The Foreman – BBC Top Gear Australia

I agree with the statitic’s for a change it is true boredam lack of skill’s and frustration are the cause of so many accident’s not speed because it doesn’t matter if your going 100km/h or 150km/h if your bored your more likely to crash due to fatigue if you have poor skills driving well enough said and if your frustrated you will probly do somthing stupid and out of the ordinary putting yourself and possibly others at risk speed is a factor to road deaths of course but it’s the driver behind the wheel that causes them not the speed if you see what i mean.

Raise the limits I say, its time the polititions learn that speed dont kill, its going slowly that kills.

People need to learn how to drive, not have speed limits lowered because they are incompetent.

I doubt it will ever happen. No politician will put his neck out saying they support increasing speed limits – soon as they do its political suicide as the family groups and ignorant stand up and shout. I even hear they want to lower residential speed limits to 40km/h because apparently 50 is too fast?!?! I think Australia will remain a nanny country for a lot longer I fear

its the sudden stop that kills

they dont have kangaroos in germany

or crapy cars

Yeah right – And jeremy clarkson will take up cycling!!

This country is run by mostly career polys who will always go with mediocraty!
Hell you can have dementure and 30% vision and still hold a drivers licence!!!

but dont you dare speed …
utter and complete crap..

post 8 was me!!

Conman is spot on. Empower people with skills and increse the limit so we dont go to sleep driving interstate. 100km/h on a flowing 3-lane highway is so boring and tedious. Whats even stupider (if there’s such a word) is that you can have DVD player in your car and watch ‘2 Fast 2 Furious’, but you cant drive faster, which will get you off the road quicker!!???

Most country roads have soft shoulders, and more bends than a lot of people realise. Also trucks are only allowed to do 100, and older trucks tend to slow down a lot up hills.
Most single vehicle crashes in the country are because the vehicle went off the road and hit a tree or other solid object. Possibly because they swerved to avoid a kangaroo, wallaby, wombat, fox or bunny rabbit. Possibly because they live 40km from the pub and tend to drive home. You only need to get a couple of wheels off into the dirt to lose control when you’re going over 100.
Like city roads, I reckon the most dangerous thing about driving country roads is the junctions. I’ve seen many near misses where cars pull out of side roads, or cross over the highway without waiting for passing traffic.
Also cars that insist on passing you when the road is bloody narrow, the shoulder is dust and gravel, and you’re doing 100 anyway.
Many of the ‘minor’ highways in the country carry quite a bit of traffic, especially in the morning and at dusk.
The shoulders should be made hard with bitumen. Certainly that should be a pre-requisite before raising the speed limit.

The three big killers on country road, in order biggest to lesser, fatigue, frustration and a long way after is speed. If you go to sleep the foot goes down and you run off the road ’speeding’, frustrated mean you do things like overtake in the wrong place, causing head-ons, spear off the road into a tree etc, and is marked down as ’speeding’.

how many speed related accidents are not speed but fatigue, frustration or, throwing in something else, suicide, put the foot down and chase the tree.

go for it, raise the speed limit.
but whatever they do, don’t lower it!!
we were driving through a school zone the other day and i thought there was something wrong with the car. then my mother reminded me it was a 40km zone…
as Jezza says ” Speed never killed anyone, it’s the sudden stop that gets you ”

I’m going to let you in on what has happened in the last couple of weeks with me. I buried one of my four sons just on a week ago & have been not feeling the best for obvious reasons. Going through this experience, has changed my perspective on life somewhat & I won’t be participating in this blog very often if at all anymore. I will be spending the majority of my time with my 3 remaining sons doing the things we should be doing together.

So to all of you out there, happy blogging & safe motoring.
Regards,
Marcus.

G.O.M., that’s horrible news. My condolences.

Im so sorry mate – Stay strong
if theres anything.

Oh bugger! I’m so sorry Marcus.

Marcus,

I am sorry for your loss, take care.

There may be some country roads that can handle a speed limit increase, but your average farmer is not going to get to work 30 minutes faster unless he lives 100Ks away and drives a Veyron.

Drivers in country areas might appreciate better roads more than faster speed limits, particularly when the state of the road has forced the limit to 70kph.

I’m all for raising the speed limit on some country roads.

That said, it would mean massive upgrades to many of the country highways. Upgrades that we would have to pay for through raised petrol taxes, regestration fees etc. That would give us something else to complain about.
Raising the limit won’t make any difference to farmers. The vast majority of them live on thier farms & travel along single lane roads that would need total resurfacing & widening as well as marking a lane in either direction. How many BILLIONS do you think it would cost to do that to even 5% of country roads? It’s not as simple as just going out & banging up some new signs. Which would probably cost several million to do that alone.
There’s a few major roads tht could have the limit raised without too much work being done. The sort of roads that city drivers use to get to thier holiday destinations. People that live in the country should be the ones to have the say about the speed limits on country roads, not us city drivers. I’ll bet they would pick better minor roads rather than raised limits on good major roads. The last thing country people want is to have some yahoo from the city fly by at 140kmh. The farmer & local rescue crews just might have to scrape that same yahoo off the road in a little while because the driver wasn’t up for the road conditions. None of us want that.

Speed does not kill… but definitely bad driving decisions plus lack of rest and drugs or booze or both does.

G.O.M I’m so sorry to hear what happened that really sucks and i wish there was somthing i could say to make the pain go away but there isn’t. If i was you i would want to get away from everything get the family and go somehwere you may have always wanted to go it won’t make the pain go away but it will take your mind off off things.

as for the blog well cars are becoming safer and better controlled so if anything they should be allowing us to at least be able to do 110km/h on major highways the dvd thing isn’t a distraction to the driver off the vechile just the vechile behind you trying to see what your watching.

my condolences too gom,keep strong bro.

i think there are two kinds of heamoroids on our roads,first is the dip stick who drives 90kmh in a 100 zone,if someone drove 40kmh in a 100 zone is ok because you can over take them in a second,but the 90 driver really sucks.then there is the absolute pain in the arse dip stick ahole who does 110 or 120 in the 100zone the one who causes tailgating,accidents,cops with radars etc,this is the same fwit who falls asleep unless he or she is driving within an inch of crashing.

I am all for increasing or removing the open road speed limit.

As TGA said only 3% of all accidents involve people going over the speed limit. Of those at least half would be criminal activity or suicides. The majority of people are able to decide what is a reasonable speed to travel at if given the choice, and so would then drive to the prevailing conditions.

Unfortunately the governmental policies have taught us to spend most of our time staring at our speedo with the occasional glance up at the road, as well as, believing that all sorts of terrible things happen in you go even 1 kph over, and whatever you do don’t think for yourself.

If everone travelled at exactly the same speed in the same direction then no one would run into each other. The faster or slower you are going the higher your risk of a crash, especially when you a lot faster or a lot slower.

Powerhungry, firstly you are a complete dick.
Second, if everyone drives at the same speed it creates more problems than it solves. Take Melbourne roads, the M1 in particular. It’s bloody difficult trying to change lanes, when everyone is doing 81kph. Far better to have some going slower, some going faster.
Your theory presumes everyone is tavelling in the same direction forever, but in reality people are entering motorways, exiting motorways. People are changing lanes, in a hurry, not in a hurry.
It’s far more complicated.
Most of this chop and change goes on fine. Sure maybe only 3% of accidents involve people over the speed limit. Not sure though, possibly Chaffgedi produced those figures himself?
The problem is when people try to predict what other cars are going to do, or completely ignore other car’s behaviour altogether, doing their own thing with over-confident force.
I’m guessing your on your P’s still though?
You know everything then. . . .

Hi GOM.
I’m really sorry for your loss.
Please return here when you are ready.
There’s lots of boys and blokes here. And the occasional girl.
Lots of people to help you increase your perspective.
Kind regards, LB

I Agree that australia’s speed limits deserve an increase because we have safer cars than we used to & better highways. Just give you a bit of fact from my area there is this one rural road the road is fine and the limit is 100. One lady complained to the local newspaper and is sending out a petition to lower it to 80 because there has been too many fatal accidents and there is too much wildlife around. That is just a load of bullshit there has been 1 fatal accident (guy hard a heart attack while driving and hit another car) in the past 8 years and the only wildlife around is bloody rabbits which are poisoned 2 or 3 times a year so running them over makes no difference. WE DESERVE A 10 OR MORE KM/H SPEED LIMIT RISE AUSTRALIA!

Has anyone tried driving the pacific highway between taree and Newcastle? It is wide dual expressway with a fence in the midle, low-ish traffic and slow soft corners. I believe u could easily, even if the worlds worst driver, sit at 130 to 140 in a toyota corolla along their.
I have been to germany and it was fine, slow peeps stayed in slow lane and fast one went fast with no problems.
Alos spandau tango said that germany doesnt have kangaroos and no it doesn’t but it does have deer which are roughly the same size.

there not their* sorry :p

Good on ya, Rola.
You’ve picked a span of Australian highway barely 150km long to push your point. Perhaps that bit of road is all gooda, although I’d argue it caries a lot of either very tired, or drug-affected traffic. So it’d want to be a good road.
Maybe you’re right. Maybe if we look at the main corridors, a raised speed limit would be acceptable. Although you’d have to excuse the Bruce, and the Princes Highways. Coz they’re both pretty bad.
Maybe you’re wrong. Maybe if we look at a map of Victoria(for example), and see just how many ‘highways’ criss-cross the place, then maybe the idea of increasing speed limits isn’t all that wise. I speak from personal experience, when I say that the speed limit on many of these roads, eg. Calder Highway, Olympic Highway, most of the ‘highwyas’ in Victoria, is plenty given the conditions.

I’ve got to agree with Little Bits. Some of the major roads could handle a speed limit increase. Some. Unfortunatley those streches of road are few & far between. The vast majority of major roads in country australia are not up to having an increase of even 10kmh. None of the minor roads are up to standard to have an increase. Part of the problem is that we build crap roads. Our roads are built using antiquated techniques & they simply don’t last. Try going for a drive on almost any road in the US & you will know what I mean. Smooth & long lasting doesn’t even begin to describe the roads over there. We could use the same materials & methods over here to upgrade all our major roads to handle the increased speed limits but as I pointed out earlier it would cost millions just to do the signs, let alone the multi billions it would cost to do the roads. Are you willing to pay for it with increased feul taxes & rego? I’m not.

Thanks conman, nice for someone to agree with me for a change. I like to stir the pot, so it’s not all the time . . . .
Personally, I drive many km’s a week of Australia’s b-grade highways, and I know how crap a lot of them are. And how crap a lot of Australian drivers are.
If people are getting ‘frustrated’ driving long distance, they should lay off the Mcdonalds, crap food, mega sugar, alcohol and get a decent sleep more often.

No need for thanks Little Bits. I just happen to agree with you about the condition of the majority of Australian country roads. I would love to have the speed limit increased to 130-140kmh on country roads but the roads just are not up to the standard that they would need to be & I know it would cost a fortune to upgrade them. I was brought up on a farm just near Horsham & spent lots of time on the road with my dad, who used to be a long haul truckie, so I know how bad the roads are. Especially the single lane country roads that most country traffic is actually on. Most highways across our country aren’t real great either & would need significant work to coe with todays poor drivers & higher speeds. The highways are usually for tourists, truckies & the last few miles into town for the farmer.

