This is scary. what chance does a bicyclist have.

[brumby33]

Been a little while since I've posted much but this is scary, I'm referring to this current long holiday weekend in Victoria and it seems that there are so many people just thumbing their noses up at road rules, entitlements and safety in General and these same morons will claim that cyclists make the road unsafe.

This current report are from the Victorian Police in just the first 2 days of the Labor day weekend with an added insight to the road toll so far this year, not even halfway through March yet....this is scary and I think the only way to fix this is probably to remove these people from society.....especially the ones who are not licensed or are disqualified....if they can abide by the fact they are NOT supposed to behind the wheel in the first place, then I'm assuming these same morons would not care if they hit a cyclist or pedestrian and take off leaving that person for dead.

Police effort continues after 10 deaths in 11 days
Sunday 12 March 2023 11:51am
More than 3000 traffic offences have been detected in just two days as Victoria Police's long weekend enforcement effort reaches its halfway point.
Speeding, distraction and unauthorised driving have emerged as key issues during Operation Arid, which continues until the end of Monday.
A total 73 lives have been lost on Victoria’s roads since January, up from 51 at the same time last year.
There has been 10 deaths in the first 11 days of March.
Provisional results from the first two days of Operation Arid show 3273 traffic offences have been detected so far.
The results include:
• 1314 speeding offences;
• 103 drink driving offences from 45,097 tests, a strike rate of one in 438;
• 63 drug driving offences from 1384 tests, a strike rate of 1 in 22;
• 84 disqualified or suspended drivers;
• 100 unlicensed drivers;
• 336 unregistered vehicles;
• 171 mobile phone offences
• 160 disobey signs or signals;
• 61 vehicle impounds; and
• 70 seatbelt offences

The amount of drink driving and drug driving are also very scary and this is only 1 State, this is very disapointing and scary whether your cycling or driving. I've often witnessed here in Albury Victorian drivers always doing U-Turns around traffic lights, totally illegal here in NSW but they just don't give a toss where they perform them.
I reckon the courts will be extremely busy from those offences just in this week alone.


brumby33

[warthog1]

Get a gravelly mate.
Roads just aren't safe.
Distraction, aggression and incompetence is so widespread in our driving behaviour.
No not everyone, but enough to make it very unsafe.
We as cyclists are also a cohort it is not just socially acceptable to hate and abuse but you could argue encouraged to do so toward.

I still ride on road a bit but my routes and times are very selective.

[Thoglette]

Get a gravelly mate.

I don’t have the luxury of a rail trail between here and work. Nor the shops, pub nor beach.

This current report are from the Victorian Police in just the first 2 days of the Labor day weekend

Imagine if they did this more than four days a year!!

It might even result in some changes in driver behaviour if the rules were actually enforced more often than not.

[foo on patrol]

Well on Friday, Jared Graves was taken out by a driver that turned straight into him. He is smashed up pretty bad and will require at least three surgeries and thus was after beating brain cancer and getting back to the top in the MTB scene.

Foo

[warthog1]

Not good Foo

[brumby33]

Well on Friday, Jared Graves was taken out by a driver that turned straight into him. He is smashed up pretty bad and will require at least three surgeries and thus was after beating brain cancer and getting back to the top in the MTB scene.

Foo

Yeah, Hapenned in Canada, driver turned right into him, so a busted kneecap and broken foot and some cut and bruises later, poor fella will need about 3 surgeries meanwhile the moron that ploughed into him goes about his normal day's activities as nothing was mentioned whether he was charged or not.
It's getting worse, the more modern a motor vehicle gets with all the safety features today, the worse people drive, the amount of safety features like Ancap 5 ratings for crumple zones, at least 7 airbags, vehicle braking stabilizers, brilliant tyre technology and compounds as well as anti-lock brakes on every cars in existence now and still, people are wiping themselves out in huge numbers every year not to mention all the others they hit like cyclists and Pedestrians.
73 lives lost just on Victorian roads in 2023 is extraordinary and ridiculous and 10 lives lost in the last 11 days, that's almost 1 a day.

