Another Australian media story

JohnnyCool

[QUOTE] ...I suppose that's the crux of it from my point of view. I haven't heard of a single person dying from a motorbike accident. In the 4-5 years I've been on the road in Bali I've personally only seen 2 minor accidents...[/QUOTE]Guess you've been lucky then. I've seen more than I care to recall, sometimes right in front of me. Many "accidents" here aren't really accidents but the results of stupid road behaviour, ignorance, lack of police enforcement, "it won't happen to me mentality", impatience, little understanding of or care for "road etiquette"... I'm forever bemused by pedestrian zebra crossings. Hardly anyone stops for pedestrians trying to cross a road, and if they do, there's a good chance that some idiot will crash into them. Seems like a complete waste of paint to me and what are double white lines for? Decoration, perhaps.

YPDN

JohnnyCool wroteGuess you've been lucky then. I've seen more than I care to recall, sometimes right in front of me.

I saw an old guy get hit (on the Gold Coast in Australia) on a pedestrian crossing. The driver had been racing me along a stretch of road and I slowed down to back off what could be called a normal pace. I was ahead. The younger other driver kept going, probably to establish his supremacy as 'the winner' because I appeared to quit. I was in my 30s then. And alone in the car. The old guy defiantly attempted the pedestrian crossing when most of us would have noticed and waited for the young maniac to pass. I saw (thru the rear view mirror) the old guy get totalled and he did an airborne somersault quite above the roof of the car and my first thoughts included 'he should have waited', 'his defiance contributed to his demise' and 'so sad'. I didn't stop because there were enough other people milling there.

JohnnyCool wroteMany "accidents" here aren't really accidents but the results of stupid road behaviour, ignorance, [SIZE=3]lack of police enforcement[/SIZE], "it won't happen to me mentality", impatience, little understanding of or care for "road etiquette"...

Please define 'accident'. Also, there seems to be a lot of Police bashing going on. Most things are not their fault and they are not even there at the time.

Mark

I suspect that a lot of fatalities are not reported in the media. For example, last month a young Dutch guy died in a crash - graphic photos of his helmet-less body lying face down in a ditch and smashed up bike were temporarily posted on Ubud Community facebook page - and there have been no subsequent reports that I've seen in the English media. With no helmet, it's hard to see how this guy could have avoided death or at the least very serious injury after falling into a concrete drainage culvert. We've all seen lots of stupidity but some of the most dangerous behaviour I've observed is by bule riders, who in most cases lack licenses and experience on motorcycles, are unfamiliar with the 'rules and customs' of driving in Bali and in many cases aren't wearing helmets. We can't change the behavior of locals (many of whom also lack licenses, experience and helmets) but at the very least we can change our own and take some responsibility to not contribute to the problem.

JohnnyCool

Define "accident"? OK - How about anything that happens suddenly or by chance without an apparent cause. For a major "cause" of many "accidents" here, re-read what I wrote before. So, you once saw an old guy in Australia wiped out on a pedestrian crossing by a young maniac driver (whom you were racing until you slowed down). Maybe the old guy had poor vision, bad hearing and blind faith (no pun) thinking the crossing should be safe. I know that there are crazy drivers all over the world and bad stuff happens (sometimes). Around these parts, bad stuff happens on roads every day of the week. That's a difference, wouldn't you agree? I fail to see the exact relevance of your comment to what some of us have been writing about. "Police bashing"? Paying police properly to do their job properly in the first place would be a major leap forward. Many people forget (or don't know) that there [B]are[/B] "speed limits". I've seen countless drivers doing 80-100kmh zooming past police cars where it's [I]supposed[/I] to be 60kmh. Were the cops trying to save petrol? Anybody here actually seen someone pulled over for speeding? In case you also want a definition for "cause", try this one: "A justification for something existing or happening". Now give me [B]your[/B] justification for the ongoing carnage on our roads.

YPDN

JohnnyCool wroteDefine "accident"? OK - How about anything that happens suddenly or by chance without an apparent cause.

As you might know: some see and some just never will. Therefore, the usage of 'apparent' should be considered.

JohnnyCool wroteSo, you once saw an old guy in Australia wiped out on a pedestrian crossing by a young maniac driver (whom you were racing until you slowed down). Maybe the old guy had poor vision, bad hearing and blind faith (no pun) thinking the crossing should be safe.

