Alright AFF, lets lower the road toll...: Solutions

[XCwillo]

Or at-least try...
Everytime the Aus government rolls out a new plan to lower the road toll and stop hooning ect
I always see members from this forums (including myself) hating on it and coming up with better solutions with much more logic, and how the government is flawed in its (stupid) plans.
So i thought why not hold a poll, that has REALISTIC ideas of how better train young drivers ect, and ultimately lower the road toll

And then we'll send the solutions, with the signatures (names and numbers) of all the forum members who want to be apart of it, to Parliament house.
I knowww I knooow, whats that going to do, it will probably do nothing and this will probably never go ahead
but hey
The biggest changes, always start with a small idea
And even so, by the end of this we'll have an understanding on what the vast majority really think. And not just some closed in politician coming up with random ideas to look good to the old people >_>


First step: The solutions, I'll post up a few to start off, then you guys do the same, whether it be building on the last one, or a completely new one
Remember
They MUST be realistic and achievable by our government

Second Step: The top 5 ideas that get the most "+1" 's will go into the Poll thread that will be created later on. Then we will vote on what ones seem like the best, regardless, all top 5 ideas will be put in the letter, it will just show which one is desired most by motoring enthusiast

Third Step: The letter will be written (if anyone consideres themselves good at this, they can apply for the position) and all members who back up the results will be listed, with a form of contact, be it email or phone number.

I might create an account on all the major car forum sites (Xfalcons, commodores ect ect) and post this same thread, the more results the better!!

This is strictly the Ideas thread
All discussion relating Ideas needs to be posted in the Discussion thread

[XCwillo]

Compulsory advanced Driving course during L's
This is already law in some countries, where young drivers are required by law to undertake a lesson or so before getting their license
Its not hard to take a weekend out of a year to head to your nearest facility.
Training young drivers how to deal with situations saves them panicking when they face it for the first time on the roads, resulting in serious injury or death

[ST]

P-Platers restricted to horse and cart only for the first 3 years of their probationary period with a maximum of *2 horsepower.

Hoons are to have their cars impounded and for their daily transportation needs are to be dragged behind said horse(s*) and cart.

[GreenR]

Government subsidized driving courses
Not sure if they have already done it in the past or some states are doing. But I believe the government should be giving assistance to drivers in taking advanced/defensive driving courses, especially P Platers. The problem is these can cost around $200-$300

[nfury8]

stop making us stare at the speedo instead of the road. THINK ABOUT IT

[SteveJH]

Fix the Roads
If the roads get a pothole don't just fill the stupid thing in, fix the roads properly.

Down the end of my street there are a couple of potholes, they just fill them up, except every time it rains the holes come back. And if they don't spot fill them like that they'll just cut out a small section, and we end up with roads with patches all over them.

My solution. Build the roads properly in the first place, and when/if they need maintaining, do it properly the first time so you arent back in a week.

And while they are at it, when they do roadworks on country roads, and build new roads, can they please camber the corners properly?

Speed Camera's
Urban areas only, specifically traffic lights (like the new digital red light camera's) and school zones.

Except for making money, putting them on highways is not really going to achieve much since getting a letter in the mail in three weeks time isnt going to slow down the guy going 30-50km over the limit from hitting someone (like a policeman in a car would).

[Scott]

Here's a few off the top of my head mate, good to see a young bloke take an interest.

All [young] driver related at this stage, will come back with others when I find another 2c piece:

Learner drivers drive at the same limit as everyone else - why only learn half the job??
Every licence is a manual licence;
The instructing driver must be over 25yo and have passed a recertification within the past 3yrs;
0% Drug & Alcohol;
Power to Weight cap;
Night curfew;
Passenger limit;
Bi-annual RWC;

[Neale]

Originally Posted by XCwillo

Compulsory advanced Driving course during L's
This is already law in some countries, where young drivers are required by law to undertake a lesson or so before getting their license
Its not hard to take a weekend out of a year to head to your nearest facility.
Training young drivers how to deal with situations saves them panicking when they face it for the first time on the roads, resulting in serious injury or death

+1 I totally agree with this one.