Apart from locking up the worst offenders, I don't know the biggest deterrent, perhaps if someone loses their license more than once, they should be forced to do their entire license all over just like a 16 year old right till they get back on their full license 3 years later and those who drive without a license or disqualified, should be instant prison, especially if found to be on an illegal substance...no bail or waiting for trial....straight in the slammer!!

[Duck!]

Apart from locking up the worst offenders, I don't know the biggest deterrent, perhaps if someone loses their licence more than once, they should be forced to do their entire licence all over just like a 16 year old right till they get back on their full licence 3 years later and those who drive without a licence or disqualified, should be instant prison, especially if found to be on an illegal substance.....

A 10" steel stake in place of the airbag in the steering wheel ought to do it - if they hit something, they won't do it again! Also mandatory retesting, both written and practical for all drivers when apllying for licence renewal.

[trailgumby]

Well on Friday, Jared Graves was taken out by a driver that turned straight into him. He is smashed up pretty bad and will require at least three surgeries and thus was after beating brain cancer and getting back to the top in the MTB scene.

Foo

It's getting worse, the more modern a motor vehicle gets with all the safety features today, the worse people drive, the amount of safety features like Ancap 5 ratings for crumple zones, at least 7 airbags, vehicle braking stabilizers, brilliant tyre technology and compounds as well as anti-lock brakes on every cars in existence now and still, people are wiping themselves out in huge numbers every year not to mention all the others they hit like cyclists and Pedestrians.
73 lives lost just on Victorian roads in 2023 is extraordinary and ridiculous and 10 lives lost in the last 11 days, that's almost 1 a day.

There's a name for this phenomenon. It's called risk compensation. It's one of the reasons helmets in the NFL have not reduced rates of TBI, concussions, and we now have the emerging phenomenon of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE).

Also potentially one of the reasons SUV drivers seem to be over-represented in bad behavoiur towards bike riders - the sense of invulnerability/\.

[NASHIE]

A 10" steel stake in place of the airbag in the steering wheel ought to do it - if they hit something, they won't do it again!

Which is basically any pre 60s car without collapsable steering column. Your 100% aware of the outcome if you get it wrong. These old cars with modern tyres and brakes and without all the mod con distractions would be far safer than the modern stuff. Modern cars have such poor visability that drivers are just trusting beeps and warning lights and loosing any ability to judge and drive with attention to the job on hand. Sadly i think we have gone over the crest, and autonomous cars are the only shining light into the future as far as road safety is concerned. Technology = Human mindlessness.

[brumby33]

What gets me is the criminal mindset of some of these people, over 184 that were either disqualified or unlicensed, 336 unregistered vehicles, you wouldn't want to be hit by one as there's no insurance.

103 drunk drivers and 63 stoned....great to know

160 disobey signals and signs and they have a hide to complain about cyclists doing it.

And this is in only 2 days of the 3 day holiday weekend, I haven't seen what the last day has brought up but there was a fatality the other morning at Barnatatha just out of Wodonga.....sad, didn't even get to see the day in.

Bring back the chain gangs I say....chipping rock with pick and shovel....that might make them think twice.

brumby33

[zebee]

That isn't a criminal mindset.

That is getting on for 70 years of car-centered culture. Of cars being normal and necessary and something everyone does from the time they are a teenager. Going somewhere, drive there.

My neighbours are lovely people and very concerned about climate change. But they have the car habit so have 2 cars and drive everywhere. THey own bicycles but don't have the bicycle habit. Getting into a car is as natural as breathing.

So someone loses a licence or forgets/can't afford the rego. Still drive because it doesn't occur to them not to, and because in a lot of places in Australia it is the only method of getting anywhere.

You won't fix the road toll till you change the attitude to cars. Till you make the car the 2nd choice not the automatic unthinking one.