Retro driver loses car

[Hirst]

IN BEFORE THE WHINGE BIN! etc. I'm sure we've all done daft things on the road at some point, but it's all about how you reflect on it I reckon.

If he'd have said that he got a bit carried away and feels regretful about it I'd have a lot more sympathy for him. If I've done something a bit silly (and I have done) I tend to feel incredibly guilty about it afterwards.

However, I get the impression (from his comment about being a "skilled driver") that he didn't consider himself in the wrong and it's that sort of attitude that doesn't sit well with me. Racing a car down a public road at nearly double the speed limit? Do what you like, but a skilled driver wouldn't be that overconfident.

[jader1973]

One thing to be aware of is that in Victoria, one km/h over the limit will get you a ticket for "Exceeding the speed limit by less than 10 km/h".

I got done for doing 106 km/h in a 100km/h zone - a nearly empty motorway in the middle of nice dry sunny day.

On top of that, over Christmas and New Year they have a crackdown on speeding and drink driving, and actually compare fatality numbers between the states over the period. This means there is a heightened sensitivity to speeding at this time of year.

Given the time of year, and the view they have on speeding here, he was just stupid. A "skilled" driver should know there is no place for excessive speed on public roads, be well aware of the consequences if caught, and therefore not do it.

[NurseHolliday]

Jan 8, 2009 12:53:05 GMT @nightmaresracing said:

I say anyone who says they don't ever speed on a public road is a hypocrite even 1mph over the limit is speeding and you wouldn't even know you were doing it I tend to drive by looking at the road and using common sense (you know the thing thats not used much these days by a lot of people ) not my speedo

My dash lights don't even work, so at night on an unlit road I drive by feel, what I'm comfortable with, rather than a speed figure. Sometimes I come into a lit area and realise I'm doing 10 under the limit, and sometimes I come out and I'm doing 20 over the limit. In the first case if I could see my speed I would have probably been pushing myself to do closer to the speed limit and probably would have felt slightly uncomfortable. In the second case I would probably have been getting frustrated at an open road not able to go any faster.

Despite the legalities, I thoroughly recommend you try driving without a speedo once in a while, it makes you read the road and judge your own abilities rather than rely on a mythical figure dreamed up by suits in a board room.

[mercmad]

As I was only just driving this road myself a couple of months ago I can speak from experience. it's actually very sparsley populated there which is why the Nissan Club were heading out there. It's a popular driving road and isn't full of traffic like the great ocean road. And thats also why the police were there in some numbers with plain cars. In his modern Nissan ,he wasn't going fast. If you think 100 mPH is fast then you have either got to get a life or stop watching so much cash raising antispeeding propaganda on TV. The point I'm making is,He was driving Quickly,not dangerously.
Only the Police said he was driving dangerously ,which is their want as they can say what they like here without fear of contradiction whether it's right or wrong and damn the political motivation. .
I would say in fact that a police car was probably having to go to 170 to keep up which means the other two were driving possibly at only 150-160 KMH.
Hes actually very lucky the cops didn't shoot him dead which is the normal way Victorian Police act .

Have a read here to see how the vic police act.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Victoria_Police

[MWF]

I'm quite embarrased this thread exists on RR

[ChasR]

For the people who said there is too much emphasis on speed and not on common sense, I think on a public road the two go hand in hand. If there were side roads off it as one person indicated, what if somebody pulled out? I know from roads near me, the corners are blind and for the people pulling out, they are often at the mercy of the driver's on the main road.

All it would have taken for this situation to have been in bad circumstances would have been a driver unfamiliar to the area pulling out, or driver on the other side of the road depending on the tightness of the road.

I used to be one of these people who said people make too much of a fuss, but after seeing a guy I know kill a horse doing 70 on a blind country road (not to mention injuring the rider), seeing a mate of mine be in many hairy situation (overtaking on most country roads at 80-100mph with having no way of knowing what's coming the other side (a large Superbiker community is present near us), and with myself, I think the guy got what he deserved.

Motorway would have been different, but at the end of the day it wasn't.

[MWF]

Speed is directly related to safety - FACT

Speed affects the relative likelyhood of an accident
Speed affects the seriousness of an accident

We, as a community, should not be seen applauding or excusing excessive speed. It's embarrassing to be associated with the playground level of justification some members have made for it.

[HoTWire]

Everyone should be made to do one of those Speed Choice workshops like I had to when I got caught speeding in a 30,.. really changes how you think about these things.

But that is a discussion for elsewhere...