Post by Captain Niobe on Nov 2, 2010 13:43:06 GMT 10
Website article: slowdownstupid.niobe132004.net/crashes/fatal/20100105-australia-newsouthwales-three-dead-in-horror-smash.php
I don't know what to say about this accident, except it's certainly one of the most tragic I've read about or heard of. It's not to say other fatal accidents aren't as tragic, but it's rare that one wipes out an entire family.
In the days following this accident, I remember reading comments on sites (that I can no longer find) about trucks being on the roads, and truck drivers in general. This accident, in fact, was a trigger in sprouting an anti-truck campaign, with the intention being to take trucks off the roads and put it all onto rail.
I personally disagree with that assessment. Yes, trucks are darned big and darned heavy, loaded or empty. There is a good chance that if you're involved in a collision with a truck, you won't survive (before complaining about that, note I didn't say that it's 100% chance you will die - sometimes, people survive such accidents).
It's not the trucks themselves which cause the problems. It's not necessarily the truck drivers. There has been much controversy revolving around trucking companies, and the super-tight delivery schedules the drivers are required to follow, schedules which means, in order to make the schedule and not get fired or not paid, truckers stay awake and drive for much longer periods than the law dictates.
However, in this case, the only way in which a truck was involved was in being the object the car slammed into.
This accident occurred in an stretch of the Newell Highway which was straight, and is not considered a black spot. This, along with the truck drivers' testimony, leaves fault at either mechanical failure, or driver inattention/fatigue. I do not know what it was at this point, and I do not wish to speculate.
But having said that, I have to stress the need for constant vigilance while driving on the roads. This means keeping your attention on your car and your surroundings. It means not driving while tired. It means not playing with your mobile phone, or your IPod. It means if you're driving with children and they need attention, you pull off to the side of the road and park the car before attending to them.
It can happen in a split second.
Don't let that split second be your last.
- Niobe.
I don't know what to say about this accident, except it's certainly one of the most tragic I've read about or heard of. It's not to say other fatal accidents aren't as tragic, but it's rare that one wipes out an entire family.
In the days following this accident, I remember reading comments on sites (that I can no longer find) about trucks being on the roads, and truck drivers in general. This accident, in fact, was a trigger in sprouting an anti-truck campaign, with the intention being to take trucks off the roads and put it all onto rail.
I personally disagree with that assessment. Yes, trucks are darned big and darned heavy, loaded or empty. There is a good chance that if you're involved in a collision with a truck, you won't survive (before complaining about that, note I didn't say that it's 100% chance you will die - sometimes, people survive such accidents).
It's not the trucks themselves which cause the problems. It's not necessarily the truck drivers. There has been much controversy revolving around trucking companies, and the super-tight delivery schedules the drivers are required to follow, schedules which means, in order to make the schedule and not get fired or not paid, truckers stay awake and drive for much longer periods than the law dictates.
However, in this case, the only way in which a truck was involved was in being the object the car slammed into.
This accident occurred in an stretch of the Newell Highway which was straight, and is not considered a black spot. This, along with the truck drivers' testimony, leaves fault at either mechanical failure, or driver inattention/fatigue. I do not know what it was at this point, and I do not wish to speculate.
But having said that, I have to stress the need for constant vigilance while driving on the roads. This means keeping your attention on your car and your surroundings. It means not driving while tired. It means not playing with your mobile phone, or your IPod. It means if you're driving with children and they need attention, you pull off to the side of the road and park the car before attending to them.
It can happen in a split second.
Don't let that split second be your last.
- Niobe.
