Qld Government Overeact - Yet Again

[DallasQLD]

Beatie and the Police woman havew reacted as usual to the 9 deaths we have had by suggesting that speedsters and drunks have to fill in a questionare for why they were being stupid.

I will be filling in one for them next election day. You knwow, the one you use the lead pencil in the electoral booth.

God help us can't they watch the cricket or something...

[harvyk]

The problem isn't so much the actual 9 deaths because of speeding or drink driving, it's who out of those 9 are the innocent bystanders???

I have no problem with drink driving or speeding as long as they only take themselve out (to be honest it's simply natural selection at work) but the problem is it rarely works that way and they take out an on-comming car for example there is a larger problem...

A questionare may make people caught doing these things think twice...

[JB]

Same in every state dallas. Unfortunately Governments are reactive rather than proactive. Rather than inplement structures and changes for tommorrow when they will not be around, they come up with reactionary so called solutions to make it see like they are doing something today, to try to keep themselves in government. Problem is we just keep going in circles as the reactionery solution does nothing for the future and we face the same problems again down the track.

[tab]

I had quite an in-depth chat with a highway patrol officer the other day, and essentially the entire force is over the whole speed kills campaign as well but unfortunately those working on the coal face have no input into policy decisions so they just keep getting what the pollies think is correct rammed down their throats to enforce.

How many people have lost their lives in this holiday period in the Northern Territory? Last time I saw the stats it was a big fat zero. If the propaganda were true then every person that drives on one of the territory’s roads with the open speed limits would die.

Inexperience kills – and that’s about the extent of it. But on the other hand misinformation and hysteria wins elections.

[harvyk]

I had quite an in-depth chat with a highway patrol officer the other day, and essentially the entire force is over the whole speed kills campaign as well but unfortunately those working on the coal face have no input into policy decisions so they just keep getting what the pollies think is correct rammed down their throats to enforce.

How many people have lost their lives in this holiday period in the Northern Territory? Last time I saw the stats it was a big fat zero. If the propaganda were true then every person that drives on one of the territory’s roads with the open speed limits would die.

Inexperience kills – and that’s about the extent of it.  But on the other hand misinformation and hysteria wins elections.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Very true, but how do you measure inexperience??? Years behind the wheel doesn't really come into it if it's a type of driving your not used to... (Put a person who has only driven to their local shops for 10 years along a highway for 6 hours and see how they go...)

Speed is something that can be easily measured and put a very solid line in at (aka the speed limit)

I also agree that it is funny, the state with the lowest death toll (percentage killed compaired to population) is also the state with no speed limits and a higher blood alcohol tolerance, they are also the only state to my knowledge with no demerit points system...

I think the true answer would be to truly test a persons ability to drive before handing them their license (and their ability to truely control a car), and make a license a privledge not a right...

[NT TURBO]

The road toll up here is usually low how ever it is no real indication of anything but how many drunks slept on the road this season.

[thebrunks]

Two women travelling in the backseat of a car were killed when the vehicle left the road and crashed into a pole at Underwood, south of Brisbane around daybreak.

The Queensland Ambulance Service says two men in the car have been taken to hospital after suffering minor injuries.

How about this one, the guys had only just met the girls that night. Young pissed idiots who believe (Like most kids around 18) that they know everything & that they're unstoppable!

I reckon raising the drinking age would help.

Everyone says education etc. but no one suggests what sort of education/driver training?

The message of death/maming just doesn't get through on TV, perhaps young people should be forced to meet victims of road accidents & families of those killed/injured.

Russ

[Adam]

I don't think raising the legal age to drink alcohol would help at all.

It's currently 18. I've seen plenty of underage kids drinking.

They don't care, and either do alot of their parents.

[YOOT]

The road toll up here is usually low how ever it is no real indication of anything but how many drunks slept on the road this season. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I think the real reason why the NT has zero or very few fatalities is because the total population is less than 199,000 people and the have a huge area to share (some 1.35million km2) of which 50% of the population lives in outer regional areas, and the other 50% live in remote or very remote areas. Hence, little traffic, little congestion, few intersections, and no one else to take out on the deserted highways.

Cpare this to Qld (fastest growing state) has 3.8 million people (2003 - closer to 4million today) and shares 1.7million km2, where over 50% of the popultion lives in major cities, 25% in inner regional areas and the remainder in outer region with very few in remote. Not suprising we had 9 deaths.

Just to emphasize my point NSW has 6.7million people jammed into 0.8million km2, that's twice the population of Qld and half the area! ALso 90% of the population lives in major cities or inner regional areas, there are almost none in remote areas.

Speed limit or no speed limit, there is just way too much space and no were near enough people for regular deaths to occur in the NT. Especially since most accidents on highways occur when someone tries a manouvre such as overtaking on the wrong section of road, or drives beyond the limits of therir car or is tailgating the 20 other cars in front.

Very rarely do you hear of deaths in remote areas where someone just took off the road and died, there is almost always a catalyst involved, and built up busy areas contain a hell of a lot of catalyst compared to remote areas. Hence the NT low statistics compared to the other three densly populated states.

And on a side note Australias population is officially up to 20,400,000 :D

[Phoon]

Unfortunately there is no simple answer to this debate. Certainly, the way we all get our licence is questionable, three lessons and if you look competant, you get a licence. Alcohol definately dulls response times in a car and each persons tolerance to how much affects them is different. Young people think they are bullet proof when they have been drinking, I know that's what I thought as a young bloke. Better roads? well they definately could do with improving, but where do the funds come from cause every govt. would have us believe there are not enough funds. Do we have a limit on the size of motor or power a young driver can have, that will never work or put a curfew on no. of young people per car and a curfew on times young people can drive. What about speed cameras, they are only useful to raise revenue for governments. I dont know the answers and neither do our governments as they have only one agenda and that is to be seen to be doing something so that they get re elected. Im sure that somewhere in the world there are low road tolls per capita of people and maybe a study of this world best practice to the road toll should be studied, trialled and adopted.