Behaviour on our streets is worsening (From Bournemouth Echo)
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Behaviour on our streets is worsening
12:06pm Thursday 31st January 2013 in Opinion
IT’S clear to most regular motorists that the standard of driving has deteriorated.
Drive along the Wessex Way for instance at pretty much any time of the day and you can see for yourself.
A huge number of cars going well over the 50mph limit, which may have something to do with so many speed cameras being turned off.
Tailgating is also clearly a massive problem and something that is one of the biggest causes of accidents.
Poor and inconsiderate driving can also lead to road rage incidents.
Problems, it seems, are not confined to motorists.
As we report today, a woman riding home on her bike was the victim of an attack by a pedestrian wielding crutches in Westbourne.
The full circumstances are not clear over what the pedestrian took exception to or whether it was a completely unprovoked attack.
But it’s yet another sign of deteriorating behaviour on the streets.
Comments(8)
ashleycross
says...
1:08pm Thu 31 Jan 13
rayc
says...
2:33pm Thu 31 Jan 13
Not to me it hasn't. The UK motorist has done a fantastic job over the last 10 years to be part of the effort to bring down the number of KSI collisions.
It is strange that in 2010 when the number of fatalities on Dorset roads was an all time low of 10 that the Police claimed it was their No Excuse Campaign to thank for it. When there were 25 fatalities in 2012, which is more than the 2009 figure and nearly three times the 2010 figure it was all down to inattentive drivers.
beachcomber1
says...
3:18pm Thu 31 Jan 13
paul.p
says...
3:46pm Thu 31 Jan 13
People will drive like the author says but it's no surprise when you get;
Traffic lights that don't sync properly, Over running roadworks
Fallen Trees
Flooding
Breakdowns
Minor shunts
Roads that are closed for hours by the Police maybe because of a serious RTA
Incompetent drivers
Bicycles
Slow Buses and/or lorries and the general lack of infrastructure for the whole area then add that to the pressures of trying to live and work in this country
..it all adds up.
Tripod
says...
8:49pm Thu 31 Jan 13
rayc
says...
9:12pm Thu 31 Jan 13
Tripod wrote:Possibly there is another in that the Government have policies in place to make driving unattractive. A lot of drivers now just see it as a chore rather than a pleasure.
IMHO two things are combining here, 1) many road traffic offences have been de-criminalised with fixed penalty tickets. 2) as the driving test got a lot harder (which it did) the driving schools have concentrated on teaching people to pass the test rather than how to drive.
My suggestion is that young and new drivers should receive a lot of incentives to continue training when they have passed their test.
sammmymac
says...
9:19pm Thu 31 Jan 13
jeebuscripes says...
12:39pm Thu 31 Jan 13
Where is the reporting of good behaviour? Of people being courteous.
Of the days when there aren't roadworks or accidents or OAPs attacking attention-needy middle aged women?
It doesn't happen does it.
Also, what is a regular motorist?