Sorry, – work to cope with. not coe with.

so sorry g.o.m. for your loss.i’ve lost another friend to suicide 5weeks ago so i’m like gom and not blogging for a while i feel quiet lost,without her so my attention is on my family
happy blogging to all.
shelly

G.O.M. – very, very sorry to hear your news. As a father, and as a human being, my heart goes out to you.

G.O.M. – That’s the saddest thing I have heard for a long time. My thoughts are with you and your children. Hope to see your Blogs back here in time.

Sincerest thoughts G.O.M. I know the hardest loss of all is your child.

On the subject of speed limits, when I was much younger there were such things as unrestricted roads and the statistics showed them to be safer than most. The thoughts of the experts at the time was that with no posted limits people would drive at a speed they were comfortable with, but put up speed signs they will immediately obey them, ie instead of driving in their sweet spot of 80kph they start doing 110kph as posted, well past their abilities. I’m not so sure about that but I am sure farting around trying not to go over the limit can be very distracting.

I was watching the T.V. a while back and i know you don’t belive everthing you here but it said that to rebuild the roads around Perth W.A at the current rate it would take 250years that’s about how long it will take before anyone thinks to make the roads safer and more inproved and to also make them not bloody one way god i hate one way streets who ever thought the idea of a one way street if you know them punch them in the groin for me because thats what there like using for us Motorist’s eg you miss one turn then you have to do a lap around the whole city to get to were you wanted to go in the first place.

Isn’t the whole of WA abit on th eslow side though when it comes to development? 250yrs is probably working at light speed over there from what I’ve seen when I spent my holidays over there last year.

One-way streets are the bane of my existence. Melbourne is riddled with the damn things. If you find the plick that invented them, punch them in the groin for Speed Demon then give them a good solid kick in the same place from me. Same for the b@stard that came up with roundabouts. Stop signs would work so much better.

i tell you what after many discussions with the boys at work about this i think that we have come to a solution that there is no solution because people are fwits there are that many people out there who lack the common courtesy to get the f*** out of the way of other people who are going faster all because the’re trying to prove some sort of point that just because they feel that they are unable to control a car past a certain speed that everyone else in the world is incapable as well
I personally think that everyone should drive to their own ability and that people involved in crashes that are their fault (i.e. drugs, alcohol, been a general f***wit who doesn’t know how to drive) should be taken off the roads and i think that the speed limit on major highways should be unrestricted and people who want to go slow should stay in the left lane and if you see someone coming up in your rearview mirror get the f*** out of the way you stupid C***HEAD and avoid road rage as well

Having just replied to your post about confidence on the road in the genetics blog, I’m begining to think you may suffer from over confidence yourself Flange. Going by the way you clearly like to speed when it suits you I get the impression you think you are better than you really are. I could be wrong but it is certainly the impression that I get from you. Let me guess, your probably on your P’s? If not you are definitley under 25yrs old & therefore you think your better than you really are. You think you are the most important person on the road & anyone doing a burnout but you & your mates is just an idiot that doesn’t know what they are doing. Sound like you does it? I bet it does. Guess what, your the one with the problem & that doesn’t know what they are doing. You have no self control & you spend all your time blaming others for things that are your fault. Going by your language in this post I would be suggesting that you suffer from a pretty serious case of rage yourself so I hardly think you are the best person to be telling others to avoid road rage. Or do you mean that you go off your brain when someone is going slower than you? You strike me as someone who likes to tailgate in an attempt to bully others into driving faster. You best hope you don’t end up behind me if that is the case as you won’t get me to budge one single kmh. In fact I would pick a place you can’t overtake & then slow down just to tick you off. If you didn’t get the message after that I would simply slam on the brakes & stop in the middle of the road as fast as I possibly could. I don’t give a damn how good you think you are, your reaction time isn’t that good & if your tailgating you WILL crash into the back of my car. Your the one that would be buying me a new rear end & paying me compo for the injuries sustained. Then if you happened to try to fight me because you were angry with me I would not so gently sit you on your backside with my superior fighting skills & weapons training. Most likely superior anyway. You just never know what the next person is capable of. We will see how good you think you are then. Driving to your abilities isn’t trying to prove a point, it’s called knowing your limits. Clearly you don’t know your limits. Your a moron. If you genuinely care about improving road safety you will go down the cop shop & hand your licence in tommorow morning.

Sorry about the long post everyone & it’s aggressive nature.

You guys should come up to the Sunshine coast next time you get released for good behaviour – we have some of the best rds – definetly the best weather – cheap petrol – even the cops have cool cars.

AND THE WHOLE THING IS SPOILT BY A COMPLETE INFESTATION OF SENIOR DRIVERS THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN PUT DOWN LONG AGO..

To give you an idea ,the local paper has just run an article on HOW TO USE A ROUND-A-BOUT!!

Dont want to offend anyone (yes he does) but if you cant use a roundabout ,thats a good indication that you should hand in your licence!!

I’d agree with that Black Dog. When I went to WA last year though it was the state’s main paper that was running a front page feature article on how to use a roundabout that really got my attention. I thought, “surely they can’t be that bad?” They were. Driving on the Sunshine Coast is a joy compared to driving in that backwater. The favourite thing to do in WA seemed to be to use both lanes of a dual lane roundabout as you pass straight through it. Every second person would try to straight line the roundabout like it was a chicane or something. Enter in the left lane, drift into the right lane then exit in the left lane again. I couldn’t beleive it. Frightened f@ck out of when I first saw it.

blacky,can i remind you that in just a few years you too will be an elderly driver,and then guess who will be doing a backflip and singing a different song.here is test for you to show what type of driver you are,duplicate your road behaviour by walking a busy footbath or a mall ,so if you do track and field and then walk 5cm behind a mother with a pram or someone with a walking frame and swear at them,sorry but it might be you that needs to be put down.

not even bothering with flange,hell be doing time for manslaughter soon enough or six foot under.

Geez black dog what part of the Coast do you inhabit? Where are these best roads hiding?
As for how to use roundabouts I think you young fellas should take a few lessons. I am constantly amazed at how often you will try to use the left lane of a one-in-two-around-one- out roundabout as a passing lane. Very annoying when I have to brake to let you back in to traffic and the temptation to run you into the weeds can be hard to resist.
Cheap petrol? Since Madam Botox scrapped the subsidy it is often cheaper in Sydney.
Basically lay off us mature people, there are just as many crappy young drivers and they are the most deadly of all.

i dont think blackboy is a young fella,he is one of these” 30+ i do everything perfectly age group”living in denial.im not that mature but its annoying if there is 1 or 2 elderly crashes,and 1000 younger driver group crashes,every one makes a big deal about elderly crashes.goes to show how stupid some people are,ok blacky,soon as you turn 60 go hand in your licence.retard.

you know what annoys me? people who do 50 in a 100 zone because it’s “safer”. RUBBISH!
(older people are more prone to this.)
you know what else annoys me? speed cameras that get you at 66 when your doing 61 in a 60 zone. >:(

Yes Spandau, BD sounds familiar as in (big sigh)myself. I can look back and remember. At 19 I thought I knew it all, by 30 I DID know it all but have spent the last mumble-mumble years unlearning everything and becoming a better person for it. That includes driving.

Sibbo i agree with you all the way mate well said.

Also has anyone seen the new Fiat Abarth bulit by Ferriari i mean i don’t really like car’s that small but what a awsome looking car and if you owned one technacly you could say you own a Ferrari.

Plus has anyone seen the new Lexus super car it’s ok but it won’t compete with Porshe Mclaren or Merecedes and Ferrari because they want to sell it for $750,000k + even a sheik will turn his nose up at that one of a kind or not.

In managing our transport systems, our government must constantly negotiate the paradox of mass movement. They must create a system which, for the sake of speed and efficiency, treats us like a herd, constantly prodded and coralled, divided, re-formed and forced into line. At the same tme it must grant us the illusion of automomy.

The freedom of the road, of that strip of concrete laid down in order to herd us better, is an expression of the tension between civilization and the life of the a free spirit. Under our bonnets lurks a beast, which could, were it not hemmed in by social and physical restraint roar into muderous speed. The opportunity the engine forgoes because of this is another manifestation of the metaphor: the inner life of both ‘the car’ and of ‘the mind’.

The faster cars become and the more roads fill with traffic , the greater the tension between metaphor and reality.

thanks for that earthy?.one more thing blacky,todays elderly drivers will drive out their lives,keep this shit up and it will be you who faces the toughest tests to drive,while the youth will still be wrapping them selfs around gum trees,and the RTA will still be chasing pensioners.iv seen old drivers make mistakes,but its 1 to 1000 ratio to younger smart arses,you might as well go and shoot your self in the foot,you will pay tomorrow.

Difference in speeds rather than speed itself has been known as the real problem for decades. Almost every NSW P plater has experienced the heart stopping scare of being run off the road by some aggressive loonie while they were trying to obay the riduculous 90KPH limit on an open highway.Some get to have their hearts stopped permanently. The current law is legislative homicide. Get all the traffic travelling at the same speed and the danger is considerably reduced. Now that the poor kids have to clock up the equally ridiculous 120 hours (it only takes 47hours to get a pilots licence) there is no reason that they should not be able to drive at the same speed as the rest of the traffic.

Ben zene – does it matter what part of the sunny coast it is?? – try driving west into the hills and out west over the ranges – if you cant find a good rd – then you dont know what one is!!

Spandau – no im a bit older than 30 – that actually how long i have had a licence,no im not perfect just experienced.

and make my calls from real events!!
Not sure why my post upset you so – but it did get you talking about driveing instead of the brain numbing c%^p you have posted in the past.

I Stand by my comments – senior drivers are just as if not more dangerous than young ones!!
the sooner compulsory yearly testing begins on over 70s the better

can see i have hit a few nerves GOOD!!

blacky,at the moment you feel 100% healthy but soon that will change,no amount of driving lessons will help you then,and you still will want to live ,eat,etc,ill say it again,your only making it hard for your self,why dont you read my posts again and answer the points.

blacky,it might be that the most dangerous drivers are in your age group.

Apropos several foregoing posts.
After years of observation I have seen bad and good drivers in each and every category. Young males tend to have the more spectacular and “newsworthy” smashes, these of course are a product of hormones and horsepower. I survived this trial.
Why pick on over 70’s for compulsory driving tests? Everybody should at least pass a written test at renewal time and have proof of passing an eye test. These tests are currently free under Medicare so no excuses. The last renewal of mine was done on line proving that it was no more than another tax, and the one before I asked where the updated traffic rules pamphlet(which in the past was always there to take} and was told they no longer print them. No wonder everybody seems to drive by a different set of rules.
Earthy and his extinct counterpart’s philosphising boils down to the same thing, mindset and spatial awareness are possibly the most critical components in the makeup of a goog driver. I’m off now to try some self assessment on these points.

so why is it that people like blacky pay more for car insurance then say a 70 year old,could it be that he is more a danger to sociaty.

