Death on the UK roads : Mon Dec 05, 2011 10:18 am  

There's usually sobering news on the run-up to Christmas, but the standard of 'driving' on a bit of ice and snow this morning is just an indication that the body count inexorably will rise over the holidays. The flavour of the month is claims of fake accidents and bogus injuries. Well, you can't fake a death, and the annual death tolls released this year do a graphic job, as illustrated chillingly by graphics available on the BBC news site. There is a map identifying the location of every one of the deaths of 36,371 people who were killed on Britain's roads between 1999 and 2010, and you can search your own postcode and see the locations plotted. Maybe the scariest thing is the time lapse video of all the accidents, and I reckon it should be compulsory viewing for every driver. But perhaps some sort of effort and resources should finally be aimed at actual training and actually improving driving standards. We get plenty of grim warning adverts and exhortations to be careful, but what good do they do? 36,371 deaths in 10 years. Anything else, and huge resources would be brought to bear. While UK road safety may be better than most places, that's beside the point.The carnage continues, and I reckon that one of the daily Commissions of Inquiry of which the Government is so fond should be set up to look at the issue from all sides. MPs fiddling theirn expenses is worthy of an inquiry and jailing the worst offenders, but surely pales into insignificance compared with thousands dying on our roads non-stop, year in, year out?

There's usually sobering news on the run-up to Christmas, but the standard of 'driving' on a bit of ice and snow this morning is just an indication that the body count inexorably will rise over the holidays. The flavour of the month is claims of fake accidents and bogus injuries. Well, you can't fake a death, and the annual death tolls released this year do a graphic job, as illustrated chillingly by graphics available on the BBC news site. There is a map identifying the location of every one of the deaths of 36,371 people who were killed on Britain's roads between 1999 and 2010, and you can search your own postcode and see the locations plotted. Maybe the scariest thing is the time lapse video of all the accidents, and I reckon it should be compulsory viewing for every driver. But perhaps some sort of effort and resources should finally be aimed at actual training and actually improving driving standards. We get plenty of grim warning adverts and exhortations to be careful, but what good do they do? 36,371 deaths in 10 years. Anything else, and huge resources would be brought to bear. While UK road safety may be better than most places, that's beside the point.The carnage continues, and I reckon that one of the daily Commissions of Inquiry of which the Government is so fond should be set up to look at the issue from all sides. MPs fiddling theirn expenses is worthy of an inquiry and jailing the worst offenders, but surely pales into insignificance compared with thousands dying on our roads non-stop, year in, year out?

Re: Death on the UK roads : Mon Dec 05, 2011 10:39 am  

I work with traffic, so i notice more than others the delays caused, the frequency of accidents and the types of accidents, usually it's November when we tend to have the most but due to the mild weather i think it may be december this time round, the main problem is drivers not adapting the way they drive from the last few summer/dry months, driving education/standards are terrible and the driving test doesn't do enough for me. I think motorway driving should be a separate compulsory test, plus the original test should be 2 hours plus an interview with the examiner on common sense road issues. I'm trained to a high standard of driving so it frustrates me that people haven't got a clue how dangerous their actions are at times.

Re: Death on the UK roads : Mon Dec 05, 2011 10:55 am  

Horatio Yed wrote:

driving education/standards are terrible and the driving test doesn't do enough for me.

I am a driving instructor.
Would you please explain. What you think is wrong with driving education please.

Re: Death on the UK roads : Mon Dec 05, 2011 11:10 am  

I'm going off what i see in London, i saw an instructor tell is pupil not to let a car in that was trying to squeeze in a lane in crawling traffic he made this girl (i know i was next to it in the 3rd lane) drive right up the backside of the car in front so he couldn't get in, shocking.
My main gripe is when i took my PCV i couldn 't believe what i was learning that i hadn't been taught at entry level car learning, i then took my bus instructors corse and was further enlightened. Yourself being an instructor must realise that drivers need more tuition and more education than they currently get, how many pupils have you had start their first lesson in spring and pass before winter thus never experiencing winter weather in a learning situation? I think skid pan driving should also be a given.
Although i gave one example of bad driving instructing and i've seen a few more, it wasn't you guys i was actually targeting, more the directives you're given. The people who set the standards and directives need to change for you to follow them. With more people learning to drive and being on the roads it's important the standard should rise.

Re: Death on the UK roads : Mon Dec 05, 2011 11:25 am  

I think Yed is right in that driving different conditions should be tested or at least taught by the instructor. My birthday is in May and so I started my driving lessons in may and was passed by the end of October and so obviously had no experience of driving in snow or ice until after I'd passed my test. Also, as I live in York that is very flat I had no experience of driving up or down steep hills or hill-starts.

Being taught what to do when the car starts to skid in snow or on ice would have been very useful and just general driving tips in such conditions.

There isn't that much that a driving test/lessons can do about the arrogant pillocks that drive far too fast/cut people up/overtake where they shouldn't etc as that's generally an attitude that is inherent to that person. But I think the driving lessons and tests could help educate people a lot more than it currently does.

Re: Death on the UK roads : Mon Dec 05, 2011 11:29 am  

Whilst 3,000+ deaths a year is a shocking figure; given the volume and density of that traffic in this country what is that figure as a % of car journeys?

Before you can say we are all terrible drivers you first need to understand the figures and how they compare to other similar countries. Also how many of these deaths involved young drivers in their first two years of driving - both of my boys had very serious accidents within the first 3 months of passing their test - my daughter only accident was to take out a petrol pump!!?

Maybe what is required is everyone attend Cod-ed's school of motoring - he has never had to break unexpectedly in 30+ years of driving so he claims anyway

Re: Death on the UK roads : Mon Dec 05, 2011 11:38 am  

Sal Paradise wrote:

Maybe what is required is everyone attend Cod-ed's school of motoring - he has never had to break unexpectedly in 30+ years of driving so he claims anyway

Perhaps he just plans his journeys very well and knows where all the nicest service stations and cafés en route are.

Re: Death on the UK roads : Mon Dec 05, 2011 11:59 am  

Sandra The Terrorist wrote:

Perhaps he just plans his journeys very well and knows where all the nicest service stations and cafés en route are.

Far from it. In fact he has often placed personal safety aside and nominated himself as pathfinder through some of the very worst weather the UK has ever seen; bravely clearing the way where others dare not venture. Miles of vulnerable and lesser drivers hugging tightly behind our noble wagoneer.

Re: Death on the UK roads : Mon Dec 05, 2011 12:03 pm  

guess who wrote:

I am a driving instructor.
Would you please explain. What you think is wrong with driving education please.

You teach to a standard, that standard isn't high enough.
The complete lack of compulsory motorway experience either pre or post test is frankly lethal.

Re: Death on the UK roads : Mon Dec 05, 2011 12:14 pm  

Cronus wrote:

Far from it. In fact he has often placed personal safety aside and nominated himself as pathfinder through some of the very worst weather the UK has ever seen; bravely clearing the way where others dare not venture. Miles of vulnerable and lesser drivers hugging tightly behind our noble wagoneer.

If you're gonna have a pop, at least make even a cursory attempt at getting your facts right. It's only last month you were corrected on this matter in the M5 Fog thread