Please Drive Carefully

[Greg B]

We have just learned this morning that a senior partner here - also the National Business Unit Leader for my business unit - was killed yesterday afternoon in a single car accident on a country road. Everyone is in shock.

Details are sketchy, but fatigue may have been a factor.

Please drive with great care over the xmas period, particularly if you are tired. We want all members on deck in 2006.

[MHD]

hear hear!

Dont forget driving is the most dangerous thing that many of us do in our lives...

[Yedrup]

It pays to remember that the comfortable chair you are sitting in when in your car travelling at 100kph is contained in about 3/4 tonne of metal travelling at approx 275 metres per second.

Remember the pain you feel from an accident is nothing compared to the pain your family and friends feel.

Take care on the roads everyone and have a happy Xmas and New Year.

Cheers,
Terry

[NikonUser]

I agree. And after seeing some crazy driving over the past few days on my way to work this fact is highlighted...

Be careful out there everyone!!

Paul

P.S. 27.5 metres/second = 100km/h.... 275m/s = 1000 km/h (just a little above the speed limit)

[xerubus]

Sorry to hear this Greg....

Like everyone else has said... please be careful on the roads.

cheers

[MCWB]

travelling at approx 275 metres per second.

Is your car the Bluebird?

Edit: beaten!

[gstark]

Greg,

Timely words.

My condolences to you and your workmates, and my thanx for this important message.

[avkomp]

timely words indeed.
however the message isnt reaching the masses.

I am seeing more cases of lunatic driving as the silly season increases, all in the hope of getting to the destination 20 seconds earlier.

condolences on the loss of your coworker.

Steve

[MHD]

I often have this rant to Louise: I often say crazy driving is a worse thing than Terrorsim...

You take plenty of innocent people with you and you dont even do it for a cause...

I have no problem when a stupid revhead knocks him self off, its when he/she takes a law abiding family out with him/her that I would like to see tougher penalties for wreckless driving

[Steffen]

I often say crazy driving is a worse thing than Terrorsim...

I agree. About 300 dead on the road every year in a little populated country like ours, 4000 dead each in the US and Europe, even a massive and hugely "successful" attack like 9/11 is having a hard time beating that.

I wonder what it is that brings the road carnage to a peak during holiday seasons (X'mas, Easter,...). Is it the increased stress levels (having to get things done in time) that lead to aggression, or the larger than usual number of inexperienced drivers on the road, the longer than usual travel times?

What can you do? I guess be extra careful and donate blood...

Cheers
Steffen.

[Greg B]

Interesting stats....

The Victorian road toll for 2005 to 20/12/05 is 331.

For the same period in 2001, it was 432

The average for the same period over the past five years is 372.

I can recall a newspaper campaign, probably back in the seventies, along the lines of "Declare war on 1034", 1034 being the number of Victorian road deaths during the previous year.

I guess that seat belts, stronger drink driving enforcement, substantially safer cars - these have all had a positive effect in reducing the number of deaths, and while 331 is obviously 331 too many, at least there has been significant progress over the last 20-30 years.

[Nikon boy]

Greg, very timely warning to all, i remember the 1034 campaign like it was yesterday !!!!

very sorry to hear about your workmates death, his poor family,
i've been in a similar position and it is horrible, hard to take at anytime but xmas just compounds the issue,

Chin up mate

[Killakoala]

My condolences for your workmate Greg.

It was this time last year when two young lads from my ship were involved in a serious accident on the south cost of NSW. The driver was killed the passenger spent many months in hospital.

It's bad enough losing a loved one at any time of the year but being Christmas and the time when families get together the loss is compounded.

It's a timely reminder.

[Yedrup]

P.S. 27.5 metres/second = 100km/h.... 275m/s = 1000 km/h (just a little above the speed limit)

Where the hell did that dot go?

[Steffen]

Interesting stats....

And completely out of whack, apparently...

I also got the US and Europe stats wrong by a factor of 10, it's about 40.000 per year, not 4000. Oh well...

Cheers
Steffen.

[PiroStitch]

Sorry to hear Greg. Take care on the roads and at home everyone during the silly season

[Dug]

Sad to hear of your loss please pass on all our regards to his family.

A timely reminder we kill about 400 people ever year but the permanent injuries especially head injuries is at least 20X that number.

Having seen some of the people in rehab death may not be such a bad option, we rarely hear these figures.

Stay safe, drive defensively, leave a gap of 2 second between your car and the car ahead. PS Estimated road toll in mainland China 600 deaths PER DAY!
It is the most dangerous place to drive in the world.

PPS road deaths in the USA 40,000, firearm deaths 50,000 and they worry about 3,000 people killed in a terrorist attack?