I’m a car fan, and would very much enjoy the chance to go faster on the roads but the condition of them, particularly in the country, is just appaulling and would make any possibility of going faster rediculously unsafe. Recently in my area they’ve been widening the road; well over 60k’s worth, something I would normally applaud but I just had to shake my head. They’ve resurfaced two-thirds of the road and left an old piece of tarmac in the middle; why not do the whole road?! I mean they’re just going to have to redo that part later on anyway, wouldn’t it be safer to completely resurface it even if it meant the distance was shorter instead of having this pathetic pathwork? Annoyingly it also meant they changed the camber of the corners as well, which if anything made it feel more unsafe. One particular wide sweeping corner you used to be able to lean in and take at 100kmh with ease, now it feels like your going to roll off into the bush if you go anywhere near that speed.

Also I will also admit to knowing many country drivers (of all ages!)who tend to use the speed limit as more of a speed recommendation, they simply go at the speed they feel comfortable at (with the condition of the road providing the limitations) and slow down if they see the rare creature apparently known as a police officer (although we’ve seen those speed past before).
The thing is they can go faster on dodgy roads because they’re familiar with the roads and their conditions; they go off the side of the road onto the gravel and come back on all the time for wide vehicles, they know what to do if wildlife wanders onto the road, or if the weather makes things difficult. A large percentage of the crashes on country roads are city people who think they know how to handle things when clearly they don’t, and they have never been taught how to. This obsession with speed limits is just and excuse.
We need better roads, and we need people to be taught how to use them properly. I am 18 and currently going through the processes of getting my license; a process that is just rediculous.
Written and computer tests at virtually pointless once you get behind the wheel; there is no point in knowing all these rules if you can’t handle a car in the first place; particularly if the only wisdom they impart is how far you need to park from a fire hydrant if you ever find one. Second, log books, sure expirience is important, but if they keep putting up the hours they are just going to get more and more kids taking two or three hour trips to the city and back to get their license sooner, putting more fatigued drivers on the road. What we need are more regular practical driving lessons or exercises(surely a way in which the government could make all the money it needed for genuine road improvements), similar to defensive driving courses; on all road surfaces. And city people saying they never use gravel roads anyway is exactly the reason we need to do it. It works the same in the country, kids have to learn to reverse parallel park when the chances or them actually needing to peform such a task when there are only 4 or 5 other cars on the road is pretty slim, but they still have to learn it.
And refresher test every say 5 years, would ensure people don’t get lazy, and would prevent the problem Black Dog mentioned of ending up with bad elderly drivers, in fact bad drivers of any age ending up on the road.

Better roads, better drivers, and better if not just more awareness; particularly from the people sitting in their city offices making up these stupid rules and then driving home in whatever way it suits them.
And maybe we’ll finally be able to drive home at our own fast (safe) pace.
Speed doesn’t kill, just the idiots using it and the impact they make.

Country Kid. I almost feel like applauding.Well said. I agree with everything you have written. I was born & raised in the country myself but now live in the city for work purposes. Very few city people know what a country road is. They think it’s the twin lane HWY between towns, completely oblivious to the thousands of kilometers of roads that snake thier way through that lovely scenery they are admiring. City drivers are shocking. 99% of them can’t handle a car but you sure can’t tell them that. 98% of them are in too much of a hurry & too arrogant to show a little courtesy. they ae generally a pack of arrogant Aholes that wouldn’t know courtesy, common sense or car control if they got run over by it.

As for the work the council has done on your local road, I’m afraid it sounds fairly typical of thier wisdom. A bit like when they come along & regrade all the dirt roads right before the rains set in. Just in time to make sure they all turn to mud & the potholes are bigger than ever when the road does dry out.

No sorry spandau-thats bs and you know it bad drivers are everywhere – it is all of our responsibility out there.

Benzene-like i said before i make my calls from fact,and fact is that the over 70s are the next most dangerous bunch on the rd next to the under 25s – my neighbour is an ambo and my neice is engaged to a traffic cop!!
(conversation around the table on sundays is eye opening to say the least!!

As for insurance – (gotta be shannons/sorry)
I bet my premiums are way down on most – as once you do a few advanced driveing courses it gets a lot cheaper!!!

Driveing is a privilege not a right!!
When i get to that age – if i cant competently pass the test/see the rd hear the traffic
I will gladly hand it in!!

Not continue to put other people at risk.

blacky ,the privilage not a right thing can only work in countries like holland and some other european countries,with public transport that covers the whole place,we dont have that,so a car is a vital tool for survival.looking at the honda web site in japan,honda builds cars for just about everyone,that is, foot control steering,one handed drivable cars etc,these people that need devices like that wont win any races but they need to commute like advanced trainned drivers.

im not talking about the lunatic drivers like flange etc,only people who need a car for transport.

63. black dog, ah so now we find out where most of your extreme views come from! Sunday roast round the dinner table, full of idealistic, narcassistic loons who couldn’t get a root until they joined the ’service’. Government organisations that they are. . . . .
No wonder you call yourself black dog.
.. . . .

Having a licence is a priviledge. You have to earn it, you can’t just stick your hand out & say “give me a licence, it’s my right”. Everyone has the right to apply for a licence but it isn’t thier right to have one & keep it. If it was peoples right to have a licence then all the serial drink drivers & complete idiots on the roads would be able to keep getting thier licences back instead of getting lifetime bans. If it was your right to have a licence then you wouldn’t be able to lose it. You would go to court & the judge would let you keep your licence because it’s your right. You know like free speech. If you abuse the priviledge of having a licence a judge will take it off you because it’s not your right. It is a priviledge that you have to earn & you need to behave responsibly to keep. See if you can keep that in mind the next time you get a speeding fine.
For my two cents worth I think every licence holder should have to do refresher courses every five years or so. No exceptions. Once you hit 65-70 then you should have to have mandatory vision & competency tests. It’s no good knowing how to drive if you can’t see where your going or can’t drive with a reasonable level of confidence & competency. As you get older you start to lose the ability to check blind spots quickly as well as have much slower reactions. Then strength should be part of the testing to. If someone doesn’t have the strength to apply full brake pressure in an emergency stop, they shouldn’t be allowed to drive. How would you feel if your child was run over because someone didn’t posses the strength to apply full braking pressure? How do you think you would feel when you found out that if that person could have pressed the brakes harder or had normal reation times, your child would still be alive? If I can’t pass a competency & eysight test, I don’t want to drive. The last thing I want to do is hurt an innocent person because I wasn’t fit to drive.

Fair enough conamn, but seriously the eye test ets is a crock of shit. My local registry shines am eye chart out of a cupboard, onto a mirror, then onto another mirror, before showing it to me near a celing filled with many more flourescent glary lights.
Last time I did my eye test, I did without glasses, because I don’t want to be required to wear glasses or prescription sunnies every time I drive. Apparently, if I get caught with glasses on now, and the cop or rta officor notices, then I have to make a faat excuse to explain qhy I’m wearing glasses.
I test for a heavy vehicle licence, and so have to one eye at a time. The nice RTA lady told me I got heaps wrong with my left eye, but gave me my licence approved anyway.
Now you tell me, do road signs get flashed up via double mirrors, and double flourescent light segments, at very small print???
Or is a stop sign plainly a red octagon, and a give way sign clearly a trianlge, and so on?
I bloody drive 150,000 km a year, and I havnt been for booked for anything at all in 5 years or more.
So you can stick your eye test up your arse. . . . etc etc.

Apologies for the many and varied speeling and typing errors in the last post. I am pissed, so there.

Little Bits, I have been a victim of the bounced of mirrors in a glary room test before & whilst not pleasant it is a perfectly valid test. Good vision on the road is about much more than just recognising what color the traffic lights are. You seem to be missing that point. When your driving you need to be able to read street signs so your not slamming on the brakes at the last minute causing an accident, because you couldn’t read the sign from a reasonable distance, & before you start, yes I know most street signs leave abit to be desired. All the more reason to check that people are capable of reading them. Next, you can quit your complaing about mirrors & glare because it’s just a cop out. It’s a reasonable test. In fact, it’s a damn good test. If you have your licence, your allowed to drive at night, you remember driving at night don’t you? It’s that time when it’s all dark & other peoples headlights are shining in your eyes through the mirrors that your supposed to be using. Let alone the glare from the street lights. So it’s a perfectly valid test unless you either don’t use your mirrors at all or don’t drive at night. If you don’t use your mirrors then you shouldn’t be on the road anyway. If you can’t see a reflected image in the mirror when it’s all glary, then chances are you can’t tell how far behind you that nest car really is. As for your whinge about the one eye test, get over, everyone has to do that no matter what licence they are going for. It has nothing to do with your heavy vehicle licence at all. It sounds to me as if your kicking up a stink because your eyesight is failing & if there was mandatory testing you wouldn’t have your licence for too much longer. Personally I think depth perception & peripheral vision should be tested as well.

In short, quit your complaining & get over it. Your just being selfish.

conman,you really are barking up the wrong tree,australia has the highest drug use per capita in the world,how are you going to test their vision etc,you sound more like a public servant then a landscaper,heavy hand on the weak and too scared to do anything about the big and bad,just like the police.and that eye test is only good for 6 meters.

What have drugs got to do with anything? Did I mention drugs? Are you on drugs is a more appropriate question. I haven’t mentioned drugs at all. I don’t see what they have to do with driver testing of any age. Someone could just as easily be on drugs when they go take thier tests to get thier licence in the first place. So what the hell are you on about? Your point is what exactly. The eye test is good for 6m? Where have you come up with that hoohaa? That’s why the writing gets smaller.
If I sound like a public servant, that means you sound like a total moron. You don’t even know what the hell I’m talking about. Your another twit that should get over yourself. I have mentioned nothing about drugs until this post after you have brought them up. Even then I have made your stupid point totally irrelevant after I pointed out that someone could be on drugs when they take thier first tests to get thier licence. If anyone is barking up the wrong tree. It’s you Spandau Tango. You don’t even know what the subject is by the seem of it.

your the one on drugs if dont understand,connie man,you fool,the bigest problem is drug driving you dipstick,i dont give a crap if you said it or not,your the one who wants people with corns on their feet of the roads,i know what your saying and some of it is total crap,no all of it is,so whats the problem with geting druged up drivers of the roads?

I’m from Melbourne and I’m fed up with this state government’s delusion that speed kills. I get frustrated when I see open 3 or 4 lane freeways such as East Link with a 100km/hr muzzle on it. You could set the limit on that road to 140 and it will still be safe but what does the government do? It does what it’s always done and that’s slap heaps of speed cameras along the way.

I’m fed up with this police state, I’m fed up with the government cutting speed limits every time there’s a day in the week. I cannot understand in any way why you would make school zones 40km/hr. Especially on some main roads where the limit is cut from 70km/hr down to 40km/hr! How the hell do you justify that?

I’m all for protecting kids, but how many traffic snarls are caused by these limits? How many kids are actually saved by cutting limits on some roads in half? How about teaching kids to act safely around roads? What about stop, look left, look right and look left again?

This government and Vic Roads will never convince me that driving slower guarantees you a safer journey. There’s no proof. Unless you count their biased studies.

I find myself agreeing with Conman alot, all though on this blog that isn’t a strong backing but his point about a licence being a privilage how can any of us disagree.

