slipshot

Cars not lethal - silly thing to say. A tall building is therefore lethal as I could go to the top of it, and jump off. A aeroplane is lethal as it could fall out of the sky.

Sorry but what you have said is not really an accurate statement. Cars do not kill, guns do not kill. The hu8man beings controlling those objects kill.

If everyone was a good and consdierate driver, they'd be hardly any incidents. But the world is full of muppets and given driving licences, like gun licenses, are so very easy to get, there's little that can happen to prevent this.

themerlin

Out of interest what are the stats for the UK over the holidays, are they as high?

Wol

>>Sorry but what you have said is a ridiculous statement. Cars do not kill, guns do not kill. The hu8man beings controlling those objects kill.<<

True, but we all know what Petals means so no real need to jump down her throat....

slipshot

Sorry you feel offended, but I stand buy my comment. Cars are not lethal. I know what she means in that cars can be dangerous, but so can many other things. Thus I have an issue with people who jump on the 'cars are lethal' bandwagon. This post seemed to be exactly that. Cars are NOT lethal.

I stand by my post - it was a incorrect thing to say... but I have edited my post to perhaps be 'nicer' in saying it....

ABCDiamond

That may be a bit difficult to compare, as the Australian figures are for combined Summer and Christmas holidays at the same time, with lots of driving.
The UK figures would be for a very different driving pattern in that season.

tictac

Some interesting stats from the Brake organisation in the UK (www.brake.org.uk) - not specifically related to the Xmas period and last updated in Jan 2008:

3,172 people were killed on Britain’s roads in 2006

28,673 people were seriously injured in road crashes in 2006

Half the people who die on roads (1,612) are in cars. Less than 3% of deaths are people travelling in larger vehicles - vans, trucks, buses and coaches.

Cyclists, pedestrians and motorbike and moped riders account for 45% of all deaths (1,420 deaths in 2006).

Motorcyclists alone account for a shocking one in five deaths

Men are almost three times as likely to be killed on roads as women

Traffic is one of the biggest killers of children and young people. This is mainly due to young/underage and inexperienced drivers taking horrendous risks on the road when behind the wheel, often killing their young passengers at the same time.

Young drivers are more likely to kill or injure themselves or their passengers in a road crash than older drivers. One in eight car drivers (13%) is under 25, but one in four drivers who died on British roads in 2006 (25%) was in this age group. Dangerous behaviour by young car drivers also causes the death and injury of their young passengers.

Four out of five non-medical deaths of 10-19 year olds are in road crashes.

Road crashes are preventable. Even in poor weather or poor light conditions, drivers can stay safe by driving slowly and cautiously.

Driving too fast for the road and weather conditions, overtaking blind, driving too close to the vehicle ahead and other types of dangerous manoeuvre cause many fatalities. This high-level risk taking is most common among men, often young men.

In 2006, about 17% of all deaths on the road (540 out of 3,172) involved drivers who were over the legal alcohol limit.

One in fifty fatal crashes has drug impairment as a contributory factor. Almost 6% of drivers who die have traces of medicinal drugs that may have affected their driving.

300 people are killed each year as a result of a driver falling asleep at the wheel

It is estimated that one in three crashes involve a vehicle being driven for work purposes. Disreputable employers place drivers under pressure to get to destinations as quickly as possible, and many drivers who drive as part of their job, drive tired or when stressed or distracted.

Drivers are four times more likely to be involved in a road crash if they are using a mobile phone

Many lives could be saved if everybody belted up, and ensured that their passengers belt up too or use appropriate child restraints. Many young drivers and passengers fail to belt up.

Worn brakes are a common cause of crashes, particularly among larger vehicles (trucks and buses). There are other mechanical faults that kill – for example, around 42 people are killed each year as a result of illegal or defective tyres.

None of this is rocket science and it's clear the Government is sending out the right message to highlight these areas.

But as I said previously, unless there's a drastic shift in the mindset of the driving population, then I'm not sure what else can be done?

An idea which could possibly work would be to stigmatise anti-social driving in the same way that smoking tends to be nowadays. Here's an example of how mindsets can be changed. Thats my $2 worth anyway.

Geelong Gent

We had a period in NZ where by the car itself was lethal sorry but true. There were a large number of previously written off cars molded together and then onsold too unsuspecting drivers.

Some horrible cases of straight road, dry conditions, car comes apart at 80kms (the speed limit) when driver applies a gear change.

Since then rules and laws have been changed (and more importantly imports made better quality cars available at more realistic prices).

But support your earlier comments about gravel roads - not only does speeding along these roads damage your paintwork it also bad consideration for other drivers (smashed windsreens on a tight bend are not fun).

Sleep is also a big killer but does not seem to get the same moral backlash that drink driving has. Bit hard too say either is worse when you know the risks and likely outcomes.

JR230898

I share your horror but, please read here what South Africa suffers. This is a South African making comparisons to Australia's road toll:


“ As of last night 99 people had been killed on South Australian roads and with only three days left of the year, the state is on track to record its lowest road toll ever. This year’s road toll is significantly lower than last year’s total of 125 fatalities…
So far this year we have had a pleasing result in a reduction of the road toll. But too many people think it won’t happen to them. They don’t understand how their drink driving, their speeding or their inattention can kill people, but it can….

The holiday season is notorious for road crashes and just over a week into the Christmas/New year period 39 people have been killed around the country. “

The interesting number is the 39 fatalities referred to as fatalities nationally “just over a week into the Christmas / New year period. “

In South Africa we have recorded from 1 December to 23 December more than 630 fatalities! Last year Australia had approximately 1,600 road deaths – and South Africa recorded more than 14,200.

I have driven many times in South Africa and Africa in general and I can appreciate the difference in context between Australia and there, and that many of the casualties in South Africa are mass casualties with vehicles moving large numbers of people. Still though, at the end of the day, it is the individuals in control that fail.