Comments on: Driving Miss Crazy

By: Kate

Kate — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 16:06:06 +0000

They never get it right anyway and the people they employ to ‘police’ drivers are all manic bullies – they only pick on the easy meat – they don’t like going for the real troublemakers – sorry, ranting today….

By: Baino

Baino — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 20:23:17 +0000

Judging by your Christmas road toll which was amazingly high considering your population, something needs to be done. We have all those restrictions in place here for provisionally licensed drivers. It seems to be cutting the carnage a little but basically, if parents are shit drivers, then so will the kids be. Having a minor crash that was not his fault, has given my son great respect for the road although it was an expensive lesson to learn . . the accident was however caused by a provisional driver cutting in on the car, two cars in front of him and causing a pile up . . because the P plater wasn’t involved in the accident, he scooted away scot free!

By: coc

coc — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 11:12:16 +0000

Point of Information. Learner motorcyclists do have to have their machines restricted for 2 years after they pass their test, so I don't see why we couldn't do the same for the cars. Your probabtion period penatly is a good idea too. Simple and easy to enforce.

By: hooronahonda

hooronahonda — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 08:53:18 +0000

I think some blame should be apportioned to the actual roads too. We have the only roads in the world that veer off at right angles with a roadsign 20 yards either side of the bend giving a 100km per hour speed limit. There’s just no rhyme nor reason to any of it.

By: Grandad

Grandad — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 00:54:24 +0000

Milton & Maxi – I have just written to the RSA suggestion line and suggested they disband. Best idea yet [apart from the Pink Metro].

E Mum – At one stage they reckoned that something like 300,000 drivers didn’t have full licences. Crazy. So you have a beard fetish, huh? Hmmmmm.

By: English Mum

English Mum — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 22:11:43 +0000

When I first moved here, I couldn’t believe that learner drivers can drive alone without a qualified person (it’s something about 2nd and 3rd provisional licences isn’t it? I don’t really understand).

Oh, and by the way, I just read your comment about my compliment to Kirk. You know I find you devilishly handsome too. It’s the beard.

By: Maxi Cane

Maxi Cane — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 21:27:11 +0000

I never had a professional driving lesson in my life. I failed my first test for cutting out twice during a three point turn. I wasn’t used to the car.

I passed second time with only one minor fault.

It’s down to each individual to take responsibility. When we have agencies like the RSA it gives people the mentality that someone else will take care of the problems.

By: miltonfriedman

miltonfriedman — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 20:20:15 +0000

Great post Grandad. I have to admit I don’t know the current stats on the Irish boy racer stuff v man racer/girl racer/intoxication issues (for all)… so not qualified to dispute the assumptions. But, I do wonder about the prevalence and topical nature of the issue. I suspect much has to do with the massive increase of car ownership per head of population. which is huge. A victim of our success. I was the first to own a car in my peer group at 18 (not out of wealth but out of personal priority at the time) and there was only ever of a slim chance of anyone of my peers aspiring to such a height! Now, a car is no more the status symbol – 2 weeks work on a building site buys a souped up machine. Those building sites became as disposal as the machines they bought. My view is the recession will do away with the disposal/reckless nature of wealth = cars = attitude. My guess is that road deaths will decrease with the coinciding with the scarcity of resources so I advocate the abolision of the RSA. If we don’t abolish them they will claim the credit.

By: Grandad

Grandad — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 18:36:27 +0000

Caren – Compliments don’t happen here very often. In fact they are so rare, I get very suspicious. Thank you

Hoor – What is Twenty doing messing around with servers? That’s like giving a five year old access to a nuclear weapon – you get what you deserve. You’re more than welcome here anyway, and I promise not to touch your equipment.

TT – Giving out AGAIN? I am writing about our precious authorities here and their “answer” to our road carnage, not doing a youth/oldie comparison. How about we both enter the Indianapolis 500????

Welcome Daniel! That is so crazy it just has to be true! And we all know that the car with its nose embedded in another car’s arse is at fault?

By: Daniel McKnight

Daniel McKnight — Wed, 14 Jan 2009 18:14:55 +0000

Funny story about a friend of mine in Ireland… One night him and a few friends went out drinking. On the way home they missed their turn on the roundabout, so of course the drunken solution was to stop and back up to the turn. After slamming into the car behind them, the police were called… Once the police arrived an officer walked up to his car and says, “You boys can go home. The people behind you have been drinking and are claiming that you backed into them.”