You all know what i think about this point so i don’t need to say any more on this topic you got a good head on your shoulders Con Man all though i don’t know if i can trust you if your a Con Artist.

I’ve got no problem with getting drug drivers off the road even though it is nowhere near as big a problem as alcohol is. My problem is with you having a crack at me about something I never mentioned. What part of my points about the driver testing & eye testing is crap Spandau Tango? Your being a yahoo. If you don’t want to respond to what I actually am saying & tell me why it is crap, then don’t respond at all. I can handle someone disagreeing with me, so long as that person is willing to back themselves with an opinion, not insults. I don’t care if your opinion is different to mine but I’m not on here just to have you throw insults at me about something I havn’t even bloody mentioned. Now either respond properly, or get stuffed. Your choice.

Kevin, the reason for lower limits around schools is because they don’t have the perception of speed & if they have time to get across the road when they are so young. The lower limit is so that a driver can stop faster if a kid does step out on the road in front of them. If your getting to work 5mins late because you have to drive through a school zone, then I might be inclined to suggest that you leave 5mins earlier.

kevin,last time i went to victoria,when i got home i received a speeding fine in the mail,i think the radar was situated right on 60km sighn from a 80 zone,so i must have been few clicks over whilst slowing down,as a result i will never step foot on victoria ever again,i dont know how any one can live there its worse then a communist state,i f i had to live there i would declare war against the government.

Hey i do alot of crazy stunts i was after your opinion.

should i attempt to drive a Ferrari FXX on a 30ft ramp into a wall and parachute before inpact?

at about 300kmh

connie im saying your driver testing,foot testing and what ever eye ball testing ,is a low priority compared with the drunk,drug and reckless driving out on the roads,and if you can see 10 meters but no further,you will pass the eye test.

connie,drug driving is much bigger then drunk driving.

drug driving and drunk driving arnt that bad

drug drunk driving now that bad

guess who does it

Spandau Tango, that’s better. At least now your making your point clearer. I will still disagree about the vision testing as I think I demonstrated quite well exactly why those sort of tests are of benefit. Done with eye testing there might be a few people that can’t drive. No eye testing, which seems to be what you want, & some people might just not be. At all. If there’s no eye testing, we might as well just let the legally blind drive anyway. It’s a sad fact of life that most of us will suffer from diminished vision as we get older. We have standards of competency & tests as we get older in many less important things in our lives, so why not the most dangerous skill most of us will ever learn, driving. As for the drug driving vs drink driving. I think if you check the actual statistics you would find there are far more drink drivers caught each year than drug drivers. I do not condone either & I think they are a significant problem that needs harsher penalties than are currently in place. I even agree with you that they are more important to deal with than driving & eye tests for older drivers.
Oh, & the cops love sitting right on changes in speed limit zones in Vic. I wouldn’t argue that the state is over policed in the traffic infringement department & under policed in the serious crime area.

Speed Demon, no, not Con Artist. My parents are right into mythology & gave me a bugger of a name – Caedmon. It’s from Celtic mythology & means wise warrior. Don’t know if I live up to the wise part but the warrior bit I have covered. Everyone just calls me Con for short. It’s a bugger that I have a pretty decent tan to. I’m always being mistaken for an italian when people hear my name.

Crazy Stuntman, if you think drink & drunk driving ar not that bad, your a dick. Why don’t you go tell that to the thousands of families that have lost loved ones to drink/drug drivers?Including me. If I had to guess, by your post, I would say you do it. If you do, I cannot express my dismay at your sheer arrogance, selfishness & disregard for human life. Yes, go drive your car into a brick wall. Just don’t bail out. Kill yourself if you want to be an idiot in a car. Don’t take innocent people with you.

Here I am back in the office after a day of motoring around the beautiful Sunshine Coast doing my share of on site. Oh what fun.Schoolzone stupidity, merging mayhem, roundabout rampage. Bugger eye testing, breath testing, drug testing they are symptoms of the malaise not the cause. The two leading contenders for the root cause, apart from congenital stupidity of course, are Attitude (as in bad) and Aptitude (as in none)I will give some examlpes.Attitude -
7.45AM schoolzone, because I was annoying enough to slow to the required 40kph not one but two youngish males roared past on the left side. Which is the worst, late for work or killing a kid? 3Pm approx, My tailgate being monstered by a mum in a 4×4 for committing the same error ie slowing to 40kph.
Merging. If you need thrills come to the Coast and enter the M1 from an on ramp. Most are so short a dragster would have trouble reaching motorway speed before merging. Which brings me to thank the really wonderful chappie who accelerated to fill the gap I was about enter, thus causing heavy braking and I fear some ungentlemanly language. As black Dog has already pointed out roundabouts are a lottery and as such are approached with great care. If possible I would avoid them but the now merged Shires seemed to have a competition going to see which could build the most.
As for Aptitude I will not bore you by professing and trying to prove I am the bestest driver around but really some people shoul not be allowed anywhere neare a car let alone be left in control of one.
To hijack the title of Ralph Nader’s book, Unsafe At Any Speed.

iv never been drug tested on the side of the road,but i have been alcohol tested thousands of times.go figure.

Conman i said drink driving on its own or drug driving on its own is bad.

i do both at the sametime. should of seen how close i was 2 hitting a old person nearly got myself 1000 points

Crazy Stuntman, that’s not what you said. Read your own post, then go learn how to spell. If that’s the truth that you drink/drug drive, I hope you run into me one day so that I can stuff you up your own rear muffler. Now bugger off & stop wasting good empty space.

Little bits – I was totally wrong about you-actually thought some of your dribble made sence!!
Not any more – your now in
my wanna be come loser basket!!.

Our sunday dinner table hardly ever has roast in it!!
Mostly eye fillet and seafood!!
as for not getting a what was it? – oh yeah a root.
by the sound of you ,your the one who needs one!

If you dont like my posts thats fine – but dont do the insult thing-insults and alike are utterly rediculos not to mention cowardly on a blog.

im happy 2 meet you conman i can run ya down with my “borrowed” ferrari

Now why would I want to go & meet a complete dropkick like you Crazy Stuntman? I’m the sort of person who has the training & dicipline to A: beat you to a pulp & B: walk away from a complete idiot like you because your just not worth wasting my time on.
I don’t know why you want to stir me up but I’m not in for it. So my final words written to you are, your a total dill & I can’t believe that I have sworn to defend this country against all threats when it includes defending tosspots like you.

Sorry black dog, maybe I was being a bit rude there. You’re alright buddy. To be honest, I am so friggin busy at the monent, I know the few girls who post here already, but I havn’t really havn’t had time to work out any of your guys. Kind of superficial, perhaps rude?
Will try to hit above the belt in future, if drunk and posting ‘dribble’.

Conman, on second thought after I’ve calmed down a bit school zones aren’t totally ridiculous but there needs to be that balance between road safety and traffic flow. At the end of the day roads are the domain of vehicles and while I agree drivers need to take responsibility, so do pedestrians. Kids exempted, I’ve seen to many occasions where pedestrians just wander onto a road without looking.

Spandau tango, unfortunately I’m not surprised. The state government uses speed cameras or ‘road safety cameras’ to penalise ‘hoons’ who drive a few kilometres above the limit. The classic one is indeed what you have described where they place a camera in an area where the speed has dropped. Though I haven’t driven there, Whitehorse Road in Box Hill is apparently riddled with several changes in speed ranging from 40 all the way up to 80. Why they do this I’ll never know.

It’s ridiculous that this government continues to whine about how slowing down will automatically make you a safer driver. Some may argue if you don’t speed then you’re not going to get caught. True. But the issue is whether driving slower will guarantee a safer journey which I don’t think it does.

With proper training and more stringent testing why couldn’t we have higher limits especially on freeways and some rural roads? Give drivers more training, bring in re-testing every several years. In most industries if you have some sort of qualification you have re-certify every few years to say that you are still competent in both skill and knowledge. Why shouldn’t driving be the same? Just because you’ve driven for 30 years doesn’t mean that you are still as capable as you once were.

I think the government needs to back off with the hard line against speeding. It does nothing but piss off drivers and has done nothing but convinced me that it is purely a revenue raising exercise.

Kevi, it is an intersting comment indeed that you wrote. Ok so I only read part of it. . . . but it was bloody long and I am a kind abusy fella.
Can I comment please, though, that the Victorian Government, and their extreme use of speed and red-light cameras will, the foreseeable future, turn quite nasty. It has to happen. Seriously, Victoria is a tangible part of Australia! I know, I go there every week. (but thankfully, I get to leave every week too!).
The totally extreme amounts of money, that the Victorian Police and the Victorian Government, derive from speeding and other camera fines, must eventually blow up in the face of the Victorian Government. I type this way so as to attract key phrases by Google. . . .
The ‘income’ derived from camera fines in Victoria has approached completely ridiculous amounts, LIKE HALF A BILLION DOLLARS OR MORE like half a billion dollars per year or more. Now, I know (melburnian drivers in particlular) Victorian driver behavious, and I know you there are on a hifing to nothing. But seriously, the governemtn, elected by the people. . . . . , MUST look at these revenue figures, and realise enough is enough! You can’t keep taxing, er sorry fining people, for conscienable behaviour, and claim it in the arm of safety.
Victorian speed cameras are a crock of shit. The Victorian Government and it’s (possibly) main revenue stream is a crock of shit.
Perhaps we are nearing a civil war in Australia?? ONe where regular civilians take over the governemnt, I’d suggeswt Federation Square as a depot. Coz many Vicco signs already lead there anyway.
Imagine the kerfuffle in Canberra, even if it was a hoax overthrow??!! Dickhead, Turnball wouldn’t know what side of the Vicks to stand, Kevin would look good and say something appropriate, and the ridiculous crap in Melbourne would possibly get thrown out on the streeets at the crap that is certainly is!

ps, I’ve had a couple of bogun beers, and the above may be ridiculous tripe. Not had the energy to proof-read, although I just checked,m while throwing out ‘empties’, and my aussie flag is still flying on my truck,. . . . . .

any resposes, please refer stephen corby@ top gear uk, com

pps, or is this just ps???!!!

will be back in Vicco Thu 12 late, . . . plz be nice ta me! . . . CB is on bro. . . .

Kevin, I agree somewhat with what you have said in post 93. There are pedestrians always walking out onto the roads without looking & jsut expecting cars to stop for them. Come to think of it, many car drivers do the same damn thing. It’s the car drivers job to speed up, not mine to slow down, but that’s another chapter in the book altogether. High school kids are the worst pedestrians going, especially the boys. With thier sort of behaviour it is no wonder we have speed zones at schools. Primary school kids are often left to walk to school on thier own when they are very young unfortunatley by thier irresponsible parents so having slow zones around thier schools makes perfect sense IMO. In fact I think the slow zones around primary schools should be extended when they are near intersection or major roads. I bet if there was a survey done of kids run over by cars on thier way to or from school, that most of those accidents would have happened outside of the school zone area.
As for all the stuff aobut the silly speeding fines etc. I agree. I have actually gotten to the point where I carry a cheap camera in my car at all times so that I can photograph the site of any camera I get done by. If it’s not set up absolutley correctly, you don’t pay the fine. Very few cameras are set up correctly. I also stop & get the name & details of the camera operator. You have to approach them nicely though as I don’t think they are obliged to tell you anything at all. For hand helds, I will always stop & get badge numbers, camera serial number & check when it was last calibrated. Out of 17 speeding fines I have recieved in the last 9 yrs. I have had to pay one. You would be amazed at how often mobile cameras are set up on the wrong angle to the road. I will post some details when I’m not so tired & drunk about how to beat the speed cameras.

