Thought Id start this one going because its rather dead on this board at the moment and I suppose all my usual muckers are either at the Stella tennis event watching Dim Tim (lose again) or at Henly Regatta eating cucumber sandwiches (they wish,...NOT).

Anyway please feel free to just talk to yourself blast away and let it go on any company or subject you wish. Just wish Id thought of this one before.

cheers GF.

I totally disagree with anyone who says speed kills. It's stopping quickly that kills, usually when you've hit something.

Joking apart, why do we British have to beat ourselves up all the time? We have one of the best road safety records in the world. Fatality figures are historically low, despite an enourmous increase in road users and faster cars. Our fatality rates run at around 3200-3500 per annum - look at the rates for these countries - much much higher even when you adjust for the population (for year 2000):-

UK 3,580
USA 41,281 (5 times the population -would be 18,000 with the UK's figs)
Japan 10,403
France 8,079
Italy 6,410
Germany 7,503


Page down to page 64 here for worldwide figures:-

http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/contract-reports/WORS/WORS-04-10-2007.pdf

There are always going to be accidents unless we go back to a 4mph speed limit and have a man holding a red flag walking in front of every vehicle!

'The Locomotive Act 1865 (Red Flag Act):
Set speed limits of 4 mph (6 km/h) in the country and 2 mph (3 km/h) in towns.
Stipulated that self-propelled vehicles should be accompanied by a crew of three: the driver, a stoker and a man with a red flag walking 60 yards (55 meters) ahead of each vehicle. The man with a red flag or lantern enforced a walking pace, and warned horse riders and horse drawn traffic of the approach of a self propelled machine. '

See here:-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Locomotive_Act

Hi Oblomov,

I agree we have one of the best road safety records in the world, but we could do better, although there will obviously as you say always be accidents.
As said, in my previous profession you become a bit paranoid. There are on average 10 road deaths a day, which is 10 too many but the number of car miles traveled per day is huge.
Most fatal accidents (driver fault) are not caused by a minor error of judgment, but by someone driving like an idiot, mainly with a I Could Not Care Less Attitude. We have all seen them and more often than not the usual comment is said, or thought, "bloody Idiot".
A bit of trivia......In conclusion of an inquest into the first ever death caused by a motor vehicle (horseless carriage as it was then called) the coroner stated that he hoped it would never occur again. Some hope.

Dunno how true it is, but I did read that the government produces figures every year for road accident deaths where alcohol is a factor, but these figures do not tell us the full story. The truth is they include drunken idiots falling off the kerb in front of an oncoming, and very sober, driver or cars swerving to avoid said drunken idiot.
I am zero tolerant of drink driving, but I wonder how many times statistics are skewed to marginalise and blame the motorist, who, in so many areas has become a political punchbag?

Alan,

There are government figures for all known causes of RTA's. There are separate figures where alcohol is a factor regarding the driver/rider or pedestrian.
At all KSI's (killed/seriously injured) there are about 50 plus tick boxes that have to be completed. Since I retired from that job, there are probably more.
I fully agree re the figures looking skewed although this is down to media.
A headline....'Youth hit by car dies' always reads better than 'Youth dies after walking in front of car'. The first headline hints that the car driver is at fault.
In my experience the majority of pedestrians killed RTA's are the fault of the pedestrian, not the driver/rider.
The official figures are as accurate as the persons compiling such forms, and believe me as these forms are (in fatals) part of a coroners file they need to be.

Surprisingly (to me) it is only around 18% total - and presumably that figure includes drunk pedestrians?


'In 2000, over 560 people died from involvement in road accidents involving illegal alcohol levels, compared with over one thousand people in 1986.'

http://www.statistics.gov.uk/StatBase/ssdataset.asp?vlnk=5179&Pos=2&ColRank=2&Rank=272

.

Those are US figures, Greek.

Yes sorry having a bad day. Will delete

For KSI, 2006 see.

http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/statistics/datatablespublications/accidents/casualtiesmr/rcgbmainresults2006

And for those interested in STATS,see.

http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/statistics/datatablespublications/accidents/roadaccidentstatisticsingrea1835

This is the site I meant to be on re my deleted post.

We had a bit to do with Chris and Ingrid Tarrant over the course of a week when they joined our cruise ship last year. We were the paying guests. They were the paid professionals.

I found them to both be very amusing and interesting people. He was a bit of a self-opinionated type of guy and pretty much the identikit guy we all know from his TV show. We both much preferred Ingrid to him and found her quite friendly and chatty. There was a problem punter, and Chris was up for sending him up and making a fool of him on the stage in front of the whole ship. Ingrid, on the other hand, cared about this loser and his problems, like most of the rest of us, and had sympathy for him and wanted to help him.

Anyhow, moving on....

The two of them are in the middle of their divorce battle and fighting it out in the media in a very 'No holds barred now!' type of way and slinging their mud at each other in the press. Extremely personal information is being spewed forth. I find it very amusing. She has my sympathy and I am on her side.

However, don't you think she is being a bit naive?

"Chris came home smelling of fish."

"Chris had blood on his hands. He said he had been fishing."

"Chris couldn't get it up. He has been taking Viagra."

Etc, etc, etc.

First I did a 50/50 on it. Fish? Sorry, no love.

I thought to myself, "He has been phoning a friend, has our Chris!" ;-)

What does the audience think?

Did Chris stop fancying Ingrid? Is that why he needed Viagra?

Had he been fishing? Or was it a bit of a lack of personal hygiene after, err, well, you know?

:-)

20 miles of the M40 closed and causing massive inconvenience to all the regular users, holiday makers and commuters. All to help the police do a thorough search for evidence in connection with the biker shooting murder investigation.

Who gives a stuff?

It's all slightly different to Portugal, eh?

Here in the UK, we keep Pete Docherty out of jail in spite of him repeatedly breaking the law and reoffending with drugs. Neither do we punish him for his lack of respect to our court officials.

Here in the UK, we also jail old age pensioners for not paying the 50 increase in their Council Tax bill.

I think things have all gone kablooie!

Hey, who is running this place?

DocProc,

The problem is not with the Police but with the law as it stands.
It matters not what evidence the Police have (there could be 100 eye witnesses), but if/when the case comes to court, it is found or suggested that they have not fully covered the case, by say not thoroughly searching the scene for evidence they would by criticized and someone would be in serious trouble. It is no longer a problem re that is not found that could be found, but you have to show that there was nothing else to be found. If that makes sense.
Not saying I don't agree with you, as I feel we often go too far and that evidence obtained should be put before a judge, pre trial as they do in some countries.
In this country we never seem to know when enough evidence IS enough.
As to who is running the place It's the liberalizing do gooders that are in charge.
The punishment should fit the crime, but it very rarely does.

what a miserable, bloody day !! ( i seem to be saying and hearing that a lot this summer.)

was it only 2 weeks ago ???

It was sunnier a week ago!

summer

Jimmy B,

The markets are well down, The weather is rotten and I went to the races yesterday, backed in 6 races never got better than 4th.
And then to make matters worse my wife who has been threatening to leave me has changed her mind.
Any chance of cheering us/me up with one of those sexy but tasteful pictures that I don't want you to post, ever again.

That's terrible news greekman ,i'll try and find something like Jenifer Lopez and Cindy Crawford having a naked ice cream fight.

I've just seen on Bloomberg that wild oats shares have risen. I'll be off to sow some then.......

Saw this quote today, must be were I went wrong!-

"There are a number of mechanical devices which increase sexual arousal, particularly in women. Chief among these is the Mercedes-Benz 380SL."