I found this written up as a letter to the editor in our local paper (The Gold Coast Sun) from an ex cop about ‘accidents’ and driver training. Even though it doesn’t specifically mention motorcycles I think the same principles apply and I felt it was worth running it here ……
“ONCE again we witnessed the horrific death toll on our roads over the Christmas period.
As an ex-traffic police officer I ask myself ‘when are the politicians and bureaucrats going to realise that all their band-aid treatments have been a total failure?’
Their ideas seem to be more directed at detection and punishment of offenders rather than prevention.
Drivers cause collisions; there are no accidents. They run off roads, hit trees, lose control of their vehicles etc.
Speed, drink, drugs or whatever are secondary to the cause … important symptoms but not the cause.
No one should be able to teach a person to drive other than a licensed driving instructor, qualified to teach a common system of safe driving (recommend the system used in police driver training.)
We should develop regional training centres equipped with a skid pan, driving simulators and eye-testing facilities to include tests to detect colour blindness.
Examination for a driving licence must be more comprehensive and should include driving at speeds up to 110 km/h, night-driving in poor weather conditions on country roads and on freeways.
Once passed as competent, L and P plates should be abolished.
The second stage of driver education should be through the courts, where instead of a tap on the wrist or paltry fine, traffic offenders may be fined and sentenced to special training at the offender’s cost. [I think this may happen in some states in the USA, according to an episode of Malcolm in the Middle I saw recently.]
In cases of drink-driving, why is it necessary to even have a court case with all the associated cost and time consuming trials? If a person is deemed over the limit as a result of tests - straight to jail.
The community can no longer keep bearing the ever increasing cost of road trauma.
We have reached the time for some thinking beyond the square and it is high time the decision makers faced the fact that, so far, they have failed miserably to make any progress in solving the problems.”
- PB, Mudgeeraba
Mmm….. Interesting …..
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While I agree with some of his ideas, politicians aren’t known for ‘thinking outside the square’. And any politician trying to implement this system is going to have a real fight on his hands trying to spend all that money. And I can’t see they would be too keen on that given the lack of how likely it would be to increase their votes at the next election.
Comment by malcolmchalmers — Jan 13 @ 8:27 amSounds like a lovely theory session…but reality is all Government areas are having budgets cut in times where they have to deal with rapidly increasing population growth.
To make people be trained only by qualified instructor is a dream of many of the Driving Examiners in this State who would always prefer to be testing someone in a vehicle with dual controls..(it would answer their concerns under W.H& Safety Guidlines of taking out some of the vehicular nightmares presented also.)
But truth is decisions which financially affect the pockets of the Public are seldom favourable to any Politician at Election time..and Malcolm should have said “thinking outside the next election”
As someone who is currently training 1 son & 2 step-children of my own (and Yes I am a qualified car and motorcycle Instructor).
I can testify to the hardships involved in this 100 hours logbook fiasco..it is a warm and fuzzy feelgood exercise which I estimate 90% of people are fudging the books on anyway..sadly but proudly my ethical values on driving put me in the other 10%..
To put even more burden upon parents and carers in this form would be Political Suicide..
Just remember after the Politician is gone the Bureaucrat or Public Servant who normally puts the ideas to the Politician ..sweeps it away , denies all knowledge ,looks forward and starts a new project ..
Comment by Paul W — Jan 13 @ 1:02 pmThe “Yes Minister” program was very accurate..