Little Bits, I have a few Cb’s around the house, both UHF & VHF are on 24/7 & hooked up to good base station ariels. What’s your call sign so I know who to listen out for?

with the future criminal zones,{school zones]the main problem was the chicken games,and i v seen it many times,the best one was when a group came out of the school and one kid ran in front of the cars and back again,3or 4 cars skidded to a halt,and the kids walked of laughing and discussing when the others would have their turn at it.the other problem was the bogun d&*beat parents runing their own kids and their mates over,trouble is that the governments are too scared to go directly to the main problem and panelise them instead ,so its time to target bad parents and make them pay for the lot.

MR CRAZYSTUNTMAN.LETS SEE HOW LONG YOU LAST.

Fair within reason Spandau Tango but you have to draw a line with this parent responsibility somewhere. Once they hit high school the kids tend to do what ever the hell they want & just lie thier backsides off to thier parents. It’s hard for parents to dicipline kids when they don’t know what the kids are getting up to & with all the laws in place about smacking etc the kids know that the parents can’t do anything to them. It makes the parents effectivley powerless to control thier kids. Kids that act like angels at home are often menaces out of the house & unless they get caught red handed, the parents don’t know what the kid is up to. Get the parents for stuff on the primary school kids, but once they are in high school the kids should be the ones to cop the punishment.

They were some long posts just don’t get earthy started on long Posts or it will be a novel’s worth of infomation.

Hey Conman, I’m not in an semi and I don’t know anyone on the road, so I usually keep quiet and just listen for alerts about candy cars and other ones. I forget, are you in the city or country? Coz I never have it switched on until I get out of the city. Too many dickheads talking sh!t otherwise.
Do you hear much on the AM? I don’t know why anyone still uses them??

Blackburn/Nunawading. I can pick up signals via the repeaters across most of the state & sometimes through to NSW or SA along with the odd OS stuff in weird weather. AM still has some chatter on channel 8. I just turn the volume down for the most part. Just loud enough to hear if there is anything interesting going on. CB’s are in both my Patrol & Impreza, so I have one near me most of the time. Unless I’m on-site for work, which is usually between 6am & 3pm most days. Half days Saturday. VHF-419 or UHF just call for Con1.

Cheers Conl, will try to leave it on closer to Melb next week. It all seems so silly and lame at first hey, but it gets into you! I popped it on briefly today in western Sydney, and there was all sorts of activity going on over several channels. 8 hey?! I will be on 40.

just be carefull there guys,some of the worst gay bashings has happened from people organising meetings or dates on the cb radios.

err sorry,im not saying you guys are,but you could be loured in to a trap or something.

Seems u guys have go a bit off topic…..
I live in a country area on the mid-north coast and the 5km stretch from my house to the beach was recently droped to 70km/hr from 80km/hr which just 2yrs ago was 100km/hr and the road is smoother and straighter then its ever been. I belive it could easily be 90, in all conditions and for all skill drivers and not cause risk. I think it is this kind of coutry road this article is on about.

Rola, I read the posts on this site for a couple of weeks before I started posting & the first thing I worked out is that going off topic is perfectly normal here & isn’t descouraged so long as it’s not racial or threatening in anyway & so long as it’s suitable for a young audience. I suggest you not worry about others being off topic. If you like to be stricly on the topic, then you can stay on the topic.
As for your road, it may be the way that you say & that the local plods are looking to fill the books. Not knowing where exactly you mean though I will just throw in that recent development & future development often impacts on the speed limits. It may be that there has been some new development recently along the road you speak of or that there is something planned you don’t know about yet. Most likely it’s the coppers wanting to fill the books faster though if it’s really a proper country road with nothing on the sides except for paddocks.

Interesting points there Little bits, the government uses cameras far too liberally. Not sure if you’ve heard but a couple of weeks ago the state government announced that they were upgrading police cars speed cameras so that they could detect a speeding vehicle up to a kilometre away. It’s not exactly going to help with the perception that speed cameras are a revenue raiser is it?

Conman, I agree that the slower you go the more time you have to react if a school kid steps out in front of you but where do we draw the balance between kids safety and traffic flow?

Rola, that is the sort of thing that really pisses me off, governments and road authorities who cut limits with little or no justification. Punishing drivers who ’speed’ isn’t going to save lives nor is lowering speed limits.

Rather what they should do is pour the millions they have collected from speed camera fines into funding driver training programs.

conman, i was tring to be funny with the comment,”Seems u guys have go a bit off topic…..” i myself often cotribut to offtopic discussions. Yeah, i think it is a revenue raiser, their seems to be a more common police presence on that road now…

contribute*

Ah! I missed the joke Rola. Blame it on the JD again, which I was well into last night, as you may be able to tell from the lousy spelling & grammar in my previous post. I wouldn’t expect much better from me today either. No work today so I got stuck into it a bit last night. Especially when Casey came off on the warm up lap…
Funny how the constabulary show up when the speed limits get changed isn’t it?

Kevin, up to a kilometer away? Good luck with them trying to get anyone to pay fines from those cameras! It might work out in the country where they can get one car on a road by itself, but in the city with all that traffic they couldn’t give you the fine. Too much interference. They would have a hell of a time proving it was you they had caught speeding.

hi everyone.i’m blogging here to encourage everyone including topgear to help your mates when they really need you to be around them.when gom lost his son,i lost a mate to suicide.i’m doing a suicide prevention course that trains you to be able to identify when something’s not ok.we are all human,and need support when things become hard.my thoughts are with gom,and i really hope you are copping ok mate cause if your not,its ok to ask for help.i’m also thinking of my friends family who now have to move on in life without her as her friend so do i.drepression affects us all so please,please talk to someone.friend,doctor,men tal health service.

Hi Holdenchickybabe – exellent advice,and yes its time to make everyone understand just how dangerous depression is!!
Blogging is a great release for many sufferers especially for us macho types who never cry!!

A few bloggers here have had a go at me about my screen name-you may already know what it means,but to others here it is

Sir Winston Churchill suffered from depression
he called it his black dog..

So black dog, your real name is Winston?

good grief-!!
er-mm-righto – yes little bits its winston.
whatever makes you happy…

Black Dog’s real name is Joe Blogs

Cheers winston, you’re such an agreeable chap. That’s what I like about you. Do you own a cb radio at all by chance?

Too right its for the macho types black dog. No emo’s here

No – no emos here rola!
but i think our dickhead count may have gone up 1!!

yeah… crazy stuntman

I think Crazy Stuntman has that recessive idiot gene that the other blog is about.

Black Dog, Here I was thinking you just meant the “sir” part. Sir Winston Black Dog does have a certain ring to it though.

rola if you think that being emo is for sooks you have a serious issue.my opinion of men is that if you show your not ok and not copping YOU ARE MORE OF A MAN FOR ADDMITTING you need someone to talk too.
hi black dog.hey ballarina boy
topgear i think that it would be a good idea to do a blog on deppression and cars together.how many people have taken their lives ie wrapped their car around trees,poles or hit something else because their deppression got the better of them?and they couldnt talk to anyone?

hey speed demon i’m still giggling from you spelling coconut wrong.that was sooo funny lol

My opinion on speed limits has always been to make them higher.
I like the Autobahn system and i believe Australia has more then enough space to have Autobahns running through all states.
Having such a system inplace may even reduce the roadtoll on highways caused by fatigue…for example a 330km trip with a limit of 110km/h zone takes 3hrs that same trip on the Autobahn with an unlimited speed zone could take 1hr at 330km/h in essence shaving 2hrs of road time of the journey. As they say the less time you spend on the road the less at risk you are in being involved in an accident in other words speeding is safe on more levels then one

Sebotage there isn’t many cars in Australia that can actully do 300km/h there is one i know of saw it in the auto trader Ferrari 360 for only i think it was $102 or $112 a day but if you work that out per week it’s like $700 to $800 a week which is $36400 to $41600 a year that’s on the car alone that doesn’t include fuel insurance and service so unless you got a speacial built race car or awsome road bike no one is going 300 plus.

I didn’t actully look at my own spelling until someone pointed it out.

I already thought all roads are autobahns

I agree completely. I have been preaching that for years, trying to explain to people: It’s inattention & fatigue that count for more accidents then any thing else! Speed sharpens reaction = Simple.

holden chick34, I was making a joke of what black dog said in return to you. Also, I believe that you cannot laugh at peoples spelling when your gramma is as bad as it is. You have fullstops without a space or a capital letter after them in all you posts and a lack of commas where they obviously should be.
Got ur back speed demon

Does anyone else miss the old days when carbage had pictures of hillarious cars which had been poorly riced in it?

you know whats cool about owning a hummer.

when people pull out you drop the gear plant it and ram them in the back and send them off the road

Crazy Stuntman – Congratulations. Your pathetic attitude has been enough to motivate me to put in a post despite my current mood. You are a total moron. Your lousy attempts at humour are not appreciated here. People like you make me sick. I hope one day I meet you so that I can show you what real rage is. I have plenty to share around. Now eff off you useless ankle. If that’s too hard for you to figure out, it means your three feet lower than a c@#t.

Sorry TGA, my mood & his attitude are a bad mix. Hope you guys can understand.

HC34 – I’m still alive & kicking. Apparently there is still a bit of fight left in me yet. It is great advice you have given there & I am lucky that I have the support of some very close friends that I can rely on no matter what problems I am facing. Having my other kids helps to keep me getting out of bed in the morning to. Unfortunatley not everyone has the support network that I do & they are to closed off to reach out for help or even just someone to talk to. I’m still plodding along & still having a look on here occasionally. I might try to start making the occasional post but I will just see how I go.

Black Dog – I knew what your name meant already. I have heard the quote from Churchill before as well as my dad suffering from depression for most of his life. He has pretty much always refered to it the same way.

Wow, i think everyone hates crazy stuntman…..
How old are u crazy? Are u 12?????

Oh and welcom back G.O.M., it is good to here from you.

G.O.M you can talk to us you want and we won’t judge anything you say.

I know none of know each other personaly but we will still try to do our best to help.

It’s sounds like you got a really good family you are really lucky to have them.

look even if all you want to do is let us have it and rage on that’s ok you some times you just have to we all understand.

I can’t say we have all been there but i know most of us have so if you feel like posting which we hope you do we will be all ears and happy to hear from you all the best

Stephen.

Minister for the TAC Tim Holding said the new campaign reminds drivers of the likelihood of getting caught if you continue to speed on Victoria’s roads.

“Police are using all the speed enforcement technologies available to them to tackle the single biggest killer on our roads – speed,” Mr Holding said.

“Speed is involved in at least 30 per cent of fatal crashes. When viewed in the context of last year’s road toll of 332, around 100 lives could have been saved if people had simply slowed down and taken more care on the roads.”

