Bringing home what bad driving does...

[martine]

You may have seen this already, but from the bbc website:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/nolavconsole/ukfs_news/hi/bb_rm_fs.stm?news=1&bbram=1&bbwm=1&nol_storyid=4998488

I wish all 6th form colleges would do something like this.

[ScoobyChris]

Quite fitting, seeing as this happened this morning in Hants!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hamp ... 322702.stm

Chris

[SammyTheSnake]

Quite fitting, seeing as this happened this morning in Hants!

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/hamp ... 322702.stm

Chris

Unfortunately, I couldn't get the streaming video to work on my linux machine, but I have to say, that second story sounds very odd. As far as I can make out, the motorcyclist drove into the back of a stationary lorry in a lay-by of a multiple-lane dual carriageway. An odd accident indeed! :-S

Cheers & God bless
Sam "SammyTheSnake" Penny

[ScoobyChris]

As far as I can make out, the motorcyclist drove into the back of a stationary lorry in a lay-by of a multiple-lane dual carriageway. An odd accident indeed! :-S

Yup that's how I understand it! Should also be noted that the road is very straight and wide at that point too....

I was talking to a colleague yesterday who said that when he was learning to drive, a girl who'd passed her DSA test at his school was killed because she pulled into a layby (off a dual carriageway) to answer her phone and "forgot" to brake!

It makes me wonder if the DSA test is really adequate!

Chris

[SammyTheSnake]

As far as I can make out, the motorcyclist drove into the back of a stationary lorry in a lay-by of a multiple-lane dual carriageway. An odd accident indeed! :-S

Yup that's how I understand it! Should also be noted that the road is very straight and wide at that point too....

So we can't really suspect mishandling of a corner, which leaves me thinking it's got to be some kind of mechanical or biological failure (drugs, heart attack, stuck throttle, lose steering etc. etc.) or suicide, maybe?

I'd love to hear what the eventual outcome of the inquest is...

I was talking to a colleague yesterday who said that when he was learning to drive, a girl who'd passed her DSA test at his school was killed because she pulled into a layby (off a dual carriageway) to answer her phone and "forgot" to brake!

! !
That's why safely controling your vehicle should be your #1 priority at all times when you're on the road. Answering the phone should definitely be secondary! I feel sorry for all involved in such situations

It makes me wonder if the DSA test is really adequate!

There's a special kind of - I don't want to say "stupidity" but can't think of a better word - that is pretty difficult to catch in a test, unless it chooses that 30-40 minutes to express itself...

Cheers & God bless
Sam "SammyTheSnake" Penny

[SammyTheSnake]

So we can't really suspect mishandling of a corner, which leaves me thinking it's got to be some kind of mechanical or biological failure (drugs, heart attack, stuck throttle, lose steering etc. etc.) or suicide, maybe?

I'd love to hear what the eventual outcome of the inquest is...

It'll be accidental death - it virtually always is. I've had precisely one verdict of death by misadventure in my career - a solo rider was blatting a little too quickly through a posh suburb of London, at least for the pidgeon he headbutted and stunned himself momentarily. He came too just in time to inspect the numberplate of the oncoming black cab at very close quarters. Had he not been speeding he'd probably have not been stunned and probably not hit the pidgeon - hence misadventure.

I would expect "accidental death" from the coroner, but I would also expect there to be a little more detail about how the accident happened, from the crash investigators. Not that we'll probably hear about it, these things take long enough that it's no longer news

I hit what I have to guess was a partridge or phesant on my motorbike once (or it flew into me) and it hit me hard enough on my foot that I though I might have broken something for a second. I was just coming off a roundabout, probably up to about 40mph.

I went back thinking "mmm, that's tea sorted out!" and couldn't find the bugger. I can only assume he managed to drag himself into a ditch to die, or was way more resilient than I expected!

Having said that, I've seen pigeons hit solid glass at flying speeds (20-30mph?) and get nothing worse than a wounded ego, so maybe I'll have to take to wearing spikes on my bike if I want free dinner

Cheers & God bless
Sam "SammyTheSnake" Penny

[martine]

I was talking to a colleague yesterday who said that when he was learning to drive, a girl who'd passed her DSA test at his school was killed because she pulled into a layby (off a dual carriageway) to answer her phone and "forgot" to brake!
Chris

Yep same thing happened to someone I know - low speed though and they weren't injured but their car was written off. Strange isn't it and shows just how distracting mobiles can be.