I have been involved with aroad safety program for high school students in year 11 & 12. Doing this I meet people involved in different areas of road safety.
I was talking to a road safety officer of a local council (wont mention any names) that was trying to reduce the amout of young lives lost on the roads & I asked why the government isnt trying to encourage a driver training course to be included in getting a licence.
They said no & it was because it encourages hooning buy taking people out onto a skidpan & doing skids. They will then become overconfident & be dangerious drivers.
This person has obviously never done one of these courses because everyone I know that has done one has come away shocked at some of the things they learnt from it. Mainly not being as good of a driver as they thought they were.

Bottom line is I think we have to educate the pollies about driver training as mutch as we do the learner drivers

Motorbike riders do a basic course, why dont car drivers???

[mark300]

compulsory driver course for all 15-16 year olds in schools. have the police/highway patrol/crash investigation come into the school and talk to them and show them the results of what can happen on roads and all the various penalties. i went to a talk through a legal studies course a few years ago by a member of the crash investigation unit in newcastle and some of the pictures they showed us of P platers car accidents sure scared me.

as part of this, educate young drivers both in the classroom and compulsory defensive driving courses. (basically the same as what SCwillo said)

[onfire]

Zero tolerance on High ( 40km/h +limit ) Speed and Hoon culture for Young drivers.

Simple as that. You break the law... your car is impounded for 5 working days. We're not talking the weekend, or simply a few days. We're talking as of Monday morning 7.30am, that car is locked away till Friday 5.30pm.

Getting to work or school, we'll you're just going to have to work that out yourself sunshine.

With that theres a fine and of course and a lose of demerit points.

Break the law a 2nd time, it's double. 10 working days.. and that doesn't include the weekend in between... so you're looking at 12 days without a vehicle, double the fine and guess what, a few more points lost.

Third time out. Guess what? Heres the kicker. 12 months license suspension, fine... and heres the nasty bit. That car won't be crushed, it's plates will be removed, and de-registered and it's VIN number put on a " CANNOT BE SOLD / TRADED " list.. so heres a car, you cant drive, your family and friends cant drive and you cant sell for 12 months. We'll let you keep the car rather than wasting everyone's time and money crushing the thing.

[wrongwaynorris]

Simple , teach people to drive NOT how to pass a test . Over the next 5 years make EVERYONE with a licence sit retesting but PROPER retesting . From my daily experiences this should thin out the number of people on the roads by about 70%.

[grandpa_spec_F6]

I just witnessed a P-Plater driving a ute, with one in the passengers and 3 in the tray drinking happily away. Looked as though he'd picked them up from the station and was on the way home.... the mind boggles....

Start with MORE police to nab these clowns!

[pottery beige]

dont drink drive and be good to your mum....

[V8 Man]

Lowering our expectations and realising that no matter what we do, people will die on our roads.

[Trevor 57]

1. Don't allow people to drive cars until they are 26 year old

2. Speed limit cars

[glavas]

only way to stop deaths is it ban all cars from the roads.


the limit is low enough anyway only around 1500(or so) people die every year around 30000 hurt, thats a very small percentage of or population. more people die ffrom other things. the road toll is the minority of deaths but it takes the majority of blame for everything.

[pottery beige]

more speed cameras.. they save lives.....

[Trevor 57]

Originally Posted by glavas

the limit is low enough anyway only around 1500(or so) people die every year around 30000 hurt, thats a very small percentage of or population. more people die ffrom other things. the road toll is the minority of deaths but it takes the majority of blame for everything.

Well hell, why we are at it, let us not worry about workplace deaths either, jeez, there is only one a month dying in the workplace in Victoria, who gives a shyte!

Let us focus on who is going to win the V8 Supercar Championship instead!

[baboon]

Teach drivers to look and plan their driving manouvers 10 seconds ahead. Going to change lanes? Turning off? Know your going to do that 10 seconds in advance.

Do your best not to have accidents.

[Trevor 57]

People are born risk takers, until that behaviour is controlld then there are going to continue to be road deaths.

[ThaFlash]

everyone of over 70 should be given 100% free public transport and other incentives to surrender their licence, new comers to australia should go through the exact some process as a 16 year old learner driver has to and not just switch over their camel or donkey licence over, zero alcohol limit for anyone under 25, remove all speed cameras, any p later caught speeding over 20kph during the probation period should be banned from driving for 3 years, have their car crushed and have to sit their learners all over again.

