10 May 2009

Smashing Great Time On Athllon Drive

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Yesterday afternoon 5+ cars took part in the good old game of rear enders on Athllon Drive.

The first incident was in the southbound lanes & was just after the intersection of Athllon Drive/Beasley Street in Torrens. It involved someone in a Holden ute running up the back of a Honda Civic.

The other accident occured in the southbound lanes of Athllon Drive, but this one involved 3 (or more) vechiles running up the back of each other. This accident was just south of the intersection of Athllon Drive/Beasley Street/Mawson Drive in Mawson.

However this accident involved the ACT Fire Brigade as liquid has leaked from a few of the cars.

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The Antichrist7:37 pm 13 May 09

[i]…I was somewhat disappointed on Thursday night that I didn’t have to slow quickly for the other traffic as I would have scored a motorcyclist through my back windscreen after he pulled into a gap of less than 2 metres on the parkway he just sat there for kms, before I nearly knocked him off as he swerved to overtake (in the same lane) Lucky I saw him in my headcheck just before I changed lanes….[/i]

The Antichrist remembers well, only 12 months ago, how you mocked the death of 3 motorcylists.

The Antichrist sees that you still wish harm to motorcyclists.

The Antichrist knows that you drive a tray-back ute.

The Antichrist says – Drive carefully and respect other road users.

bd84 said :

I was somewhat disappointed on Thursday night that I didn’t have to slow quickly for the other traffic as I would have scored a motorcyclist through my back windscreen

I feel for you mate, I’m always disappointed when I don’t manage to kill or maim a fellow road user.

bd84 said :

after he pulled into a gap of less than 2 metres on the parkway he just sat there for kms, before I nearly knocked him off as he swerved to overtake (in the same lane) Lucky I saw him in my headcheck just before I changed lanes.

So after observing him for several kilometres you nearly knocked him off as you saw him go for an overtake, and you reckon the guy was lucky you headchecked for him?

Sounds more like he was lucky to escape attempted murder.

Maybe the drivers used some common sense and parked on the grass after the lights instead of stopping in the traffic lane and blocking all and sundry.

is it just me, but looking at the photo it seems the accident happened after the traffic lights?? does a 3 car pile up AFTER a set of traffic lights concern anyone? i thought they usually happen before the lights, ie pulling up on yellow and others ploughing through the back of your car etc etc

AG Canberra said :

30% of all crashes in the ACT are rear enders….but what is our Gov doing to reduce that percentage?

Ever heard of the phrase ‘personal responsbility’?

30% of all crashes in the ACT are rear enders….but what is our Gov doing to reduce that percentage?

ant said :

It’s very hard to hit stuff on a road unless you get too close to it.

lol hard not to agree with this one.

Actually the first accident (which was the one in the picture above) involved about 4 cars. When I went past about 2.45pm (going opp direction northbound) all 3 emergency services were in attendance and the right hand lane was blocked.

When I headed back the other way about an hour later after my adventure to Woden, the 2nd accident had occurred and all 3 services were in attendance. I only saw 2 cars but they were well surrounded by the firies and I didn’t want to cause another accident by going too slowly. One car was a Territory, probably explains the large damage though strangely most of the leakage looked like it was on the road shoulder.

As I went further up the road the remnants of the first accident were still there with the police and 2 vehicles still on the side of the road (looks like about the time that pic was taken too). I’m guessing it must have been a busy day for tow truck drivers for it to take that amount of time to get rid of the cars.

As for tailgating, it’s pretty stupid. Though in Canberra, any gap in the traffic (or even no gap) is something other drivers just pull into with the presumption of the other driver just letting them in (by slamming on the breaks to avoid them).

I was somewhat disappointed on Thursday night that I didn’t have to slow quickly for the other traffic as I would have scored a motorcyclist through my back windscreen after he pulled into a gap of less than 2 metres on the parkway he just sat there for kms, before I nearly knocked him off as he swerved to overtake (in the same lane) Lucky I saw him in my headcheck just before I changed lanes.

canberra bureaucrat8:43 pm 10 May 09

+ 1 at #5.

See a recent post for tips on sorting out tailgaters – in short, a light touch of the brakes, or use the handbrake (which does not light up your tail-lights) for added hazard/fun, depending on your preference.

My theory of tailgating is that people do it because
1) they are impatient;
2) if you leave the slightest gap, some tool merges into it; and/or
3) they assume that the future will be like the past – “those cars in front will keep going forward at a predictable speed and won’t do anything unexpected, therefore I can sit up close”.

monomania said :

Those careless drivers! Was the photo taken by the driver or a back seat passenger?

I took the pics while in the drivers seat, trust me I wasn’t watching the camera screen, I didn’t want to cause a rear end right next to another rear end.

I agree ant, I think a lot of motorists just don’t have the patience they should have. There is no reason for people to be in such a hurry, this town is not that big a place. Perhaps folks can’t manage their time very well or perhaps it’s in their nature to be impatient.

Clown Killer7:13 pm 10 May 09

yep, it is in fact impossible to come up with an excuse for driving up the rear of another car. Incompetence on a grand scale.

It’s very hard to hit stuff on a road unless you get too close to it. But tailgaters seem to be in the majority in this area (and not just in the ACT either). Maybe they have poor depth-perception, or maybe they’re unskilled, aggressive drivers. Who sometimes cause crashes.

Hells_Bells742:40 pm 10 May 09

I read a while back that the courts considered ‘accident’ for all money something done on purpose. Lawyers preferring to use the term ‘collision’.

Even as I write it, it’s hard to get my head around. So don’t ask me if it’s true.

There are few car accidents. There are crashes. The word accident implies there is nobody to blame. A crash is the result of people breaking the rules and/or doing something stupid or careless. In this case, tailgating is most likely the cause, as is the case in 50% of crashes in Canberra.

Those careless drivers! Was the photo taken by the driver or a back seat passenger?

Better on a Saturday than the usual weekday mornings when we get to experience traffic delays just like in real cities

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