On the local paper's website right now. And this is just today. Take care out there!
1) A driver was left shocked and shaken after a car crash on the A428 this morning. The crash involved a Ford Fiesta and happened on the eastbound exit slip road at Madingley at 9.25 am.
2) Two people had to be cut free after their car landed on its roof in an accident on the A14. The Chrysler collided with a Vauxhall Corsa on the slip road at Stow-cum-Quy from the eastbound carriageway at 9.40am.
3) A man is fighting for his life after a car crashed into a tree.The 18-year-old suffered serious head injuries in the smash when a Ford Fiesta hit a tree in Somersham and ended up in a ditch.
4) Dad-of-three is killed after car leaves road. A father-of-three has died after losing control of his car and hitting a tree.
5) A428 wire barrier is safe, says agency after crash. Highways bosses have offered reassurances about a carriageway’s safety barriers, following a fatal crash. [The driver] died after her sports car smashed through the central reservation of the A428, hit a Citroen coming in the opposite direction, and burst into flames.
6) A coach carrying school children crashed on the M11 this morning.The vehicle, which was taking 44 youngsters from Dover to Scotland, left the road after colliding with the central reservation.
Last edited by: Crankcase on Tue 28 Sep 10 at 16:03
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3000 people a year get killed and many more injured on the roads each year... fly or go by train if you want safer transport...
Mind you stats can be used to prove or disprove anything... its not even safe to stay indoors in view of the accidents that happen in there!
Is there anywhere safe?? ;-)
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The population is about 67-68 million (nobody knows for certain!) and out of that 3000 a year die. We need to put into perspective really.
There is a lot of deaths but we still have some of the safest roads in the world.
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>> 3000 people a year get killed and many more injured on the roads each year...
>> fly or go by train if you want safer transport...
Oh no - don't fly so far this year approx 1100* people have been killed in air crashes.
Don't go by train, so far this year approx 200* dead
>> Mind you stats can be used to prove or disprove anything... its not even safe
>> to stay indoors in view of the accidents that happen in there!
Oh no - don't stay at home
www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-11429439
>> Is there anywhere safe?? ;-)
No!
* globally
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You cannot compare global statistics though with UK one. Statistically far more people are kileld by road by any other form of transport BUT far more people use the roads. We use the roads every day even if we don't drive, I can't say the same about air. I use it rails in some sort a few times a week though and consider the safest way to travel.
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On the local paper's website right now.
You do have to wonder what these people were doing at the time of these accidents though don't you? I mean if something fails on a car like the tyre, then there's not much you can do about it. But drivers losing control of their vehicles and hitting trees. Trees don't jump out of the verge in front of them, some of this must be blamed on bad observation and lack of concentration, or having no idea of the limits of their cars. I see people every day doing everything in their cars except driving and looking ahead. It's almost as if the very act of driving is boring them, so they have to do something else at the same time. You just have to hope that these events don't involve you.
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Along those lines, there's only 4 tyres keeping you from being one of these statistics and still people buy the cheapest junk they can find, or if they do buy better quality it's primarily because they last twice as long.
Put in perspective every one of the vehicles headlined could be driven by highly competent drivers of well shod and maintained vehicles taking evasive action or even rebounding from someone who doesn't maintain or shoe their vehicle properly.
Bound to hundreds of accidents in the next few months, we'll be getting wet rain and possibly a cold spell at some point...conditions never known before.;)
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Crankcase, you have a better chance of staying alive and well on our roads. How? Because your post demonstrates that you perceive that driving is a risky undertaking and will drive accordingly.
I was quite amazed, driving from Sunderland to Chester and back on our motorway system last Sunday. There were very few commercial vehicles on the road, with their moderating effect on speeds in general. Relatively powerful passenger cars were being driven at high speed and too close to the vehicles in front of them. The drivers of these cars did not perceive a risk in their driving style. OK, I did not witness an accident, since the design of our motorways in generally safety orientated but when things do go wrong these drivers have no safety margin.