[Ben73]

Originally Posted by Big Trev

1. Don't allow people to drive cars until they are 26 year old

2. Speed limit cars

Ahahahha 26. You have to be joking. I bet you got your license when you were 16 and now your a grumpy old man you don't want young people to drive.
Talking to someone this morning who reckons you should get l's at 15 buy be forced to stay on them till 18 and partake in proper driving courses.
And what are cars supposed to be limited to. The speed limit of any given road? Or 110?

All roads with an 80+ speed lint should have some form of physical divider.

[kaniSS]

Originally Posted by nfury8

stop making us stare at the speedo instead of the road. THINK ABOUT IT

Takes me half a millisecond to look at the speedo, stop making excuses.

Too many road signs, take a minute out of your day and just have a look at how many signs are posted on every road out there. Its ridiculous.

[jpd80]

A lot of fatalities are single vehicle motor accidents, drivers need to be more responsible for their actions
and recognise that the road and others are not always the reason they die out there.

[XR8 Uterous]

DRL's to be mandatory fitment to all new, and existing cars immediately!

[Landau Stable]

2 big keys to a better solution.
As mentioned, mandatory driver training. let them get on a track and they can see for themselves how crap they are. At the track, show a couple of mangled wrecks and a few gruesome photos of people who have been killed in such accidents. The more graphic the better. After seeing how they can't drive as good as they thought, and then see actual damage to a car that lost control the same way that they did on the skidpan, followed by some gruesome photos, it should finally make it sink in. Too harsh? i don't think so. Make every young person do it.
secondly? More cops! Do you see people acting like clowns over a long weekend when cops are everywhere? Sure, you see some, but consdiering the extra traffic, it's a hell of a lot less. The best prevention for stupid behaviour is a clearly marked cop car. Get them out there, and get rid of those damn speed cameras. A speed camera won't catch you doing an illegal overtake, or swap across lanes etc, but a cop will.
As an extra, repeat offenders should have their licences revoked, and cars confiscated and sold. Not crushed. Sold. Then put that money back into the driver education centres who are scaring the rest of the kids straight.

[flappist]

Originally Posted by Big Trev

1. Don't allow people to drive cars until they are 26 year old

2. Speed limit cars

Ban trucks outright from all highways and upgrade rail services.

[Road Games]

More undercover cop cars , you may get caught you may not .. but if you value your licence and life you will be too nervous to speed...

Probably just keep crashing into cars in front and beside you while watching out for covert radars but you wont technically be speeding so you should be alright yeah ?

Oh and while i am being serious , crush every white commodore with a P plate on it !!

[XCwillo]

A lot of you guys seem to be missing the point of why i said there should be compulsary driver training


You can't stop the road toll, i didn't say i wanted to stop it completely, and yes, people will always take risks and do stupid things.
What i'm saying is that they need to be trained properly in the knowledge that when they do the stupid things, they have a better understanding of how to react. Most crashes would be the first time that young driver has lost controll, and they wouldn't have a clue how to react, so they would be understeering/oversteering all over the place.
My mates girlfriend once lost control of her car when he was in it, and he said she just took her hands off the wheel and covered her eyes! :| He needed to change his underpants after seeing that, but imagine how fatal that could of been?
Where as with driver training, she would of at least kept her hands on the wheel and done something... or so you'd hope!

[flappist]

Originally Posted by XCwillo

A lot of you guys seem to be missing the point of why i said there should be compulsary driver training


You can't stop the road toll, i didn't say i wanted to stop it completely, and yes, people will always take risks and do stupid things.
What i'm saying is that they need to be trained properly in the knowledge that when they do the stupid things, they have a better understanding of how to react. Most crashes would be the first time that young driver has lost controll, and they wouldn't have a clue how to react, so they would be understeering/oversteering all over the place.
My mates girlfriend once lost control of her car when he was in it, and he said she just took her hands off the wheel and covered her eyes! :| He needed to change his underpants after seeing that, but imagine how fatal that could of been?
Where as with driver training, she would of at least kept her hands on the wheel and done something... or so you'd hope!

So which advanced driving course did you enjoy attending the most?