Speeding

[andyturbo]

I want to start this post by saying I am a complete hypocrite for writing this but my life has changed after an incident on the weekend.

Last saturday night at around 9 oclock pm my brother asked if I wanted to go for a drive to jells park for a walk as we often do. We jumped in the car and drove up the street to the intersection of strada cresent and f'tree gully road in wheelers hill. As my brother went to turn right onto f'tree gully, we noticed the road completely closed off and was redirect straight by a police officer. As we drove past we looked up the f'tree gully road and saw what appeard to be a at least 15 of 20 flashing lights (emergency vechles). Being the nosy people that we are we decided to take the back roads and see what was going on.

As we turned right from a backroad onto viewmount road what I saw I will never forget. A smashed up mitsubushi evolution on the side of the road and a body on the ground with paramedics working firecy on it. I hoped out of the car and walked closer. This is when things really started. As I approach the already gathering crowed of people, I begin to see many familyer faces..people that I knew quite well. I then saw the rest of the carnige, a smashed up taxi and a P plate RX7 that I had seen around the area regulary. I saw a friend of mine (in many of my classes at school) talking to a police officer who was writing somthing down. Two people where still trapped in the back off the evo. I asked a friend what had happend and he said somone had died. I left at this stage and went home.

The boy that was killed was a person from around the area. I was not personally friends with him but had seen him on a few occasions. Many of my mates knew him well. 2 other people which are also good mates of friends are in a criticle condition. I can honestly say that this experience has completely changed my views of speeding. Being 2months away from geting my P's I have been all huped up about geting behind the wheel, cruising around with loud music and mates and u know just doing what boys do. All those talks we had with police at school never clicked in..no matter how many times they said "or it could be you or one of your friends" it was always just shrugged off...as if somthing like this could happen in little wheelers hill where nothing ever does.

The reason ive written this is due to the fact that ive seen the way it CAN happen to you. Going to school the last two days, driving past the scene where flowers and photo's lay of somone who lived just streets away makes me see how dangerous cars can be. Please next time anyone is at the lights and decides to give it a quick 'squit' rethink or at least be carful. This is all it was for a carload of young people (two which went to my school last year). This one 'squit' ended up killing a mate of many, 15, who had a whole life ahead of him..as well as leaving others criticly injured with injuries they'll probably never recover from.

Im sad myself that its taken the death of somone to make me realise how stupid speeding really is. Ive been in cars that have travelled way over the limit, as im sure many people have, and have never really thought deeply about the consiquences. 120kmph in an 80 zone is fast, but not close to some of the speeds that many of us have probably driven at. Stating the obvious here, but noone could ever suspect a taxi to pull out onto a main road without taking in the suroundings but it happend..and the impact of a car hiting another at 120kmph is mind blowing. This experience has definatnly changed my thoughts of speeding, and I jsut really hope it doesnt take somthing like this to happen to anyone reading this for them to realise how stupid it is. Lifes way to precious to loose for a little bit of an adreniline rush.

sorry about the spelling errors, ill change them later

Edited 13/02/07 12:02 PM by andyturbo

[theeone]

I will not try to imagine how you feel, but I do offer my condolences for your friends and you.

When you've had a bit more time to assess this, and when you have had some experience on the road, you will come to realize that its not as simple as you see it right now.

Time, place, concentration and experience play a big part in driver skills, unfortunately most people have to learn that on the road.

Just my bit.

[Evil F6]

There's speeding and then there's being a complete dickhead. Drag racing in the city is asking for trouble. What there were other cars on the road, who'd have thought. Young punks, fast cars, alcohol and a lack of neurons all spell disaster. I could less about these selfish f wits, but of course there's the innocent victims as usual. The rest of us cop it in the arse because of this sort of sh*t.

Edited 13/02/07 12:08 PM by Evil F6

[Ninka]

Tragic event for sure

Given your young age, I think this is a good example of how bad things can go, people die in traffic crashes every day.