The anti-speed camera campaign is based on junk science.
By George Monbiot. Published in the Guardian 13th November 2007

Loth as I am to threaten my reputation as a bilious old git, I feel compelled to shock you. I am going to praise the government. New Labour has done something brave.

Last week the transport minister Jim Fitzpatrick said he intends to double the penalty for drivers who break the speed limit by a wide margin(1). This means that people could lose their licences after committing just two offences. The papers are furious. The petrolheads have called for a petition which “will get as big a response as the road pricing one.”(2)

Yes it’s brave, but not quite as brave as you might think. Despite endless attempts by the media to trivialise it, an RAC survey reveals that 62% of drivers still regard speeding as a serious offence(3). Even more surprisingly, 82% of British people surveyed approve of speed cameras, and the percentage has risen slightly since the mid-1990s(4). There is a genuine silent majority here, which is rarely represented in the media.

Nowhere is more nonsense spoken about this issue than on the BBC. Its Top Gear series has become a sort of looking-glass Crimewatch, in which the presenters enlist the public to help criminals foil the police. There are tips on how to avoid prosecution and endless suggestions that speed cameras are useless or counter-productive. The tone was set in 2002, when the team demonstrated that you could beat the cameras by driving past them at 170mph(5). Since Richard Hammond’s crash last year, it has had to temper the message a little – but only a little. How, while BBC editors are sacked for mis-naming the Blue Peter cat, does Top Gear remain on air?

In the Sun, Top Gear’s lead presenter Jeremy Clarkson abandons the wink and the nudge for blatant incitement. “As I drove down the M20 into Kent last Monday, I noticed that most of the speed cameras had been burned out by vandals. This is disgusting. It is ridiculous, criminal and stupid that the person who savaged these life-saving devices should target the M20 … and then stop. Why did you not keep right on going? I can think of six cameras on my way home that would be immeasurably improved with a spot of petrol and a match.”(6)

The tabloids throw up their hands in horror at almost every other species of crime. They praise the police and demand that they are given greater powers and that law-breakers serve longer sentences. On this issue they take the opposite position. Richard Brunstrom, the North Wales police chief who is waging war on speeders, is denounced by the Daily Mail as “the Mad Mullah of the Traffic Taliban”(7). The Sun calls him “barmy”(8) and a “politically correct prat”(9).

In Saturday’s Telegraph, Christopher Booker and Richard North published a long article appropriately titled “Speed cameras: the twisted truth”. A sharp decline in the death rate on the roads suddenly slowed down in the mid-1990s. They attribute this to the government’s new focus on enforcing the speed limits, especially by erecting speed cameras. What they fail to mention is that deaths started falling sharply again in 2003(10), after the number of speed cameras had doubled in three years(11).

They use similarly selective data to argue that there is no evidence that cameras have reduced deaths even at the spots where they are deployed. They hang their case on an oversight in a government report published in 2003. The report claimed that the accident rate had fallen by 35% where cameras had been installed. Booker and North rightly observe that it had failed to account for a statistical effect called “regression to the mean”. There might have been an abnormal blip in the accident figures, which would have returned to background levels of their own accord. The truth, they maintain, is that “speed cameras actually increased” the rate of accidents.

But what Booker and North fail to tell their readers was that in 2005 the government conducted a new analysis, which took account of regression to the mean(12). The new figures showed an average reduction of 19% for collisions which caused deaths or injuries after speed cameras had been installed(13). Why do Booker and North not tell their readers that the statistics had been corrected and still showed a major decline in the number of accidents?

Their article is a long catalogue of intellectual dishonesty. In support of their claims that speed cameras are worse than useless, they also use a report by the House of Commons Transport Committee(14). It said, they maintain, that “an obsession with cameras was responsible for a “deplorable” drop in the number of officers patrolling Britain’s roads”. It says nothing of the kind, and the word “deplorable” does not feature anywhere. But here’s what it does contain: “Well-placed cameras bring tremendous safety benefits at excellent cost-benefit ratios. A more cost effective measure for reducing speeds and casualties has yet to be introduced.”(15) Booker and North also lay into one of my columns. That’s fair enough: it’s a national sport. But to make their narrative more convincing, they alter the date of the column by a year(16). Their claims about speed cameras, like much of the material in their new book, are pure junk science, cherry-picking the helpful results and ignoring the inconvenient ones.

All these people turn, as a final resort, to a man by the name of Paul Smith, who runs a campaign called Safe Speed. He’s quoted everywhere whenever there is a speeding story in the news. He claims to have found, through statistical analysis, that “speed cameras make our roads more dangerous.”(17)

In 2005, he challenged me to a radio debate. I accepted, and floored him with a simple question. Has he published his analysis in a peer-reviewed journal?(18) A peer-reviewed journal subjects new scientific claims to expert scrutiny. Without peer-review, those of us who aren’t experts can’t tell whether they are a work of genius or total hogwash. No, he hadn’t. In fact he had been asked by the leading journal in the field (Accident Analysis and Prevention) to submit his work for review, but he hadn’t taken up the offer as he didn’t “have time”. (He went on to boast that he had spent 10,000 hours compiling his website.) But he said he would seek to publish a peer-reviewed paper within six months.

I rang him on Friday to ask how he was getting on. “I never did see peer review as a particular need,” he answered. “I mean for heaven’s sake, there’s so much peer-reviewed crap out there that it’s just not a modus operandi for us.”(19) So just what is the status of his evidence? Beside the statements on his website, Smith lists “source, justification and links”. His central claim is as follows: “We simply don’t believe that a significant proportion of accidents are caused by exceeding the speed limit.”(20) If he cannot demonstrate that this is true, his entire case collapses. Its source, justification and links? He cites this and only this. “Pure opinion, based on considerable driving experience.”
http://www.monbiot.com

ok, so nobody actually reads earthy’s comments right?

Sorry Earth Lover, I nodded off after the first two paragraphs. Are you for or against higher speed limits? What is this rubbish about the speed detection equipment? (I didn’t read that far so I don’t know wether you were praising them or ticked off about them) 99% of the time the cops have it all set up in places they are not allowed to do so or have broken thier own laws somehow. Speed detection equipment is not, by thier own laws, allowed to be used within 200m of a bridge or overpass, is not allowed to be used within 200m of a change of speed zone, is not allowed to be operated within the confines of a temporary speed limit, ie, roadworks & I would read school zone into that to as it is not a permanant limit. Speed detection equipment also may not be operated either at the top, bottom or crest of a hill. “Speed detection equipment in use” signs must be erected directly opposite the location of said equipment. There is to be no attempts at concealment of speed detection equipment by hiding it in or behind trees, bushes, road signs or by setting it back further from the roadway than required for the equipment to operate & not cause a hazard. Speed detection equipment may not be operated on or within a reasonable distance of a bend in a road. Police with radar equipment must have thier overhead flashing lights activated when they are operating speed detection equipment.
Given that that is just the tip of thier own regulations & that they cover almost every speeding ticket ever issued, making them illegaly given tickets, why should we pay them & why shouldn’t the Police be charged with fraud?
Anyone care to try & tell me it isn’t just revenue raising now?

I do not disagree that in some instances speed cameras have been used as a panacea to cure all the evils of driving, that it’s a bit of a money spinner etc etc and that often speed is not the ‘only’cause of accidents. However, the simple fact remains. If many of the accidents on our roads had taken place at a lower speed, the injuries and deaths on our roads would be reduced.

No one actually needs 200kw in any family transport, no one actually needs to drive fast on the public highway. driving fast on the public road is a sheer indulgence that satisfies an immature machismo urge. Want to drive fast? Get a race licence and take it away from the road.

And Conman, perhaps if your attention span was a little longer than 30 seconds you’d read something a learn a little.

My attention span is plenty long enough. I find my limits at complete boredom because of endless quotes from others instead of a persons own thoughts.

here here

Oh you poor deluded souls. Do you want just ’soundbytes’ and ‘Newspeak’ then?

that’s ok G.O.M. no worries the usual bloggers such as me,speed demon,black dog,will be here for you if you need us ok.i have support from my family too but other’s might not so we are here.that is so important to me to let others know even you guys topgear.and for the rest of you we are use to earthy’s blogging doesn’t bother me anymore.can’t forget you ballarina boy spandau tango.

“Soundbytes & Newspeak” is exactly what you have given us Earth Lover. I don’t think you know a whole lot about the subject. Best you quit while your behind. Saying if people were going slower they might still be alive is like saying if someone was in a Kenworth they might still be alive. Pretty much irrelevant to any of this. You are basically asking “what If?”. There is a “What If?” in every single decicion that every single person ever makes.
That’s like me saying “What if I had joined for full time service instead of the reserves?” Would I be a general? Would I be dead? Would I be serving in Afghanistan right now?
You can say what if all you like but it is just speculation. You don’t actually know.

Stick with your own thoughts & ideas instead of just quoting others. All that does is show your lack of intelligence. Lately this blog has been about wether we think speed cameras are just revenue raising devices or a legitimate tool for lowering the road toll. Given that I have shown that most detection equipment is being operated ilegally, I think it is safe to say it is for revenue raising & nothing more. Especially as proper driver training would save more lives than anything else that could be done. One makes the government money, the other would cost them money. Gee… I wonder why they choose to use speed cameras in the guise of a road safety tool? If you want to buy into the BS propaganda that is shoved down our throats every day, that’s your problem. It doesn’t change the fact that it is BS though.

every time you step behind the wheel,you should learn something,nobody can teach you that.and i was watching some highly trained motorcycle police go on a race track with some self trained racers,and guess which group looked like amateurs who should not be let anywhere near a bike.you can only teach 5% and 95% you learn your self,so no more of this training crap.

hey! i have been comenting on this site more often and for longer then you holden chick34. You’re calling urself a “usual blogger” and not peeps such like conman????

whats a peep roofrack????

1.-Speed camera’s are revune raiser’s

2-I did read earthy’s comment’s all the way through his point is vaild but i oppose it for the simple reason i dispise speed camera’s and the infomation collected are all done by old people.

3.-Again i can’t disagree Police never use speed camera’s in the fashion they were desgined for but try telling that to a cop he/she will tell you to P!ss off.

4.-No you don’t need 200kw in a family car but if you were offered a choice between 2 family car’s and one had less horse power you would less likely consider it unless the extra horse power car was super cumfy.

last it’s good to hear from you earthy you sort of dropped of the grid for a while anything intresting happen in you absense a holiday prehaps.

Cheers Speed Demon. Haven’t been on holiday, i wish.. Just really busy at work fixing up the idiots that think that driving fast on the public highway is OK. I guess if it stopped I might be out of work! The research that quotes reducing average speed on the road comes from monash University, it is very highly regarded and makes pure common sense. (hit something less hard and it will hurt less).

Just a note, I am free to express my opinions and those i agree with here, even if it doesn’t follow the herd.

And to make the point again.

100 wives, husbands, daughters,sons would still be alive today if they had been driving a little more slowly.

YODA,”information is collected by old people”??????????????????  ???????????????????.And, police man telling you to pi#%@ off,no he wont but he will give you an other ticket if not two.

lol, u know peep-person. Used in a sentence: i’m here with my peeps.

