Britain's Killer Roads-Panorama Tonight.

JohnC6

JohnC6

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I thought this programme would interest most on here. Panorama is on at 7.30pm this evening but my listings just show... in-depth look at at current affairs. I've read that tonight's programme is called 'Britain's Killer Roads'. Despite the high level of safety features in modern cars the death rate went up 5% in 2020 from 1750 in 2019 . That's an increase of 87. It's reversed 30 years of a plateau in numbers. Almost half speed cameras are broken. Of 1092 permanent speed cameras in 26 police force areas 523 were not working..broken. N.Yorkshire,Durham and Northamptonshire Don't have any working.Wiltshire force said they had no fixed or mobile cameras and relied on hand held devices. I'm wondering if they mean those operated by their officers or those loaned out to concerned residents or both ? Edmund King, president of the AA said " We rightly hear abouty the tragic loss of life due to knife crime yet almost 8 times the number are killed on our roads in a single year" Research by the AA show that 25% of drivers believe there there is little or no chance of being caught for speeding or drink driving in their neighbourhood. As ever, it's the financial cost to local authorities that has seen such a massive reduction in working cameras.

Changes in 2022 https://www.express.co.uk/life-styl...limit-changes-update-driving-law-council-fine
 
But like so many things they only tell part of the story. Whilst North Yorks. may not have any fixed cameras they are certainly very active with their mobile cameras.
 
It’s not just speed that’s the issue it’s attitude, speeding in the wrong places, tailgating , using a phone while driving, dangerous overtakes things like that
 
I was just thinking earlier this week that I'm sure behaviour and driving standards are getting worse but I thought it might be just me getting old...

I live in a relatively deprived area of east Cleveland, there are nice parts and parts that even I'm a bit wary of going into at some times. We have quite a lot of quad bikes and off road type motor bikes about and most seem to be heaps and driven very badly by youths with their faces covered like some half arsed terrorist. I do have a problem with these vehicles even if they're legal as they're just ruined the local hill and every patch of rough ground but of course the vast majority are going to be illegal in one way or another. They don't stick to off road and drive just the same on the roads, as if they're in a video game. Very often there's a little convoy of 3, 4 or 6 and they just behave like they're immune and immortal. The local police say that if you report where they live they'll turn up, take the motor vehicle away and crush it no questions asked of me but I've done that and seen no action.

That's one problem but my main worry isn't the quad and off bikes it's the standard of driving on the roads. I suppose some could well be down to drug use which is just endemic here and if not that the fact that there aren't a lot of serious consequences. People may well get caught and banned but a high proportion may just buy or steal another car and carry on. Some idiotic behavior seems to be by ordinary looking people in cars that look pretty good so I've no idea what's going on there, maybe just the lack of real consequences and IMO these days it's as likely to be a woman as a teenage guy who you'd almost expect it to be.
 
One of the problems is the lack of proper traffic police these days. They seem to have been replaced with armed response vehicles and the few (traffic plod) that are left seem to spend more time investigating incidents and on escort duties rather than policing traffic. FWIW, they're as frustrated about it as we are - if not more so!
 
Drink driving (along with drug driving) is escalating again. What was once thought to be completely antisocial ( drink driving) seems, for some, to be "alright if you don't get caught". I will openly admit I have grassed a regular drink driver, he was caught and got a 24 month ban. The level of drink the man consumed, then got in a Range Rover, was just stupid.
 
LCPete said:
It’s not just speed that’s the issue it’s attitude, speeding in the wrong places, tailgating , using a phone while driving, dangerous overtakes things like that
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spot on mate its a bit of everything, for me though it is speeding and the constant every day attitude of people that the speed limit on roads is the minimum not maximum, I'm a right slow driver nowadays its always 28 in a 30 , 38 in a 40 and spend my driving life watching a pair of range rover headlights parked in my back window and yeah mobile phones are now a bigger problem than ever although its now shifted to hands free , i can walk past a line of traffic and everyone is on the phone jabbering to their mates while doing the daily drive around, it's legal but dumb. its getting worse
 
