Before you click the link, you should know that the thread starter, R U Local is a serving traffic officer and also a great "petrol head". He contributes greatly to the forum in question and you'd easily think of him as "one of the lads" - not a lot different to any of the other car enthusiasts on Briskoda etc. If you didn't know he was a traffic officer, you'd probably not suspect it.

Please do make the effort to read the whole of his first post without getting bored and clicking away after the first few paragraphs.

PistonHeads thread

Wow a serious thread on PH

:(

Thanks for posting that - can't imagine what he must have gone through that night :(

Chris

That's nasty.

Again, there's a time and a place to race people... not the public road

That was very well written and horrible to read. Had to force myself to read till the last paragraph. watery eyes and a block in my throat.

Sadness;

I feel sorry for the author and I wish I could do something to help. Showing my sympathy is the least I can do. If somebody is member of PistonHeads, maybe we could cross-link the threads in the hope to raise awareness and touch people a little deeper.

Anger;

because people who commit these crimes, get away with murder.

Shame;

because I have driven 60mph on small B-roads. And no there weren't any other cars, or I wasn't racing another fella, just enjoying the whirl of the turbine. Still,... that doesn't make it right because accidents are just that; uncontrolled (some people call it bad luck)

And when I think about the risks I have taken in the past, for no apparent reason.

This is the type of threads that has changed my take on driving.

I am sorry about your loss, if I can help or support, please don't hesitate to post

F

Still,... that doesn't make it right because accidents are just that; uncontrolled (some people call it bad luck)

But I think this is the point. All accidents are pretty much avoidable - in fact the police now call them Road Traffic Collisions because there is always someone at fault. Doesn't make it any easier to deal with the results though :(

Chris

Very moving post, from a guy who clearly has a very common-sense approach to driving and the issues around it.

Very thought provoking post by RUL.

Can I add my little bit about deaths amongst young drivers?

In a country cemetery near Muir of Ord in the Black Isle there are two adjoining grave containing the remains of two brothers. Both were in their late teens/early 20's when they died, a few years apart.

Both were killed in road accidents - it's stated on their headstones.

Can you imagine the effect on their parents, burying not just one, but two of their kids? And both being killed in the same way?

:thumbdwn::thumbdwn:

Had one too close to home this year.

You never think it will happen to you or your loved ones.

Even posting that just bought it all back

I think that here is a message for us all, SPEED KILLS, simple as that.

I think that here is a message for us all, SPEED KILLS, simple as that.

Although the author specifically said that wasn't the message! :confused:

Chris

Very very sad. I cant imagine what it must be like to go through something like that. :(

That was powerful. It was hard enough to read so I can't imagine how he managed to write and post it.

Richie, the author specifically states he doesn't agree with the speed kills argument as it is too simplistic. Plus, he also makes the point that the young driver in the Cavalier had been drinking.

Drink - driving is bad enough , but racing someone whilst drunk doesnt bear thinking about. The faster you go the more your slowed reaction times will show on the road. I think the hardest bit to read was the simple sentence 'Jane was my Sister.'

I think the hardest bit to read was the simple sentence 'Jane was my Sister.'

I was reading the thread with interest to start with because the guy often writes good stuff on driving techniques etc. and happily shares his experience in a thorough manner that is a pleasure to read.

When I got to that line I was shocked - wasnt expecting it at all.

Although the author specifically said that wasn't the message! :confused:

Chris

In my humble opinion.............................................:(

I think that here is a message for us all, SPEED KILLS, simple as that.

Speed doesnt kill... driving innapropriately does...

As i well know through a couple of experiences myself... one near miss being overtaken at 2x-3x speed-limit when im trying to turn right (the overtaking car lost it and plowed into another car head on) and another when my bro was knocked off his bike by a drunk driver..

both occoured on single carridgeway roads in a 30 limit.

I still think the police should be given the right to make "common sense" judgements... when a car looses it and spins out on a 30mph road.. i think its pretty safe to say they were doing over the speed limit.. and treat it as an offence.

Just blew me a way to read this. How can people be so thoughtless and stupid, as to put any family through this. Yes it could happen to any one of us.

What happened to the two racing idiots? I trust that they got the full weight of the law, and weren't let off with a light token sentence.

Will be sad all night now, as I can't help it keep popping in to my mind.

Glad that I took the time to read it however, but really choaked over it.

Soviet

wow !!, not good, not good at all.

Made me quite sad to read that, especially the bit when he states that it was his sister.

It has to be truly devastating

Poor poor b*gger

Really sad, a salutory lesson to some

Perhaps a lesson for all of us...............

Speed doesnt kill... driving innapropriately does...

....

Agreed - but to quote the posters over here "the faster you're going the bigger the mess"

Speed isn't usually the cause of an accident but affects how serious the accident is.

Speed never kills - its the sudden stop which takes care of that.

Speed never kills - its the sudden stop which takes care of that.

??

That is the kind of thing I would say when I am in an argument with the wife and I just want to win and get her to shut up.

I am not sure trying to outsmart another when the guy is making an effort to tell the world about his pain he is going through, every year, on his sister's anniversary, is the right thing to do.

(In fact, you can't have a sudden stop, if you haven't got momentum or speed in the first place, etc and so on.)

For sure; watch your speed and never think 'you can get away with it', is that not the message the author is trying to convey?

For sure; watch your speed and never think 'you can get away with it', is that not the message the author is trying to convey?

The message I got was that there is a time and a place for speed and knowing how to use it responsibly. The two lads in the account were driving well outside their abilities and making very poor judgement calls (inhibited by alcohol and red mist) about the speeds and distances they were using. The higher the speed, the more allowances you need to make to increase your safety margin.....

Chris