Driving standards

[boxbrownie]

1 hour ago, PhilJ W said:

Not safe at any speed.

https://www.today.com/video/are-stretch-limos-safe-watch-this-crash-test-footage-of-a-startling-crash-60390469724

The problem with the stretched limos (especially so in the states) is the number of “specialists” that sprung up years ago modify (stretching) limos, they often know nothing about stress loading and metal strengths and just weld on a couple of beams under the chassis and attach extra doors and panels with no regard to crash worthiness and life cycle strength, I’ve seen pictures of limos that have sheered in half during impacts and of course the occupants are always wearing seat belts....NOT......but they will be boozed up and thinking of getting layed, but the mortuary slab wasn’t the place.

[Guest]

2 hours ago, boxbrownie said:

 I’ve seen pictures of limos that have sheered in half during impacts and of course the occupants are always wearing seat belts....NOT......but they will be boozed up and thinking of getting layed, but the mortuary slab wasn’t the place.

 

Lots of glassware and bottles flying around as well.

 

I'm a bit leery of camper vans in a crash too. Not sure how keen MDF kitchen units are on stopping.

[boxbrownie]

12 hours ago, 30801 said:

 

Lots of glassware and bottles flying around as well.

 

I'm a bit leery of camper vans in a crash too. Not sure how keen MDF kitchen units are on stopping.

You must have seen a caravan after an incident, not much to see at all.....looks like somebody shook out the first floor of IKEA onto the road.

[Guest]

39 minutes ago, boxbrownie said:

You must have seen a caravan after an incident, not much to see at all.....looks like somebody shook out the first floor of IKEA onto the road.

 

I have, but at least you're not sitting in them at the time. A look through YouTube videos isn't encouraging. Coach built campers end up like caravans. The least mangled I saw was a straight conversion of a regular van body. I guess the seat belts are mounted to the van's structure but the MDF base of the rear passenger seat just collapsed.

I was impressed the kitchen didn't make it all the way to the driver though.

[Hobby]

Probably best not to get into a front end collision whilst in a vw type 2 either. 

[Fat Controller]

1 hour ago, boxbrownie said:

You must have seen a caravan after an incident, not much to see at all.....looks like somebody shook out the first floor of IKEA onto the road.

I watched one overturn just outside Calais, on the autoroute. I was a little distance back, and realised the 'van was starting to oscillate, so I dropped back, just in time. Fortunately, this kept me out of the 'debris field'; no injuries, but someone's holiday hadn't lasted very long.

[Guest]

21 minutes ago, Hobby said:

Probably best not to get into a front end collision whilst in a vw type 2 either. 

 

Put your very sturdiest boots on.

[F-UnitMad]

2 hours ago, boxbrownie said:

You must have seen a caravan after an incident, not much to see at all.....looks like somebody shook out the first floor of IKEA onto the road.

Oh yes, many times.

The first sign of summer is the remains of a caravan spread across the southbound M5

[Michael Hodgson]

I used to see them wrapped round the suspension wires of the Severn Bridge before they took to closing it if there was a slight breeze.

[peanuts]

Seen some bodges but ???

[PatB]

In a previous life as a public servant, my department used to be responsible for approving all the stretch limos built in WA. Pretty much every single one was a collection of bog and bad welding, attached to some seriously time expired base vehicle. I never saw one (and I saw every one that was built here over a period of 6 years) that wasn't complete rubbish. A few were a waste of a fundamentally decent base vehicle (there was a rather nice, original Mk5 Jaguar that still makes me sad). Ghastly things, and mostly operated by people I wouldn't want to spend much time with.

[Enterprisingwestern]

15 minutes ago, PatB said:

In a previous life as a public servant, my department used to be responsible for approving all the stretch limos built in WA. Pretty much every single one was a collection of bog and bad welding, attached to some seriously time expired base vehicle. I never saw one (and I saw every one that was built here over a period of 6 years) that wasn't complete rubbish. A few were a waste of a fundamentally decent base vehicle (there was a rather nice, original Mk5 Jaguar that still makes me sad). Ghastly things, and mostly operated by people I wouldn't want to spend much time with.

 

You didn't approve many, if any, then?

 

Mike.

[PatB]

16 minutes ago, Enterprisingwestern said:

 

You didn't approve many, if any, then?

 

Mike.

Given my druthers I'd have ordered every single one to the crusher, but most met the set criteria for approval, and so I had to grit my teeth and sign off on them. As for setting those set criteria, such things are influenced politically from above as much as they are technically at ground level, and WA's stretch limo operators are well connected politically. Indeed, undue influence on policy by various industries was a major factor in my ceasing to be a PS, which was a secure career which I otherwise enjoyed.

