Posts by Ross Mason
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I remember the "group therapy" that occured when Carlos Daze and 80km/h was introduced. The early morning "rush" quickly quietened the speedy racers who tended to lane jump (still a biggie) or raced to get behind the queue up the road. What happened was that someone in the "group" would move out to the outside lane, sit on 80k and cruise to the next set of lights. Talk about mass education!!!
Here is Wikis list of driving license rules for US states.
Note lots of hours needing to be logged as opposed to just a time period for Learning.
Could we do better than this?? Driver Ed in US.
But alas, all may not be well. As this review of the benefits or otherwise of driver education programmes concludes:
Results: The international literature provides little support for the hypothesis that formal driver instruction is an effective safety measure. It is argued that such an outcome is not entirely unexpected given that traditional programs fail to address adequately the age and experience related factors that render young drivers at increased risk of collision.
Conclusions: Education/training programs might prove to be effective in reducing collisions if they are more empirically based, addressing critical age and experience related factors. At the same time, more research into the behaviors and crash experiences of novice drivers is needed to refine our understanding of the problem.
Here are some insights the authors think could be useful in considering how things might be improved:
Driver education/training fails to teach the knowledge and skills critical for safe driving
Driver education does teach safety skills but students are not motivated to use them
Driver education fosters overconfidence
Driver education fails to adequately address lifestyle issues
Driver education fails to tailor content to student needs
Now. Back to those pesky cyclists. It is probably the I I I, the ME ME ME and the THEY THEY THEY.
"I" want to drive on "MY" road so "THEY" should get off the bloody thing.
Game theory suggests - see Aidan linked paper above - that we are doomed to have these free loaders and freeloader haters in our midst.
There are not enough empathetic bastards out there. Like me for instance. ;-)
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This proposal may be of interest when it comes out:
http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/10/39
"The use of conspicuity aids by cyclists and risk of crashes involving other road users: a protocol for a population based case-control study"
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Hard News: When "common sense" isn't, in reply to Thomas Lumley,
It's not true that there isn't any evidence
Hmm....The first two are the same publication with this Author conclusion:
Although these visibility measures help drivers see pedestrians and cyclists, more research should be done to determine whether the increased visibility actually does prevent deaths and serious injuries.
No 3 concluded:
Increased use of high-visibility clothing is a simple intervention that may have a large impact on the safety of cycling.
No 4 has this interesting conclusion:
Of equal importance is the finding that including retroreflective trim on the sleeves of a garment significantly improves a pedestrian's conspicuity, and further research has shown that placing trim on the sleeves is particularly effective when the pedestrian is moving his or her arms. In line with results reported elsewhere on what has been termed the biomotion effect, the idea that drivers can more readily detect a retroreflective garment in motion relative to its stationary surround, also makes intuitive sense.
The highlighted bit may be of use to cyclists and those who advocate retroreflective bits on pedals and wheels.
It is noted that none of the papers refer to any measurable and reliable evidence that injury or death will be reduced.
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I posted this on 'Cycling in Auckland".
But see below for further bits on the Petone Roundabout.
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There is an insidious “requirement” that traffic engineers have insisted to put in the design of roundabouts that “hides” an awful lot of accidents. That is the approach to a roundabout. The engineers insist on getting the vehicles to approach the roundabout with a lead to the left. In other words, vehicles are sterred to the left as they approach. The insidiousness occurs in two places. The first is that as a vehicle approaches the roundabout and slows down, A cyclist – or other vehicle – on a collison course, remains hidden by the act of the vehicle turning left as it slows. Any cyclist or vehicle hidden by the car pillar will stay there as the car slows.
The second is that moving the vehicle to the left means that the left hand side of the road gets pinched. The roundabout in question in Petone has this “steer to the left” that is quite abrupt. it is still there even after the accident. My suggestion is to shave off the left hand bump and shave off the roundabout to a smaller radius. This will give trucks the opportunity to steer more towards the Esplanade (and keep right) rather than be forced to follow the track down the Hutt Rd and then have to turn off on the esplanade.
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I went down at afternoon tea this afternoon and recorded just a few minutes of traffic entering the roundabout. It is obvious that vehicles move into the cycle lane at the pinch point. You can see the drain that Steve Fitzgerald was supposed to move to the right to avoid right at the pinch point. Watching vehicles enter the roundabout it is obvious that the natural tendency is to chop the apex. Note the big Owens truck avoids the pinch area very well. I was obvious standing in the middle grass verge and suspect he may have been keen to give the kerb a big miss.
There is a bicycle "no mans land" just behind the bush near the pinch point for cyclists to cross onto the roundabout.
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It's time to let things go. It's time to let go of the controversial shock-jock approach ... the beard's gone, it's a new me."
Hang on...this sounds like Damascus. He's got the wrong country!
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Hard News: The Wogistan form book, in reply to Craig Ranapia,
Prosser: He's a Burq.
Prosser doesn't "besmirch" New Zealand First. His only mistake was being too honest, and his only real crime embarrasing Winston.
Spot on Craig. They push the button when they want to, right audience, right time, right place. Perfect for the re-recruitment of their voters.
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Hard News: The Wogistan form book, in reply to Geoff Lealand,
which I always shift to the comic section in magazine displays)
Heh. You have just added a recruit to your underground army!!
@Craig. FGS!! You look like a terrorist! Give the security guys and gals their dues. They know your sort.
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Hmm...this is right on top of Key's proposal to keep the (muslim?) boaties away from our Fair Isle. Heh. I listened to Prosser make this point this morning about the "timing" of Ferrar's comment.
The problem is that few read the misnamed "investigate" so it probably took that long for a the relegated-to-the-doctor/dentist copy to circulate to David. Check his appointment diary.
As I was listening to the Prosser interview this morning, I think I heard Katherine mentioned what the Human Rights Act can throw at him. What I thought I heard was that you can do him for the wogistan comment ( national origins), his looks (ethnicity/race) but not for his religious comments. Is this right???
Is the Human Rights act that secular??? Discrimination for religious reasons is a no no but "disrespecting" is ok it seems.
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Yup. Box of fluffy ducks.
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I was scheduled to be Number One Son with my Mum as she had to go for day surgery Tuesday. All OK, took her home in the avo and found I had to be quite persistent to keep her in the lazyboy. Anesthetic n'all like. She had to go the loo - by herself of course. Me reading. Then dull "Thud". Hmm...walked in. Yup. Very nicely laid out on the floor and already in the recovery position but out to it. Fainted while getting off the loo. Blood. Conveneiently on the underside of forehead, laid towel underneath with no need to "apply pressure". 111. Back to hosp 'til sent home at 8. Stayed over keeping watchful eye on the Oldie. In morning cooked monster Egg and Bacon Pie for (postponed due to weather) Pinehaven Waitangi Picnic in the Park and had the fillet steak for lunch that was s'posed to be Tues Dinner. Cruised home later and did the Man Hardware Store Walk.