You are getting old if you don’t know what peeps means Spandau Tango. Now I know why you are so against the eye testing of older drivers. I was right. You are getting on & worried it will effect you. Don’t worry though, I’m sure if the speed limits are ever raised then the taxi fares won’t cost you as much.

connie,yes i am ,and guess what,so are you,your in the same boat,i dont mind testing as long as it is the same for every age group.iv had 3 people ram in to my car at traffic lights,they all said they didnt see me[i was right in front of them for f#%&#sake]they were all under 35.but i do think the17 to 40 age group should only be alowed to commute to work and back for their own and their familys safety.

Spandau Tango, all that shows is that you have come across 3 s#it drivers or that you have a habit of changing lanes at the last minute when you pull up to the lights. Either way, I don’t know but being as obviously selfish as you are it wouldn’t surprise me to find out is the latter. You strike me as the sort of person that would change lanes in front of a braking semi & then complain that he hit you. Not realising that you have just shortened his braking zone & that you caused the accident. Your last bit there about 17-40yr olds just shows that you are an incredibly selfish individual that suffers from know it all disease just like I suspected. Your being a goose.

So why not test everyone say every 5 years? Include in the test justification as to why you actually need a driving licence…… And for God’s sake bring in a national annual roadworthy cert whilst we’re at it.

no,each time i was standing and waiting,and connie,are you getting worried about the 17 to 40 drivers having to justify their driving like the elderly drivers??

Earth Lover & Spandau Tango, paragraph two, post 67. I think you will discover that I clearly stated that EVERY driver should have to do refresher courses every five years or so. I didn’t make it clear in that post but that would include eye tests as well. Basically what I mean is that everyone should have to resit both the practical & theoretical tests every five years. Just like a learner applying for thier licence. The only difference between the first time learner & the revision tests would be that the revision tests should be done in the one go & that the cost is included in the cost of your licence.
So no, I’m not worried about having to justify my driving. I wouldn’t mind it one little bit actually.
Spandau Tango, you also havn’t thought out why insurance premiums are higher for people in the 17-40 age group. It’s simply economics. There are more of us to charge the higher prices to meaning more profits for the companies. Then there is the fact that that age group will be on the road more often than older drivers that are retired or don’t have the kids at home anymore. Then you can factor pensioner discounts into it. I think it’s perfectly clear why we get charged more than older drivers. As for your being rear ended 3 times, all I can say is if you were just sitting & waiting on each occasion & arn’t one of those mad buggers that stop far enough from the car in front that I could literally park a semi in the gap you leave, then you are seriously one unlucky dude. If it ever happens again & you see it coming, take your foot off the brake & put the car in neutral or your foot on the clutch. If your first in the queue, stomp on the accelerator if the way is clear. Screw the red light. Will soften the impact & lessen the damage to you & your vehicle. Also it is true that the elderly have fewer accidents than the 17-40 age group. There’s less of them to have accidents. If you look at those accidents, many of them were avoidable. Many are caused by the elderly driver suffering from a bit of confusion. We all suffer from abit of confusion every now & again but the elderly are much more prone to doing so. They are also more prone to accidents through driver error, like stomping on the accelerator instead of the brake. Get over yourself Spandau. We don’t all have to agree with you just like you don’t have to agree with us, or me.

I know if i did a test every 5 years i’d pass peice of cake,i know this sounds arrogant but driving is one of the skills i’m actauly good at i always try to give a 3 second gap with the car in front i merge correctly you know the rule if there is a car in front of you even by a inch they get the right of way in other words you slow down and don’t try to push in front and scratch and dent the other car and then don’t stop you piece of elky trash hilux driver if i catch you i am going to ripp of your ball’s and shuv them down your throat now were was i yes oh yeah i give way to the right on a round about.

Driving is about common sence it’s not supose to be difficult in fact it’s very easy follow the rules and you won’t get hurt.

Yes the ability to merge is a lost art. Everyone is in so much of a hurry to get into the line of slow moving traffic so that they can get nowhere faster or beat you to the next red light. I’ve taken to the habit of taking over the centre of both lanes if I see some moron trying to fly up to get past cars in front instead of just slotting in like they should. If I’m in front, I will flatly refuse to let them in. I don’t give a damn what car they are driving. If they try to push in from behind & they hit me, the marks will be on the front corner of thier car & somewhere further back than the front corner of mine. That’s definitive proof to the cops of who was supposed to give way. I could always do with a few new panels.

After that fiasco i had i too flatley refuse to let people try to push in front of me of a merging lane even if i have to block them early so they don’t get any dull idea’s.

thats it connie,HAND IN YOUR LICENCE YOU ARE A NUISANCE ON OUR ROADS,YOU HAVE NO REASON TO HAVE A LICENCE.

Why? Are you one of the ignorant pushy Dheads that I wouldn’t let shove in front of me? The only menace around is you. You only throw out insults without actually knowing anything about my driving. Geez, your real clever arn’t you. I repeat, I’m done with you, get stuffed. I wouldn’t p@ss in your ear if your brain was on fire.

you are bad person connie,dont forget there a children reading these blogs

i think you should make an apology connie.

rola firstly i have been blogging on topgear site for last 4mths,and i have gotten to know the other users through our posts whether we’ve agreed or not.black dog,g.o.m.,spandau tango,speed demon,earth lover,stire the shit out of eachother but all in good fun.stop picking at me as i do have a life outside this site and when you have lost a mate to suicide i’m quiet sure you wouldn’t be blogging for a while as you would be grieving for them like i was.i’m not being nasty either.

conman i hope topgear pulls your posts because topgear australia warned everyone who posts on this site to keep it clean or your posts will be pulled.and as for stuntman it will only be a matter of time before tga gets annoyed with you too.

I see. It’s ok for the regulars to insult who they want however they want but if someone new comes along & acts the same way, you lot can’t handle it. You’ll be getting no apology from me. If someone is an arrogant little turd, I’ll tell them. I’m sick of Spandau Tango acting like some dictator. It’s not his site & people don’t have to agree with him. You lot can’t go getting nasty with people & not expect to get the same kind of treatment back. Seems to be free speech on here so long it is what you lot want to hear. Bunch of cry babies. Tell you what. I’m outta here & I’ll let everyone know what a bunch off completely spoilt little tossers you are while I’m at it so that no-one I know comes on here & has to deal with you bunch of pansies.

Conman – You are more than welcome to post here. Please lose the aggression though. This is a forum where opinions are expressed, right or wrong. It is not a place for machismo posturing and insults. It’s called ‘cyber-bullying’ and it ain’t pretty. There’s been some pretty big media coverage about suicide as a result. You may not realise it but there may be people you have had a go at here who take personally your insults. You have no idea how this may affect them, especially if they seek escape from the torments of ‘the real world’ by having conversations with strangers.

Respect breeds respect. Nuff said.

My wife was involved in a car crash yesterday as a direct result of a sub-species of human thinking there abilities in driving are higher than they actually are. Wife travelling as a passenger along sub-urban road in her friends car at the speed limit. Clear road in front, clear road behind. Sub-species doesn’t stop at the junction and just drives into her. She’s 34 weeks pregnant with twins and although she wasn’t injured she’s been kept in hospital to monitor our babies as all sorts of comlipcations can occur with even a small bump this far on into the pregnancy. Seems she and the twins will be OK, but the worry and trauma caused by this idiot won’t dissapate quickly.
The sub-species left the scene of the accident without checking to see if my wife was OK. The police are looking for a dark blue Commodore wagon around the Dandenong area of Melbourne.

And people wonder why I advocate drastically reduced use of private motor vehicles and massive increases in reliable, comfortable public transport along with all the other good stuff.

Sori my spell’n is a bitt of this Morgning!

Earthy – I sympathise with your situation. I went through the exact same scenario many years ago with my wife & first born. Except it was a bus that hit her. I hope all turns out well for you, the wife & your kids. I do have to say though, your wife & friend were not using public transport either. Which would make them just as guilty of using the convenience of the car instead of public transport. I’m in no way suggesting that your wife or friend are at fault as clearly they were not & the other driver is a complete clot that needs a good belting among other things, so please don’t take what I said the wrong way.

Conman & Spandex – Your both acting like children. I know, I’ve been there & done that. Both of you grow up.

What was the topic again??

We need corby to insult/another minority group!! this is getting boreing..

oil master,not a dictator.

gee earthy ,glad everything ok,thats too close for comfort.

Ok there has been enough Death and Injuries for a while can everyone please just be ok now no more dieing please.

Conman i hope you haven’t left your about the only person i can agree with on this site, forget what the other’s have said if they insult me it’s just water of a duck’s back forget about it mate i do there only words anyway.

i know u guys have had it tuff and tell us all about suicides and deaths but unless it is actually on topic (eg earthys wifes crash) then it does not really belong here.
I like cars and its fun to comment but this site has recently become a bit of a downer, i know depression is an important topic but holden chick’s idea of depression post along side car posts is silly. I come here for cars not for tramatised gits talkin about their problems and i think those traumaised git should look up depression in google and i am sure they will find plenty of chat rooms n stuff.

for holden chicks idea read her early posts on this blog.

comment 121 to be exact

Hey rolaboy – trouble is tga is slow to put up new posts so the bloggers get restless and start talking about other stuff.

But thats cool,i like to get to know people better even on a blog

There is a simple solution for you-and speedy
Go find another blogg!

I might if TGA don’t set up antother blog just pick anything you like i mean Christmas is coming up choose somthing like that plus i don’t know any one new comes along and you guy’s chase them off.

oh well sigh.

black dog, how dare u put me in the same catagory as speedy. I only sugested a slightly happier view of te world then u guys seem to have atm.
I also like to here good outcomes but u have to agree with me about my horror of tg turning into a site for emotional support and topics on deppression like holden chik was suggesting, this is a car site for gods sake!

I’m leaving and going over to wheel’s there is never enough blog updates i know Bushby.23 blogs there all the time Conman if you read this go there.

have a great Christmas ect ect.

good ridance….

im allready posting at wheels mag.im going on there now to cause a bit of havoc.

i put a post in the wheels blog,they pulled it straight away so you have to use an other name.

good luck to you rola.i give my opinion freely on this site like everyone else does and as for my idea on car’s and depression going together what happen’s to you if someone hits you,rides your car off,and you have no-way of getting to work?just for arguments sake.you get can get depressed.that was my point.can anyone else see my point here?earthy sorry to hear bout your wife,hope everything goes well for you and family.conman and spandau acting like kids is so right g.o.m.silly am i rola??at least i know what i need to do if someone tell’s me they are deppressed.doubt you would though.

I am not saying i cannot get depressed i am just saying that this is not the place for it, their are many, many blogs on depression online as well as many support services for those in need. So why do we need another here?
I myself became quite depressed last year after a run of bad things ( eg i pride myself on the good marks and rank at school and i was starting to fail yr 11, my pop who i was closer to then any other member of my family died and i broke my hand which stoped me doing pritty much anything for three months because i am quite sports orientated).
I used family and friends to bring myself back as well as a couselor so i know that support sevices are nescesary but tg does not need to be one.
I have now expressed my opinion as any of you guys do on this blog and i am sue u will argue about it but i have done with this topic, i don’t want to become as annoying as crazy stuntman or speed demon so i will stop harping on about it, ok?