Good luck with your 'P's when you get them, and pay attention when driving, not to your mobile, the mates, girlfriend, stereo or what ever might distract you, but focus on the road ahead, as many accidents are acused by inattention

[andyturbo]

There's speeding and then there's being a complete dickhead. Drag racing in the city is asking for trouble. What there were other cars on the road, who'd have thought. Young punks, fast cars, alcohol and a lack of neurons all spell disaster. I could less about these selfish f wits, but of course there's the innocent victims as usual. The rest of us cop it in the arse because of this sort of sh*t.

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Evil F6 this wasn't meant as a sympathy post...I understand the circome stances and I know that the driver of the cars were altimantly responsible for this..as well as lack of experience ect.. I just thought I would share how this effected me. As somone mentioned above I am young, and havn't expereinced somthing like this before. Im sorry to anyone that may have lost mates or family members in simular cercome stances. I agree the media certainly arnt doing any favours to general responsible motor enthusiests, and its not fair the way they jump on situations like this and give all drivers of fast cars a bad name.

Edited 13/02/07 12:19 PM by andyturbo

[ENVY-T]

Andy, I feel for ya mate.

I grew up off Lum road, and was talking to my parents about this yesterday. My youngest sister and her boyfriend were leaving my parents house, when they heard the bang. I shudder to think about the young life taken and many ruined.

Hope all is ok with your school mates, and that life can have some semblence of normality after this tragedy.

But as Evil F6 said, now we all get put on notice for driving nice cars, modified or not. As with police, it takes just one rotten egg to spoil the whole lot.

[Blonk]

Like the old saying goes...

"When beginning your driving career you start of with a full bag of luck and an empty bag of experience, the trick is to fill the bag of experience, before the bag of luck runs out.."

[ZAP]

That is a VERY true saying

As for "Speeding" it is a word used way to often and usually out of context, just like the "Racisim" or "Hoon" word.

What happened was caused by EXCESSIVE SPEED and inexperience.

The problem we are facing on the roads is called "speed conditioning", and the blame is put squarely on the government advertising. People think that as long as they do the speed limit they are safe, and that if they go over the speed limit by 5km/h they will die instantly. This has caused people to watch their speedo and not the road and loose the ability to use judgement to decide on the correct speed.

Doing 110km/h on the freeway @ peakhour weaving in an out of traffic is dangerous and is also excessive speeding, even though they are not going over the speed limit. This could also be applied in heavy rain or fog, yet it is legal.

BUT

Driving at 140km/h at middnight on the same freeway with no traffic is illegal and you are "speeding".

How dumb is this ?

While I feel very sorry for what happened to Andy's friends and their families, there will always be deaths on our roads caused by young people. This is a fact of life, the same as there will be deaths from drugs, firearms, alchol and anything else we do.

We should be educating drivers, not slapping them with fines.

[Mr Turbo]

Andy, I feel for ya mate.

I grew up off Lum road, and was talking to my parents about this yesterday. My youngest sister and her boyfriend were leaving my parents house, when they heard the bang. I shudder to think about the young life taken and many ruined.

Hope all is ok with your school mates, and that life can have some semblence of normality after this tragedy.

But as Evil F6 said, now we all get put on notice for driving nice cars, modified or not. As with police, it takes just one rotten egg to spoil the whole lot.

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Fark I grew off Lum Road also (Sunnybrook rd) ... But on topic that said to hear what happened Andy, Not worth putting lives on risk at such a young age.

Rob...

[ENVY-T]

Fark I grew off Lum Road also (Sunnybrook rd)  ... But on topic that said to hear what happened Andy, Not worth putting lives on risk at such a young age.

Rob...

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Off topic, I used to tandem skateboard down Sunnybrook drive with a good mate that lived in Threadbow cres before they put the traffic islands in! Now that was excessive speed wobbles! I was in Darnley grove, just over FTG rd.