Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Matt Thompson on January 18, 2010 at 6:16pm

Senator Nash,

Thank you for your efforts in this regard.

I would like to raise an issue that for country people trumps all of the other problems. Trees, trees and more trees not 2 meters from the road. If there is one thing that we could do soon that would save countless lives on country highways it would be to clear all trees within 8 meters of the roadway. Main roads departments and police know that trees and roads do not mix but their hands have been tied by environmental lobbys.

Let's face it trees are a crop! They are a renewable rescource. We can grow as many as we want quite rapidly in this country. We don't need them next to the road where they block vision and accident avoidance possibilities, and kill people.

Removing the trees from the road verge will not stop the other problems you are addressing and it will not eliminate accidents. It will prevent some accidents especially with roos because vision is better. Most importantly, it will make it so that accidents are survivable. If you have an accident on a normal road properly cleared, it is an annoyance becasue someone has to go fix the fence the next day. If you have an accident on an Australian road where the Green's have protected the trees, someone will have to go to your funeral the next day. Which would you prefer? There is nothing worse from a safety point of veiw than a tree in a road verge. Maybe we should start keeping statistics of tree related fatalites. Country people understand this problem inherently, but are at a loss as to how to get the policy changed. I believe that removing trees within 8 meters of highways would reduce fatalities on country roads by 50%

Permalink Reply by Ray Jamieson on January 18, 2010 at 7:29pm

Fiona,
This is an issue that needs urgent attention, especially with 5 more young people dead in Melbourne last night, another senseless tragedy. If you want a new policy platform, or some alternate views to consider, I have done a lot of legwork in this area and THESE are the ideas that the Australians I spoke with wanted to see as policy changes. They included people of all ages, from kids who were of "hoon" age to elderly folks, both male and female. Surprisingly, there was very little difference in opinion between them, a pleasant consensus for a change! I'd be delighted to see them put in place, and to see the roadside trees cleared too (Thanks Matt!)...
Ray Jamieson

Permalink Reply by terence shanahan on January 27, 2010 at 9:31pm

Fiona, is Solomon still around?

Drugs and alcohol are problems almost insoluble. Everybody, especially the young, has been subject to the TV programs repeatedly; some never learn the lesson and I might add most of us are no angels here. The kids appear to be much better at organising a 'captain' and sticking to it than adults.

For kids where driving a vehicle can be exhilarating (again, I wasnt an angel), it may be that enforcing a horsepower limitation would assist with decreasing the carnage. Or no alcohol at all for the driver until 21yo? It is very difficult to get around the testosterone/showoff part of growing up; it may also be a problem getting around the immature response to perceived slights such as 'I'll show them...' which becomes suicide.

I find sleepiness is now a problem on an 8hr trip. I dont know whether fact but it may be age related. It started around 45years old and has continued yet prior I could drive as long as required. With this problem you can fight it off for a while but then it just says ' you are going to sleep ' and bang, you are gone. It happened to me once only when we decided to change drivers at the next Parking sign which didnt come; never again. We didnt crash but went onto a noisy gravel verge between roadside posts which woke me up. You cannot stop this from happening. It is all just a matter of time. If we had veered the other direction we would have crashed. I wonder at times if this isnt the major cause of car diversion to the opposite side of the road and head on crashes. The same thing happened to a brother-in-law who veered across the road but it wasnt busy and he ended up against the roots of a tree.

I guess 'roos are another possible cause of the inexplicable. See one and forget it's mate which usually is just three seconds further on. You crash and there is no reason to be found, provided you miss the 'roo but the swerve into the trees takes you out.

At the end of the day after officialdom doing all the right things, I believe there will forever be reasons for crashes that we can do nothing about until cars become a lot smarter in detecting drugs/alcohol/sleepiness and detecting where a car should be on a road. It is coming but will be after my time.

Terence Shanahan