[Fat Controller]

5 hours ago, PatB said:

Given my druthers I'd have ordered every single one to the crusher, but most met the set criteria for approval, and so I had to grit my teeth and sign off on them. As for setting those set criteria, such things are influenced politically from above as much as they are technically at ground level, and WA's stretch limo operators are well connected politically. Indeed, undue influence on policy by various industries was a major factor in my ceasing to be a PS, which was a secure career which I otherwise enjoyed.

I recollect one being wrecked in a collision in Tyneside when we lived there. The Accident Investigator noted that it was not the vehicle's first writing off; It was constructed using two part-bodies spliced together.The clown who did it hadn't bothered to use jigs, so one side of the car was longer than the other......

[PhilJ W]

5 hours ago, PatB said:

Given my druthers I'd have ordered every single one to the crusher, but most met the set criteria for approval, and so I had to grit my teeth and sign off on them. As for setting those set criteria, such things are influenced politically from above as much as they are technically at ground level, and WA's stretch limo operators are well connected politically. Indeed, undue influence on policy by various industries was a major factor in my ceasing to be a PS, which was a secure career which I otherwise enjoyed.

Many of the stretch limo operators here are very dodgy characters indeed. 

[PatB]

37 minutes ago, PhilJ W said:

Many of the stretch limo operators here are very dodgy characters indeed. 

Here too. Doesn't stop them having the minister on speed dial. 

[TheQ]

On 16/05/2021 at 16:12, Hobby said:

To the burnt out Hummer... they might be fine for war zones but not for UK roads... So one less is fine by me! 

The only thing in the road going hummer that is has in common with the military one is the name.. They are totally different machines..

[TheQ]

42 minutes ago, PatB said:

Here too. Doesn't stop them having the minister on speed dial. 

Religious or political?

[Guest]

1 hour ago, TheQ said:

The only thing in the road going hummer that is has in common with the military one is the name.. They are totally different machines..

The neighbours had an H2.

It’s based on a pickup truck or something and is much smaller than the proper Hummer.

When it’s parked outside your house it’s still a ridiculously massive pile of faff.

[PhilJ W]

2 hours ago, 30801 said:

The neighbours had an H2.

It’s based on a pickup truck or something and is much smaller than the proper Hummer.

When it’s parked outside your house it’s still a ridiculously massive pile of faff.

What do you expect from a pen1s extension.

[Enterprisingwestern]

15 hours ago, 30801 said:

The neighbours had an H2.

It’s based on a pickup truck or something and is much smaller than the proper Hummer.

When it’s parked outside your house it’s still a ridiculously massive pile of faff.

 

The Ford F350 makes me smile, about as large as a rural parish with the carrying capacity of a navvies wellington boots.

 

Mike.

[PhilJ W]

A compilation.

https://www.facebook.com/davidlopezfilms/videos/507828600255650

[37114]

A first for me today, saw some driving so shocking I felt compelled to report it to Police. A driver in a Porsche 4x4 overtook 5 cars in a built up 40 limit by accelerating up to around 70 and then continued at that speed until they left the village. Unfortunately for the driver they had a very easily remembered personalised reg plate. Absolute clown..

[Coldgunner]

Had similar recently, can't show dash cam footage as its with police but long story short, driver weaving between traffic on the parkway. Then shortly after didn't give way turning into a side road, then went down a bus lane, again cutting across someone. Police have taken it seriously thankfully.

[Kris]

30 minutes ago, Coldgunner said:

Had similar recently, can't show dash cam footage as its with police but long story short, driver weaving between traffic on the parkway. Then shortly after didn't give way turning into a side road, then went down a bus lane, again cutting across someone. Police have taken it seriously thankfully.

Devon and Cornwall police seem to be very good with dash cam footage. You can submit it via their website so they can take a look. I did this a few months back after I was right behind a driver who stopped at a red light before setting off whilst the light was still red and their was a pedestrian on the crossing. I was told that the driver was given the choice of a fine and points or a driver improvement course. 

That said there are some lights that are dangerous by design. There are 2 sets of traffic lights in Redruth that are very close together https://www.google.com/maps/@50.2361559,-5.2388965,3a,75y,188.75h,90.18t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sSDd7ofLFW2o-rXCONCkYyw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

These are separate sets of lights and the further set normally turns green before the near set. This is to allow traffic joining from the right to go through. The number of vehicles that you see going through the first set of lights when they are red is scary. In the last week I have seen it happen at least 8 times (including twice today). Cornwall Council however say there is nothing wrong with the lights!