Bad Drivers

[cleanerg6e]

We recently had a death on the road between Sydney and Melbourne. A young local girl was going to start at a university in the southern New South Wales city of Wagga Wagga (pronounced Wogga Wogga) Her car had overheated and she stopped on the motorway on a very narrow hard shoulder, 1.6m in width. With cars going past at 70mph+ and trucks and HGV's or Semi's going past at 60mph+ and B doubles which are an HGV or Semi hauling two standard length trailers it was a death scene just waiting to happen.

Her parents are calling for wider breakdown lanes and all sorts of other measures. But I'd like to know when was the last time the car was serviced properly. We had not had temperatures over 26 degrees celcius. So it has not been hot. I'd take a guess that the cars radiator was blocked with muck and the high speed driving dislodged it and it got into the water pump and stuffed it where upon the car's cooling system overheated. If the car had been serviced properly then she may still be alive today as would the the flat bed truck operator who went to her assistance. He obviously didn't do a 'work site risk assessment' such as keeping her off the roadway and right away from her car. If he had then both would probably still be alive today. They were between her car and the back of the flat bed truck when another truck clipped the back of her car shunting it into the back of the flat bed rescue truck killing the pair of them instantly. Her parents are blaming everything else ACCEPT themselves. If they had made sure the car was serviced before the long trip as it's 600+ miles to Wagga Wagga from the mountains and if their daughter had done the same then none of the above would have happened.

Only this morning as I was driving for work I came across a car stopped in the middle of a two lane road for what seemed no reason. No hazard lights were flashing just brake lights. I came up behind the car and gave two shirt toots on my horn. The car started off again. It was raining and slightly misty when and I eventually got past the car it had it's high beam lights on , which in mist or fog is useless as the light bounces back at you. HGV's or Semi's barrel along this road and would have slammed into the rear of that small car crushing it and killing the driver. Then we would have had another inquiry into road safety. Once again Bad Drivers and Incompetent Drivers. I'm not putting myself up as some sort of superior driver but a bit of common sense can save your life.

[ba14eagle]

Crikey Roy

There may be elements of sense and truth in what you say, but its all a bit harsh when people have lost their lives.....

I am not a softy by any means (and bad driving really gets my goat too), but a bit of compassion wouldnt hurt

[cleanerg6e]

Yes I know what you mean but so many people are just idiots when it comes to their cars. I know 26 degrees is hot in the UK, but over here it's pleasant. If the temperature had been 38 to 41 degrees + then yes I could understand. So the girls car overheated at around 26 degrees which shows that it wasn't roadworthy. I would never ever set out on a long journey in my car unless I was totally satisfied that it was in sound mechanical condition. Australia's environment is extremely harsh on cars and humans. A mobile phone does not work in the more remote locations. So even though I'm sounding totally heartless I think that the girl, her parents, the rescue operator and the truck which hit her car all indirectly contributed to her death. If they'd just used basic common sense then all that heartbreak could have been avoided. But no everything and others are all to blame except them. My compassion for them is zero..........sorry.

Roy.

[cleanerg6e]

It may sound like I have no compassion whatsoever. But I do for family and friends such as users on this forum. Outside that no compassion. I told my boss that someone could have a heart attack in front of me and although I'd call the ambulance I'd offer no personnel assistance. Here on the telly they are saying what is Australian society becoming when people just walk right past someone on a footpath who is dying. Well if they offer assistance and it's the wrong assistance that very ill person often sues them for money once they get better. That's why compassion has often gone. Also we are constantly given a barrage of media images of people dying around the world whether it be in Africa, the Middle East or South America etc and always the message is the same.........give money. People just let it wash over them and take no notice including me. Also those TV adverts cost millions. Wouldn't the money be better spent on helping the people they're trying to get money for.

Also in my job I often suffer verbal and sometimes physical abuse. That abuse is very good at lowering your level of compassion to a point where outside family and friends you have no compassion whatsoever and I'm afraid that's now me.

Roy.