I have driven on a fair amount of country roads for my work that takes me round the country. I have driven in W.A. N.T. S.A. QLD. and Vic roads. I also have driven a bit around in the cities, and its the city where I have had most of my close calls. From people not knowing the road rules, (personally I would like every driver take the L’s test every 5 years, other wise the only ones that know the road rules are the L platers and the driving instructors) and people cutting in or out of traffic, not using their indicators, or braking very late for a corner that they haven’t indicated for either.

Out on the country roads tho, different story entirely. There is no one out there to do these careless things. The minor country roads couldn’t take a speed increase, but the main highways can. 130 in the N.T. saves so much time, especially if you, (and the driver you are sharing with, fatigue is bad) are driving all day. Accidents on the country highways are likely from fatigue from being on the road for so long, quicker limits, less time on the road, and animals. And as for skippy, just keep your eyes open, don’t stick to the left like you would in the city, stick right, (clearly not too far) and when driving on the deserted highways at night, drive in the middle of the road, giving you more time to react from animals, just keep an eye out for on com ing traffic.

the periotic or 5 yearly driver testing and training clearly doesnt work,just have a look at the P plate drivers on the roads,who have just been thru the process,every rule is broken constantly by at least 99% of the p platers,mostly on purpose.

Spandex – I’m sure as a young bloke you were off doing burnouts & going having drags with your mates too. As we get older we grow out of doing that sort of stuff, which makes your P-plater comparison completley void. We grow out of it as we get older. It’s called self control. Something you are lacking on these blogs.

Mandatory Learner liscencing every 5 years?!
Youve got be joking or you work for the RTA, perhaps your the infamous person that invented speed cameras? Either way nick i suggest you get your head cavity checked to make sure your normal. And ofcourse your going to have more close calls in the big smoke as opposed to the sticks, it doesnt take Einstein to work out that more traffic means higher risk.
Majority of drivers in the city are from the country to boot, we are all alike people make mistakes.

I agree with G.O.M.
Burnouts and drags with mates is a part of our culture and it should not be changed by heavy handed laws and revenue seekers. Past generations had it all freedom and free spirit and now the future looks bleak for our P platers because of some tossers that do not know or care little of what theyre talking about. Let the kids grow up like we grew up and stop being so perfect wannabe

Common sense – Don’t read things into what I say that are not there. I would support testing every 5yrs, though I’m not sure it would be the full learners test. Get rid of that log book crap for more experienced drivers. Nothing wrong with sitting a theory test & doing a practical test every five years. Though I think the practical test should be way harder for the experienced drivers. Learners to for that matter.
I also don’t support P-platers being allowed to do burnouts & have drags where ever they want. They want to do that sort of thing then they need to adopt the same attitude we had as young blokes, bugger off where there are no people & no property to damage. As younger drivers, if we started doing burnouts & crap wherever we wanted, we were soon pulled into line quite quickly by our peers & we had enough respect to listen. These days if you try to tell a young bloke he’s acting like an idiot & that he should bugger off somewhere quite, your likely to get bashed by him & his four hero mates or get a knife in the guts, because they are gutless cowards with no respect for thier elders. I was merely trying to point out to Spandex that his reasoning for no testing of advanced drivers by comparing them to P-platers is very flawed.

Don’t read into my posts what I don’t say. It ticks me off & as others have found out, that is not a good thing to do.

Oh, & your theory about the majority of city drivers are from the country, is complete BS to. Where did you pull that load of garbage from?

As someone who lives in the country i only have this to say. On a country road the chances of getting caught by the possibly single police officer in town incredibly rare. Due to this, well, most people would be surprised how fast we drive already.

Of all the car crashes i know of out here, in order of frequency, all are due to low speed, fatigue, people messing around doing stupid things like burn outs and drag races on completely inappropriate roads and in one case an old lady who forgot which side of the road to drive on in the center of town.

When most people cruise around at 140km/h already, often on single lane or gravel roads roads, without incident …. Well you know something is wrong with the legislation

glad your back gome

Common sence – That was then – this is now,and its not the same out there!

Its not ok to behave like a tool!!-if you want to drive like that
go join a car club that does track days

Like i have said before to great rebuff
DRIVEING IS A PRIVALIDGE NOT A RIGHT.
and i dont care who you are or where you live!!

you go on the rd and you have the safety of total strangers to consider!

If you cant get your head around that-well try a bicycle(sorry earthy)

Oh – to all the bloggers who are leaving to go to – (lough/snigger) tw
Yep – you will love it there really interesting like the new camry tests “all models”wow
And the best car to tow a c/van with
Bronson and his mates will meet you there..

By By

blacky,miss stevens is much better looking then corbyette

if you dont believe me check out samantha stevens.com

When i was a P plater we would organize friday and saturday night meets on deserted roads near an airport in QLD where there was no traffic apart from the people involved in the meet. We would grag eachother and sometimes we would do burnouts though they were reserved for Sundays at another well known location. And throughout the years of participation there has never been one injury to any participants or observers infact the only problems were with the cars breakingdown every now and then.

I believe you should do your lscence test only the one time in your lifetime and thats it!
Only an idiot would ask for a test every 5 years, it is moorons like you that shouldnt have the privelige to driving cars. if you arent happy with the system then why do you drive or better yet why dont you go to Vicroads a nd demand you be tested every 5 years because you feel it is prudent to do so due to your lack of competence as a driver. In the mean time ill save the money and the time every 5 years and use my common sense when im on the roads. Its all about common sense problem is common sense aint all that common

Common sense – Now there’s a contradiction!

Risky drivers will get caught before someone gets hurt (That means you ‘Common Sense’).

MEDIA RELEASE: 15 November 2009

A new TAC campaign is putting the Victorian community on notice that people engaging in risky driving behaviour in the lead up to Christmas will be caught before someone gets hurt.

Roads and Ports Minister Tim Pallas was today joined by Victoria Police Deputy Commissioner Ken Lay to launch the TAC’s Christmas enforcement campaign, and said Victoria Police was ramping up its efforts to reduce road trauma and increasing its presence on the roads.

“The Brumby Labor Government is committed to its ambitious road safety target set out in the arrive alive strategy, which aims to cut the road toll and reduce serious injuries by 30 per cent by 2017,” Mr Pallas said.

“This Christmas campaign sends a strong warning to the community that they will get caught if they break the law. It’s a simple message – we will catch you before someone gets hurt.

“There will be more police on the road this holiday season, with Victoria Police dedicating more resources to fight the road toll over the summer months.

“Every Victorian killed on our roads is one too many and we don’t want this Christmas to be wrecked by bloody idiots. Responsibility lies with motorists to drive safely and all road users to act responsibly and look out for each other.”

Mr Pallas said the holiday period meant higher volumes of traffic on Victoria’s major highways and arterial roads, with the biggest risks motorists face including the speed, fatigue, and the influence of alcohol and drugs.

“With more parties and celebrations, if you’re planning to drink, the safest strategy is not to drive at all by designating a non-drinking driver, booking a taxi or use public transport,” he said.

Historically the last 12 days of the year have resulted in the highest road fatalities for the year, with an average of 16 deaths.

Deputy Commissioner Lay said between 18 November and 25 December 2008, there were 38 deaths on Victoria’s roads.

“It’s tragic to consider that 27 families in Melbourne and 11 families in regional Victoria saw in the new year grieving for loved ones. In those same six weeks, another 902 people received serious injuries,” he said.

“Every motorist should take their driving responsibility seriously, especially over the critical summer period.”

The national Operation RAID starts this week, which will involve a highly visible police presence targeting impaired drivers with an emphasis on local people on local roads. This will be followed by Operation Aegis running through into the new year.

No Conman it means you and your incompetent confidence lacking colegues!
In my 25 years of driving i have not been involved in an accident on the roads. Ive had bingles on the racetracks but thats a controled environment with safety measures.
Dont preach your crap to me because obviously you are many levels below me and quite possibly shouldnt be driving on public roads. You sound like someone that should be relegated to a wheel barrow…figure it out?
A wise old man once said: Worry about yourself and not others and you will have something to do for the rest of your life.

Common Sense – Your talking out your exhaust pipe. Why are you talking to Conman? As far as I can see he hasn’t responded to anything you have written & has decided not to participate in the TGA blogs anymore. If you are refering to my post, I was pointing out that P-platers these days are lacking the common sense to go out to somewhere deserted like you used to & like I used to as well. They go doing burnouts & drags on suburban streets. You obviously are an arrogant person who thinks that they have stopped learning things & are perfect at everything with no bad driving habits at all. Your last sentence is just asking for trouble on the roads. If you are only looking out for yourself then it is clear that you are a selfish driver that is impatient & arrogant on the roads & suffers from severe over confidence. Which is far more dangerous than being a cautious driver. It is those sort of drivers that should be weeded out & have thier licences revoked. Good driving is just as much, if not more about attitude towards other road users than it is vehicle control & confidence.
So you can’t correctly read a blog, your over confident, arrogant, think you know everything & are too good to be tested. Your a mobile disaster zone IMO. Before you do your nut, I’ve done pro level racing & still take part in amatuer events, so don’t go trying to say I’m a dumba$$ either. It will end badly if I decide to really embarass you, which with your attitude would be very easy. Now you can stop with the abusive posts or I’ll give you another not so nice post of my own. Make your points & let your opinions be known without the insults. It is not welcome around here. I have thrown a few insults back at you so that you know how unpleasant it is & will now stop, but if you post more insults & degrading remarks about people I will insult the daylights out of you right back. Ask around & you will find that I am not someone to pi$$ off & that I am in no mood lately to deal with morons.

Ooooo,mmm!! -spandaue your right-she is hot!!
well i might just have to post a cpl there – for my complection!!

Good ridance to me from wanker face Spandua go F yourself Spandua no one likes you why don’t you try getting over your self oh let me guess it’s ok for Spandua to put me down but if i give it back i get the Post pulled go ahead TGA protect jerk faces like Spandua like i said i’m rarely looking here so you can have all the nobs you want.

blacky,i met her once,and i actually forgot my own name,the problem with wheels blogs is that they pull the posts if they dont like what they read,no freedom of speach there unfortunately.

YODA what ta hell is wrong with you,you might have the wrong person.

YODA tell me why you are so upset.

You said good ridance how would you like it if i said good ridance to you.

that wasnt me that was rola.

post 184 YODA

oh my bad sorry spandua what i ment to say that to Rola thats all for you Rola.

thats cool YODA we are only human

oh my goodness.c’mon spandau,give it a break.good on you rola for sharing with us!!,but stop with the nasty nature.hi to everyone

speed kills what a load of BS! governments of australia, build better roads and train us better to drive rather than pork barreling you fat cats to get yourselves re-elected again. May be if some of these politicians had to drive to there capital city or even canberra for parliament things might change, just think how nice the roads would be and just maybe we could do it at 150 km/h, Maybe thats why we have nice airports instead so the nicely dressed politicians can walk through them with out sweating, just a thought.

thought i could maybe save this topic.