Don’t want to believe it, go to dictionary.cambride.org and type in ‘criticise’. It will return ‘criticize’, UK usually ‘criticise’. The term ‘usually’ is quite important here, meaning not necessarily in this context.

So, in Australia, it is correct to use either method of spelling. Have a nice day.

I think in instead of the jail time, I reckon, take the car indefinately no money back, so if you spent 20K on a street machine then eat crapola

Pplaters
Pplaters with passengers
Pplaters with Alcohol
Pplaters on the receiving end of an accident
Full licence
Full licence with passengers
Full licence with Alcohol
Full licence on the receiving end of an accident.

WOuld love to know the stats on these… would paint much more of a picture on direction.

Excellent article, Defensive Driving training should be mandatory for P Platers, i personally have enrolled in and completed a driver training course in Perth and the stuff you learn is needed, it would cut the road toll in half.

My biggest gripe is drink driving and drug driving, if someone is caught it should be a loss of licence forever and prison for 3-6 months, that would get these dickheads off the roads and into where they belong.

Speeding, if your 30-50kph over the limit, loss of licence for 12 months and then jail time for 3 months.

20kph over the limit, loss of licence for 6 months and $2,000 fine.

No fine that we have should be under $700, you dont want to wear a seat belt you should be made to pay the fine, speed you should pay.

Im sure that ought to slice the road toll down to under 100 people nationally per year.

I, already at 30 have noticed I don’t pay as much attention to the road (I’m not talking on the phone or texting people), but I’ll see a car overtake me and I’ll think, “Geez, didn’t see them coming. How could I have not noticed that”.)

I’m in no way and “old” person, but the point I’m making is illustrating how as a teen, I don’t think focus is the issue. I just think kids don’t appreciate the dangers. And I’m sorry to say, every generation of children seem to have less and less respect for anything. Maybe this rings through to driving and the lack of consideration on the road. I know when I did hoon around as a teen, it was usually when there was no traffic. I only did it when it was safe to do so, and if something did happen, I would only be putting myself in danger. I generally taak it really easy when I had passengers. I’ve even been told I’m “slow”. But when I was on my own, that’s when I would get into it.

SteveC

When in terms of vehicle accidents
You can control the parameters:

-Speed
-Car load
-Driver skills
-Driver condition
-Weather
-Traffic density
-Road Hazards
-Vehicle condition
-Vehicle safety features

What about the “things” you cannot control.

Lack of focus and attention to the road comes next to the above parameters. But this is very broad… you really cannot measure it logically.

If a driver is skilled, no matter what, but for a second loses awareness of his vehicle’s position/status on the road… he/she and his/her vehicle will then become a hazard immediately… a hazard to themselves and a hazard tio everyone on the road.
A good driver can then use his/her skills to correct this condition. But to those who isnt, then the chance of accident is almost set to 100%.

So, I agree that driver training needs to be implemented. Cheaper insurance, discounted registration fees etc.

But why rely on skills to avoid accident alone if you can go back one more step and prevent the chance of the driver losing focus/awareness.

That is the question…. and so apart from physical driving “lessons”. I think its paramount that the driver is mentally “skilled” to focus.

How do you implement that?. You can’t.

So yes you can train drivers, “defensive” courses, it should minimize accident impact or severity of accidents, but accidents will always happen.

A car going 5kmph can still be in an accident…. even if the driver is very skilled.

How? Lack of awareness or attention.

The government really spend millions of dollars researching to prevent accidents. They just let you be “aware” that accidents happen.

I remember a night clearly from when I was 18, I was drunk as all hell and my girlfriend at the time was driving me home in my car. She tried to cross an intersection, in the wet, in a front wheel drive, turning right and saw a car coming straight on. She pushed the accellerator and turned hard, causing horrible understeer and massive wheelspin. She freaked out and floored it, trying to go even faster. More wheelspin, no accelleration, ploughing headlong towards a power pole. Even after .. I don’t know, 15 odd drinks, my snap reaction was to push the gear selector into neutral (auto). Instantly, traction returned and we rolled around the corner safely, albeit revving the guts out of the poor little 2.2L engine.

A persons temperament causes their driving style. Their skill level determines whether or not they survive while doing it.

Never mind that they shouldn’t be doing that. The fact is, they will.

They might as well have some knowledge and hopefully practical experience to understand what a car will do when it’s out of control to bring it back into control, or at least lessen the blow.

Kids are smart, and they’re smarter these days. Who know’s, maybe these butt munchers that make the rules are assuming all young drivers are hoons, I know the cop that pulled me over when I was on my Car P’s was suprised that I was nearly 30… So I explained that I only just got my car license, having a bike license for over 12 years. Maybe these young drivers will actually learn, if not to obey the speed limits and laws, to at least respect what can happen when a car loses control.

On another note with regards to driver training. I can’t see why they can’t do it. They make you go and enroll, pay and prove that you can do it on a bike. And the course is fun. It gives you respect to how dangerous riding can be. It gives you the skills to learn how to detect a tyre lock up and release the brakes, only to squeeze them on again. Effectiely becoming a human ABS.

Since they make people pay to do the course, why can’t they make people pay to do the driver courses? What’s the difference? I’ll tell you… you’ll start seeing less retarded drivers on the road and you won’t be so frustrated when a non-english speaking person is hogging the right hand lane of the Pacific Hwy because he can’t read the sign that says “Keep Left…..” I’m not having a go at certain races. i’m having a go at the RTA for allowing non-english speaking people to go through the license tests in their native language. I certainly wouldn’t expect to see the same thing happen in Germany, India or China.

I would love to rant on some more but I’ve hah a big day and I gotta be up at 6am for another one. This is an area I am well passionate about. I feel very strongly about this issue because it’s as if the government is just beating around the bush, flogging a dead horse.

Good Night
SteveC (btw, since there looks like there are more Steves here now, I’ll be SteveC from now on)

I agree on the point about defensive driving being a double edge sword. even 10 years ago back in high school my teacher said that the problem with young drivers when they take defensive courses, is that they think they are pros after that.