Jelster said:
Drink driving (along with drug driving) is escalating again. What was once thought to be completely antisocial ( drink driving) seems, for some, to be "alright if you don't get caught". I will openly admit I have grassed a regular drink driver, he was caught and got a 24 month ban. The level of drink the man consumed, then got in a Range Rover, was just stupid.
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canabis use in my neck of the woods is beyond rife its just normal the amount of young men smoking drugs and driving especially in my area young asians
 
Mr Bump said:
spot on mate its a bit of everything, for me though it is speeding and the constant every day attitude of people that the speed limit on roads is the minimum not maximum, I'm a right slow driver nowadays its always 28 in a 30 , 38 in a 40 and spend my driving life watching a pair of range rover headlights parked in my back window and yeah mobile phones are now a bigger problem than ever although its now shifted to hands free , i can walk past a line of traffic and everyone is on the phone jabbering to their mates while doing the daily drive around, it's legal but dumb. its getting worse
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I'm a believer of "appropriate speed". Most modern cars are designed to travel safely at 85mph on a motorway, even more. The brakes and suspension are all good for it. BUT, White Van Man doing 90 on a dual carriageway... He won't be able to stop, or change lanes like a car, but they do it every day. I'm surrounded by country roads, and the amount of people that drive on the wrong side around bends is seriously alarming.

As for hands free, I very rarely make calls these days, but do pick them up, however, all these people with modern cars with built in bluetooth and yet they still hold their phones? Just laziness.
 
No such things as dangerous roads, it’s dangerous drivers that cause accidents, no point re banning a banned drink drivers for reoffending, they’ll carry on as before, vehicle forfeiture, heavy fines and jail time might change mind set?
 
mj4456 said:
No such things as dangerous roads, it’s dangerous drivers that cause accidents, no point re banning a banned drink drivers for reoffending, they’ll carry on as before, vehicle forfeiture, heavy fines and jail time might change mind set?
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:agree:
 
Most days I get frustrated by poor driving. Then I remind myself that, generally, the standard of driving in the U.K. is much better than I was used to in Spain.
My bike has front and rear cameras linked to an underseat hard drive. Twice I’ve felt compelled to submit footage of dangerous driving to the police, and both times the police took action.
Lots of people have cameras in their cars now, where possible they should send footage of dangerous driving to the police.
 
Ricardodaforce said:
Lots of people have cameras in their cars now, where possible they should send footage of dangerous driving to the police.
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If you're an avid fan of dashcam videos on 'tube as I am many people catch their own very poor driving skills on video which usually ends up on WWW. I've heard that Police have used footage on dashcams to prosecute the owner as they have filled themselves doing something rather stupid.
 
welshwizard645 said:
If you're an avid fan of dashcam videos on 'tube as I am many people catch their own very poor driving skills on video which usually ends up on WWW. I've heard that Police have used footage on dashcams to prosecute the owner as they have filled themselves doing something rather stupid.
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Ashley Neal is a driving instructor in Liverpool and has a YouTube channel. It's amazing how many people send dashcam clips in to point out poor driving from others only for him to point out that their driving is way worse. He often starts his videos with "I'm about to lose another subscriber..."
 
Marc said:
Ashley Neal is a driving instructor in Liverpool and has a YouTube channel. It's amazing how many people send dashcam clips in to point out poor driving from others only for him to point out that their driving is way worse. He often starts his videos with "I'm about to lose another subscriber..."
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I’ll look him up.
 
mj4456 said:
No such things as dangerous roads,
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There are certainly roads, badly designed for their purpose, on which problems occur regularly. There's a roundabout a couple of miles from here on which large lorries regularly come to grief. We had one overturn yesterday and there were three last year that I know of. :banghead:

Overturned lorry Clyst St Mary P1011841.jpg
 
AndrewFlannigan said:
There are certainly roads, badly designed for their purpose, on which problems occur regularly. There's a roundabout a couple of miles from here on which large lorries regularly come to grief. We had one overturn yesterday and there were three last year that I know of. :banghead:

View attachment 341226
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Perhaps excessive speed is a factor, 3 a day would be worrying?
 
mj4456 said:
Perhaps excessive speed is a factor
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Quite probably. Many people have attempted to get traffic light control on the junction but the county council and the highways agency have an apparently unlimited stock of of reasons why it won't be done. :(
 
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