t just focus on the one thing that is controversial, focus on the other items that are critical to road safety, the things we have to do to make a difference and then comment on whether the 140 limit is appropriate,” he said.

Skaife has cited the German approach to road safety as the benchmark for which Australia’s current system should be judged, pointing out that despite having no speed limits on parts of its freeway network Germany still remains at the forefront of road safety.

He also emphasised that the lack of driver training coupled with the fact that younger motorists are less likely to be able to afford newer, safer vehicles is the main reason why P-platers are still so well represented in Australia’s road toll.

Despite boasting the statistics to back the common-sense initiatives he proposes, Skaife’s words have fallen on deaf ears with the majority adhering to the ’speed kills’ mantra and immediately condemning his suggestions.

In contrast, the government has formulated its own campaign to stem the road toll in the form of the new Hoon laws which continue to punish and condemn offenders after the fact rather than instigating a proactive solution to save lives.

[HOON69]

The do-gooders of society are living in denial,we do infact need to remove death traps from our roads,the goverment needs to spend some of that 400million (victoria only ere btw) a year on roads and road safety its obvious they havent been just look at the road tolls and Skaife is right in saying what he said HE ISN'T ENCOURAGING DANGEROUS DRIVING HIS ENCOURAGING US TO IMPROVE SAFETY.

i for one agree with Skaife
but one thing that pisses me off is being on a highway doing the limit and having to sit behind a L or P Plater who has to remain at a certain speed limit,it's not only silly but dangerous having cars doing 80 or below on roads that have a limit of 20-30 faster then their limits.

N.T and some other states have roads perfect for increasing the speed limit which would reduce the amount of time you drive on such a road which decreases the chance of fatigue,so go figure?

[Biza]

dick johnson played this game over 10 years ago to, and he failed to, wont win with the dickheads

[PANDA]

yea we all know they are fucking morons.

[alex.]

the government is fucked, someone normal needs to work hard and try and fix the fucked country with

rego, speeding fines, speed cameras, rates, inflation, health care system, road upgrades etc



surely it cant be too fucking hard

[alex.]

Ray, on 16 June 2010 - 11:32 AM, said:

FIGHT THE POWER

F.T.P?

[alex.]

it is typical that in that whole story of more infrastructure and more better quality cars and more money in general the only thing they focus on is raising the speed toll


if you have awesome roads, and awesome cars, then they can go faster... but oh well

[Nunga]

While we have fuckheads like the Pedestrian Council of Australia bullshitting on and helping influence Government, we'll get nowhere.

[Marky Mark]

SKAIFE FOR PM.....He's true hoon at heart.

[176OES]

Its simple, while there is money to be made from the roads, the lives of australians are seen as expendable by those in power.

[alex.]

he slid that better than half the 'drifters' out there

[ONA70]

fucking stupid narrow-minded politicians, focusing solely on the thing that effects their coffers....

even some of the first few words of the report tell the essence of the problem driver eduction.

"Young drivers are taught to pass the test instead of how to actually control a vehicle"

i agree with Ray- youthful modern politicians for a modern world instead of those dinosaurs that are currently doing three-fifths of fuck all and contributing to their own healthy super balance

/end rant

This post has been edited by ONA70: 17 June 2010 - 06:41 PM

[hawkiiie]

safer cars are a definite like real life example my mates vt commo fairly modern but extremely safe car we crashed doing 180 and because of the excellent safety features abs intrusion bars ect. neither me or my mate mitch sustained and injuries yet if you where in a hyundai excel or great wall or any other budget car then we would be dead but because of the safety features i didnt get a single scratch

facebook group:

http://www.facebook....57090911?ref=ts

[UNR8D]

A Vt commodore would at best have had 2 airbags, and were 3 star crash safety rating even the Chinese are doing better than that now days.
as for the 180km/h impact, hit something solid you wouldnt walk away in an S Class Merc let alone a VT.
OT:- I cant believe that the pollies didnt even bother to reply to anything bar the speed limit mentioned, if they had of attended English classes part of understanding is to read the whole article then have right of reply, not read the headline and go off on a tangent.
Never thought id agree with Mark Scaife but the man is 100% on the money, and the pollies fail to realise the dumbing down of speed and everyday driving is making BAD drivers, they rely on the dont speed and you wont die mantra. There are plenty of roads where 140 would be safe, beenleigh to southport for a start, and 130 on all national highways isn't going to kill every single person in fact might save some lives by keeping people awake on that lonely 400km stretch between towns, not everyone lives in SE qld for a start.

and that is made clear by qld gov themselfs, try doing this legally past a school at 3pm in brisbane... guess kids from out west have brains and are taught commonsense about looking before walking

This post has been edited by UNR8D: 17 June 2010 - 11:18 PM

[hawkiiie]

we hit a solid timber fence if it did not have an intrusion bar i most likely would be dead now

[AsterisK]

hawkiiie, on 18 June 2010 - 09:20 AM, said:

we hit a solid timber fence if it did not have an intrusion bar i most likely would be dead now

wow man. near death experience. was it on the news bro?

[hawkiiie]

no and im glad it wasnt because 60 minutes would be like bloody inexperienced p platers and they would come back during the day and see the skid marks ands conclude that there was no way we were doing the speed limit also if the fence had not of stopped us we would of ended up in a dam if it had been a power poll or a solid tree i know i wouldnt be here my door took the first hit