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Old 12th February 2022, 22:31   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rontug View Post
Some years ago I attended a awareness course (no brainer) There were a large number of people on the course we were split into groups of maybe five. each group were put in the position of being involved in an accident were a five year old child was killed. one group were the drivers of the car involved, one group was the family of the child, ect As the driver of the car I had to explain to the Childs family why I was speeding ect ect. I can assure you with grandchildren of my own it really hit home. I do not speed at all since. Those people who think speed limits don't apply to them just put yourself in that position
I always used a hard hitting video in basic training and also the advanced driving courses. I believe it was called Accident in Park Road. It was very hard hitting and involved a car/child collision. The silence and facial expressions proved how effective it was.

I was also fortunate enough to be invited to a North Yorkshire Police seminar which although aimed at reducing the young driver death rate, provided a load of material for our PSV training.
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Old 13th February 2022, 11:40   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by polinsteve View Post
I always used a hard hitting video in basic training and also the advanced driving courses. I believe it was called Accident in Park Road. It was very hard hitting and involved a car/child collision. The silence and facial expressions proved how effective it was.

I was also fortunate enough to be invited to a North Yorkshire Police seminar which although aimed at reducing the young driver death rate, provided a load of material for our PSV training.

Just under two years ago, the case has yet to go to court which will be around July this year, a child was hit by a racing, speeding driver, ( two cars involved ) estimated at 50mph plus on a 20mph limit, right outside my front gate, it all was captured on both my front CCTV cameras, I heard the bang ran out and did what I could for him till the ambulance and helicopter arrived, sadly he died a couple of days later.


On viewing the CCTV with the police as they took copies, it was apparent that the child and his brother did their road crossing procedure perfectly, down to the letter and if the driver had been travelling at 20 or even 30 they would have safely been at the other side of the road.


They would have seen the car in the far distance, presuming it to be travelling at the correct speed for a safe crossing, which it should have been, but unlike adults be unable to realise by how the car was moving, handling, sounds etc. that it was travelling far faster.


Frighteningly in retrospect, I have six grandchildren from 22 downwards who will have crossed at the spot many hundreds of times over the years.



Sadly and oddly, I've seen several fatal accidents happen and been first on the scene several times in my 70 odd years, first when I was 16 on my motorbike, a car overtook me and struck an elderly couple, killing them both.
Then years later a car overtook me on a motorway cut back into the nearside lane too quick, lost it shot up the bank, driver and pet dog both killed.
Another on a main road, a car overtook me and hit a pedestrian crossing the road, at the correct speed I was travelling at the pedestrian would have crossed safely before I would have reached where he was.
The last was a three care pile up on a country road that I nearly got caught up in, all but one of the passengers were walking wounded, a heavily pregnant lady feeling twinges, an elderly couple the husband was getting mild chest pain, all the others nothing to worry about, the exception was a 12 year old girl with severe head injuries, not wearing a seat belt, who sadly died a week later.


All but one of the above were in good daylight, one at night, all had good weather conditions, road conditions and visibility, though in some of the cases other factors were involved, excess speed was the major factor and at the correct road speed some of the accidents may still have happened, but not had such drastic consequences.


As I mentioned previously being involved in such a way so many times is I would think extremely unusual, I have over the years stopped at the scene of other accidents that have already happened to see if I need to get my first aid kit out and touch wood in those cases other than plugging the odd hole or comforting someone, nothing worse.


