TRAGEDY - Castlemaine

[Mitchy_G]

So just because of one accident P and L platers should be disadvantaged? No thank you. I probably cant handle a car aswell as a very experience driver but I have enough sense to not drive like a moron.

POWER LIMITS make no difference to accidents I could have 900million horsepower and drive safely. Driving test should somehow test how much of an idiot the person is behind the wheel.

One accident is not enough to justify any changes in law.

Mitch

[Lumpen]

I sincerely hope that this doesnt become another poltical football and it is remembered as a tradgedy, nothing more.

[siccar]

I learnt my lesson the hard way and was lucky to escape. I had a head on in a Laser. I was on my P's bearly 2 months. I was not declared at fault but my inexperience did not help the situation.

This is what I beleive could be a possability, if only an idea.

ALL new drivers should be required to get a licence for whatever class of car they wish to drive. Be it 4cyl, 6cyl, 8cyl, Supercharged, modified or Turbo. Another possibility is that they could have licence classes for power to weight ratio(kw/tonne). It would then be illegal to drive outside your class.

Learners should not be allowed to drive between 9PM and 7AM.

P platers should not be allowed to have passengers between 9PM and 7AM.

Learners can only be taught by people with Gold licences.

Now on another side of the equation,

Insurance companys should be more active in encouraging young and new drivers to play by the rules.

Benifits, whether government endorsed/Aided or not, could include reduced premiums* AND greenslips. Drivers who have commited mr meaners or who have had past claims could be offered an incentive scheme to want to become a better driver. A driver for example could receive a cashback on there premiums for going a certain period without any claims or infringments. This could also be tied into a loyalty program to add incentive for the insurance companys.

*No claim bonus is already in place but I believe the current system can be modified.

These are only my thoughts of what could be.

[jt]

Simply a tragedy. I dont wether the power of the car or the the inexperience of the driver are the cause but it is just a real heart break to know one girl lost her whole family in the one accident.

My prayers are with her!

[pedro]

It has hit close to home here.. I am an army recruit instructor here in wagga.. and one of my recruits approached me tonight saying that he saw on the news his ex girlfriend had died in a car accident.. and guess what.. it is the one this thread is about..

The poor bloke is cut up about it.. I cant say too much about it cause he didnt really talk to me but it is a shame to see..

I dont know if putting restrictions on vehicles will help.. people will find a way around anything.. either that or risk it...... What they need to do is maybe introduce something like they have in the USA with drivers ed in school and prolly even a higher standard of driving test required..

anyhoo that is my 2 cents worth

Pedro

AUIII XR8 with nothin extra YET !!!!!

[turb06]

  Mitchy_G said:

So just because of one accident P and L platers should be disadvantaged?    No thank you. I probably cant handle a car aswell as a very experience driver but I have enough sense to not drive like a moron.

POWER LIMITS make no difference to accidents I could have 900million horsepower and drive safely. Driving test should somehow test how much of an idiot the person is behind the wheel.

One accident is not enough to justify any changes in law.

Mitch

Problem is L/P platers with your attitude to safe driving are few and far between (good on you for it) especially when behind the wheel of a performance car. I know this accident more than likely wasnt caused by speed, and the car she was driving was probably one of the better cars to drive in those conditions, but in general letting young kids behind the wheel of fast cars is trouble you just have to go to your local CBD on a saturday night to watch how many potential dead people are acting like f*ckwits behind the wheel.

Edited 21/06/04 01:50 PM by turb06

[bs888]

My Daughter is about to get her L's this week, Although I have bought her a Hyundai Excel (which she is paying me back for) I will have no hesitation in letting her do some of her learning in the XR8.

I feel that in addition to learning about different driving conditions she needs to understand that different types of vehicles behave differently in the same situation, I have told her that she will not get the keys until I am convinced that she is aware of these issues, she will also have to do a Defensive Driver training course as soon as she is eligable.

Even though I started driving on the Farm at as soon as I could reach the pedals and had my first car at 12yrs old I was amazed at how much I learnt at my first(and subsequent) driving course.

I feel safer in the XR8 than the Excel in all conditions and firmly believe that our licenceing system needs a major overhaul regardless of what it costs us Parents in $$$ or inconvenience. (what price is a life worth!!)

This accident was a terrible tragedy, My sincere condolences to all involved. :(

Bazza.

[Guest]

Dont blame people for being human,human error is a fact of life,unfourtunate but true, now imagine....

I just invented the first car..XR6T for eg.I go to the govt with my proposal,Lets just talk country roads.

I propose we lay a strip of tared road 6 meters wide paint a 10 cm line in the middle and allow cars to drive either side of this line at 110 kph

To get a licence to drive you need to pass a written test,drive around a block,park beetween two sticks.

You now can drive on the open road(not having learnt any thing about speed, overtaking etc)

Now I ask you would this proposal get up to day???I dont think so

Country roads should all be freeways,2or 3 lanes one way ,huge median strip,then your lanes the other way.

It all comes down to the all mighty dollar AGAIN

Any european driver laughs at 100kpm on freeways here,cops hiding in bushes saving our lives with lazer guns etc,what a joke

Trouble is nothing is gunna change,just keep scraping people off the roads.

Sorta makes you wonder if the govt likes useless drivers to get revenue off of.My last speeding ticket was 20 years ago in Victoria on the freeway I might add..

Revenue raising??? YES...

vik

[Lumpen]

  vik351 said:

Dont blame people for being human,human error is a fact of life,unfourtunate but true, now imagine....

I just invented the first car..XR6T for eg.I go to the govt with my proposal,Lets just talk country roads.

I propose we lay a strip of tared road 6 meters wide paint a 10 cm line in the middle and allow cars to drive either side of this line at 110 kph

To get a licence to drive you need to pass a written test,drive around a block,park beetween two sticks.

You now can drive on the open road(not having learnt any thing about speed, overtaking etc)

Now I ask you would this proposal get up to day???I dont think so

Country roads should all be freeways,2or 3 lanes one way ,huge median strip,then your lanes the other way.

It all comes down to the all mighty dollar AGAIN

Any european driver laughs at 100kpm on freeways here,cops hiding in bushes saving our lives with lazer guns etc,what a joke

Trouble is nothing is gunna change,just keep scraping people off the roads.

Sorta makes you wonder if the govt likes useless drivers to get revenue off of.My last speeding ticket was 20 years ago in Victoria on the freeway I might add..

Revenue raising??? YES...

vik

Very Well said Vik...

Country Roads add alot to the danger of travel, especially people used to nice smooth city roads.

[JB]

It's just a shame that our Government is so 'Reactive' rather than 'Pro Active' towards these issues. Already they are blaming that it was a high performance car. It absolutely inrages me that they do this, they have not bothered to look at the facts.

It was a highway with a 110k limit

They were coming into an 80 zone

They have established that they were not speeding

It would not matter if the L plate driver was driving an R8 at 100km/h, T or a 4 cylinder Camry, she lost control of the car when she dropped the left wheels into the dirt, and swerved sharply to get back onto the tarmac.

The total power of the car had nothing to do with it. It was the conditions of the wet road and major inexperience at being able to control a car at the posted limit.

It is a tragedy, but hopefully this get's the authorities to think outside the reactive square they work in. Some suggestions already posted I believe is the way to start looking, especially licenses to co-incide with a car's pwr. A graded approached based on ability is sensible.

My 2c