No. I apparently did not clearly describe it all. It was his attitude that did him in. He saw a pedestrian crossing and then stepped out onto it. His wife was holding back, obviously used to the guy's attitude. I feel/felt sorry for her. She looked afraid. You had to be there to see the whole Rembrandt on it.

JohnnyCool wroteI know that there are crazy drivers all over the world and bad stuff happens (sometimes). Around these parts, bad stuff happens on roads every day of the week. That's a difference, wouldn't you agree?

I don't have the luxury of worldwide stats from which to form an opinion.

JohnnyCool wroteI fail to see the exact relevance of your comment to what some of us have been writing about.

That's OK. But, I'd put the cork back in the JAMIESONS if I were you.

JohnnyCool wrote"Police bashing"? Paying police properly to do their job properly in the first place would be a major leap forward.

Why is that? IMO, that's not going to fix the problem.

JohnnyCool wroteIn case you also want a definition for "cause", try this one: "A justification for something existing or happening".

I didn't ask for one.

JohnnyCool wroteNow give me [B]your[/B] justification for the ongoing carnage on our roads.

Are you competing here? [B]Carnage[/B] exists in the 'ice' towns that have sprung up in recent years, in the homes under the heading of Domestic Violence, in the towns that have polluted water from mining, in the sex parlours through out Asia distributing HIV and Hep B/C to name a few carnagious atrocities. I do not agree the Bali road toll can be accurately described as carnage.

YPDN

davita wroteIn that case..welcome to the forum and general debate. You appear to have experience and knowledge and attitude which is admirable and welcome....let's have your positive comments.

DVT, are you 3/4 the way thru another Hatten 2-litre? Please don't drink that muck. You can't be sure what's in it. It is [I]shocking[/I] stuff. True. I don't do 'debate'. It's too much like attending a meeting of 7 or 8 Government employees talking about something 2 people could sort in minutes. But I do like the general chatter here. It's probably the Top thing people get from this Forum. There's some funny stuff (could be more from the Australians), and there's some good info like the bamboo houses and the follow-on comments about geckos and mozzies. I love that stuff. Just finished watching a documentary about Bombardier building a LearJet 60XR and delivering it to the customer. Nice work. Now it's time for sleep. I've had a good day.

davita

YPDN wroteDVT, are you 3/4 the way thru another Hatten 2-litre? Please don't drink that muck. You can't be sure what's in it. It is [I]shocking[/I] stuff. True. I don't do 'debate'. It's too much like attending a meeting of 7 or 8 Government employees talking about something 2 people could sort in minutes. But I do like the general chatter here.

Is Hatten still making wine? I haven't had a drop since my surgery and chemo-therapy last March and surmised the company must have gone bankrupt due to lack of sales. I heard about a new local cheap wine called Plaga....any good? Debate and chatter are the same...it's semantics. I used to chatter, gossip and argue till I was sent to the Officer Cadet Academy to have a brain transplant...now I debate, discuss and dispute....and use a knife and fork instead of a spoon. However, I've since learned how to eat with the right thumb and forefingers...saves on washing-up. edit: Bombardier is a Montreal Company and started making its C series aircraft which look like an Airbus 300 series. IMO they should stick to the private A/C sector and not compete with Boeing and Airbus...I sold my shares!

YPDN

davita wroteHowever, I've since learned how to eat with the right thumb and forefingers...saves on washing-up.

That remiinds me to report I gave up shaking hands more than a year ago. Well, I stopped wearing a neck tie well before that so why not jetison another piece of ridicularity. Google shaking hands. Get through the Parkinsons info and I think you'll find s/h dates right back to when men were men but carried a sword. Eating with just your fingers is OK for KFC french fries and the like but eating rice with sauce - that's grotty. You really need a sendok makan for that. If we ever meet and I actually shake your hand, forgive me if I do a sniff test and either say 'fried chicken' or 'Oh Sandra!!'

davita wroteedit: Bombardier is a Montreal Company and started making its C series aircraft which look like an Airbus 300 series. IMO they should stick to the private A/C sector and not compete with Boeing and Airbus...I sold my shares!

The LearJet factory is in Wichita, I believe. But, trouble is, only the model 75 has an interior ceiling height of 6 feet. All the others are crouchers for the tall.

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