So take care out there, we all speed at sometimes, even I still do when concentrating on the road ahead and the speed creeps up.
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Old 13th February 2022, 13:12   #13
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Speed doesn't kill but the misuse of speed does, as demonstrated in post #12. I remember that after the company receiving complaints, I carried out a covert observation on the approach to Tooting Bec, London. It was a horrendous drive! The driver concerned probably didn't exceed the 30mph speed limit, but 30mph was inappropriate for an 11m long, 2.4m wide bus. Imagine weaving through parked vehicles and dealing with oncoming traffic and limited clearance at that speed. Appropriate speed would have been no more than 20mph. I supervised her driving on the return journey and had her in for retraining the next day.
Unfortunately several drivers were dismissed as part of my assessments and initially I felt very upset and guilty. However, I soon came to realise that their driving and attitude to other road users that got them dismissed, not me.
I know this is a bit off topic, but decent operators do try to maintain decent, safe standards. There's a lot more to being a bus driver than first appears.
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Old 13th February 2022, 13:35   #14
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Too many people do not understand that a speed limit is just that, not an advised speed, and speed should suit the conditions encountered.
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Old 13th February 2022, 13:35   #15
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During my years as a transport manager, I took a driver out on his first day with us, to show him the routes and deliveries. He was fine, driving to the warehouse when the truck was empty but once loaded, he had no idea! He came directly from a retraining scheme that taught people to pass an HGV test. He had never driven a loaded truck! I had to spend a lot of time with him and I was glad that I did. He did not appreciate being "shadowed" at first but thanked me in the end. In terms of "speed awareness" he learned to appreciate what speed was appropriate for the road conditions and the loading of the truck.
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Old 13th February 2022, 14:31   #16
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There are times when normally rational thinking people have an abnormal "rational" thought. Many years ago my wife called me at work to say she had fallen down the stairs and could not move her legs. I am sure you can imagine what went through my mind. It was 11 or 12 miles home. Before leaving work I called for an ambulance. I was home before the ambulance arrived.

I nearly lost my wife to a speeding motorist about 28 years ago. She was hit squarely head on with a combined speed of +60. Wow how the car protected her, did a brilliant job

Some people speed so often I am sure they dont think about their speed or what may happen. I dont complain about speed cameras
I know the risks and I dont seem them as a cash cow I see them as slapping those that break the rules and perhaps in time, removing them from the road.

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Old 13th February 2022, 15:14   #17
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We've all broken the speed limit at sometime, just that there's been nothing or no one around to catch us. Or the circumstances mean that no one has been injured or worse.

We've also got plenty of tales to tell about how we've been lucky, fortunate or not.

We all get it wrong occasionally. No one is perfect.

Cameras are a crude, one dimensional approach to motoring violations. They do little to stop the drunks, the drugged or the tail gatters. Is it any wonder folks don't like them.
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Old 13th February 2022, 15:44   #18
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Quote:
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We've all broken the speed limit at sometime, just that there's been nothing or no one around to catch us. Or the circumstances mean that no one has been injured or worse.

We've also got plenty of tales to tell about how we've been lucky, fortunate or not.

We all get it wrong occasionally. No one is perfect.

Cameras are a crude, one dimensional approach to motoring violations. They do little to stop the drunks, the drugged or the tail gatters. Is it any wonder folks don't like them.
Those that dont like them, are there more of those that have been done by them or more that have not?

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Old 13th February 2022, 17:22   #19
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Back in the 1980s, when I was even younger than I am now, I used to travel extensively for work and driving over 1000 miles a week was not unusual.
I suppose that gave me lots of experience in picking up bad habits.

My passion has always been riding motorcycles and around 1990 I decided to take advanced training and the test.
It was nothing like I expected and it totally changed my bigoted views of traffic cops.
My experience with the Thames Valley force was with a great bunch of guys, who had a sense of humour and also shared the love of riding high performance motorcycles
I rode with police class one riders and feel privileged of the skills and knowledge that they passed on to me.

These were the days when speed cameras were in their infancy and, my point is, that there is a huge difference between policing and law enforcement.

All of us are human and make mistakes (I should write a song about that ).
This is the case with the OP, IMHO, we are dealing with a machine that decides what is black or white.
Give me a quiet word and some advice from a police traffic officer anytime.

BTW, when I returned later to do my advanced car test, the “safety cameras” were more common, it was a unanimous feeling, from the traffic police, that it was a really bad idea.
I still share that view.
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Old 13th February 2022, 20:54   #20
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My problem with speed limits in this country they do not allow for the road conditions like some other countries do. In bad weather the limit should be reduced by 10 to 15% what ever road you are on.



Also if you are driving on a deserted motorway in good weather I think a few extra MPH should be aloud. I came back from London the other afternoon and for some reason the motorway was crazily quite, at one stage I could not see another vehicle in front or behind me and thought 70 or even 80 felt ridiculous.



After a few miles a BMW passed me doing I guess well over 100mph and it was tempting to follow but knowing some one who lost there licence for 3 months after doing such a thing and getting caught it makes you think, he nearly lost his job but luckily had a lot of holiday to use and with his wife they just about to keep him in work, put a strain the marriage though.
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