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Oh come along Gentlemen.
The UK roads are the safest in the world. Lets not get carried away with talk of killer drivers and lethal tyres.
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2,538 fatalities in 2008.
5,437 in Poland where they have far fewer drivers doing far fewer miles.
Something for the UK to be proud of at last.
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>> 2,538 fatalities in 2008.
>>
>> 5,437 in Poland where they have far fewer drivers doing far fewer miles.
>>
>> Something for the UK to be proud of at last.
Yes, maybe I should go to India for a reality check (60,000 fatalities a year)
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France has more accidents, and I understand they are often more serious than in Britain.
Someone flashed us the other day to alert us to an accident over the brow of the hill. A C4 seemed to ave spun and was on the other side of the road facing our way, damaged. Five or six concerned passers-by had stopped and the triangle had been placed facing us (and no doubt the other way). The fuzz hadn't shown yet. It didn't look as if there would have been any serious injuries.
Although different the driving in France certainly isn't worse overall than in Britain. But the roads are much emptier giving perhaps a false sense of security.
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...But the roads are much emptier giving perhaps a false sense of security...
British roads are generally very well designed from a safety point of view.
For example, the series of unguarded concrete posts in the Paris underpass in which Princess Diana had the accident would not be allowed here.
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>> unguarded concrete posts in the Paris underpass in which Princess Diana had the accident would not be allowed here.
Perhaps so. Not that I regard those posts as any sort of real hazard. And I've seen a lot of armco on French roads in front of what used to be unguarded rows of poplars. So the relentless attempt to turn the world into a playground for immature halfwits has even reached a civilised country like France.
The point though is the absolute road mileage here, and the low use of most roads. It's completely different from our place.
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A German friend used to joke that the reason why French roads were kept tree lined was so that the German armies could march in the shade. French colleagues used to fall about laughing at that one...
Last edited by: Humph D'bout on Tue 28 Sep 10 at 20:33
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"in which Princess Diana had the accident"
Oh my god! Is she ok?
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More speed cameras. That's what's needed! Slow em down.
"Taxi for Fullchat"
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..."in which Princess Diana had the accident"...Oh my god! Is she ok?...
I was being careful with my choice of words because I think she was pulled alive from the wreckage and died later in hospital.
Of course, there are those who say it was no accident.
Did they ever find the Panda?
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>>Of course, there are those who say it was no accident.
>>Did they ever find the Panda?
Thats it, blame it on the Chinese
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>> >>Did they ever find the Panda?
>>
>> Thats it, blame it on the Chinese
>>
Poor thing. Bet it had a couple of black eyes.
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You do have to be prepared to react to the latest example of elderly antics.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-11430202
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France must have around twice the land mass as the UK, and a slightly lower population, and yet they have around 4000 deaths/year on their roads. Can we deduce anything:
- the French have more dangerous roads? Don't think so.
- the French have fewer patrols, speed cameras etc? In absolute terms no, but I guess they are more thinly spread than in the UK so less chance of getting caught if you fancy going wild;
- the French generally buy faster cars than us Brits?
- there are fewer French stuck in nose-to-tail jams compared with us Brits? Quite possibly;
- therefore the French get the chance to speed more than the Brits, more often?
- err, therefore speeding kills?
- or the French like a drink more than we do?
For a population of less than 5 million, the death toll here in NZ easily matches Europe's worst countries. Reasons: crap roads, excessive speed, and lots of old bangers on the road which are poorly maintained, and don't have all the modern safety features. Oh, people seem to drink n' drive more here too...
Trends emerging here..?
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In 4 out of the 6 instances cited it appeared that no other cars were involved.
So for "collided with a tree" read "stupidly drove into a tree".
If you feel unsafe passing trees, slow down in case one jumps out at you.
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>> If you feel unsafe passing trees, slow down in case one jumps out at you.
>>
You'd never want to drive in France if you were that worried!
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Sometimes you don't feel safe on the roads - hobby
