19 July 2008

Ute smashes light pole - driver does a runner

| johnboy
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Another spectacular accident on Majura Avenue this morning around 5.20am. The driver collected a light pole making a noise no-one ever wants to be woken to.

Neighbours first on the scene saw two men have an argument before doing a runner down a nearby footpath.

Appliances arrived around 5.40. Which was particularly snappy work by the Firies who could see the crash site from their station.

And now I return to bed, it’s still dark out.

Discuss.

UPDATED: 6:58am on a Saturday morning the truck turns up with the replacement light pole! Colour me impressed.

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johnboy said :

Appliances arrived around 5.40.

So that’s why I stumbled hungover into the kitchen on Sat morning, and fell into the space where the fridge would normally be. Even the washing machine had gone for a look.

Damn you, Ute Boy!

Might be too jaundiced there.

The things used to cost around $10k to get built and installed when I was getting quotes on it 10 years ago.

Can I suggest, that in the absence of competition to replace these poles, a fee of $4000 is probably a very nice little earner.

Does the payer get to cash in the post he/she has totalled? More like a deposit in the staff christmas fund.

Sorry, just totally jaundiced by all things ACT Gov.

The four lane section before Cowper.

The capped pole is still there (in the end they didn’t do the replacement, could be the truck was just rounding up all the downed poles from a saturday night in the city.

Where on Majura was the accident? It amazes me that anyone can crash on Majura, but Johnboy nailed it – people behaving like idiots and opening up the throttle.

And why assume drugs and not drink? I’d bet the driver was drunk.

Spideydog said :

Yep, look your right Pesty. If I was a “Power to be” in charge of that sorta stuff, I would have an incentive of some sort, for the people that do the right thing, own up and accept responsibility for thier action. But at the moment, the warm fuzzy feeling of knowing that you have done the right thing will have to do. The example of the downed power pole…if it was me, I would hate to have to pay $4000 for a new pole (if not covered by insurance), but why should everyone else have to pay for something, I was responsible for? That there is the “real incentive”

In saying this, I think that someone has not trully learnt from their mistake if they don’t put thier hand up in the first place. To me, putting your hand up, says you have accepted responsibility. Too often, people will point the finger at someone or somthing else, to be the blame for thier actions.

As far as doing it in stolen cars etc….pretty much goes without saying, they would never put thier hand up…they steal cars, the good nature and human decency is not there to begin with.

Your last paragragh pretty much sums the whole thing up. Decent folk are not driving about drunk in stolen cars in the small hours. The ones that are don’t give a rats a*s for society or its rules, its citizens or their property. They will be the same individuals who pay the least tax, that ultimately pays for such things peculiar to a civilised society such as street lighting in the first place.

Yep, look your right Pesty. If I was a “Power to be” in charge of that sorta stuff, I would have an incentive of some sort, for the people that do the right thing, own up and accept responsibility for thier action. But at the moment, the warm fuzzy feeling of knowing that you have done the right thing will have to do. The example of the downed power pole…if it was me, I would hate to have to pay $4000 for a new pole (if not covered by insurance), but why should everyone else have to pay for something, I was responsible for? That there is the “real incentive”

In saying this, I think that someone has not trully learnt from their mistake if they don’t put thier hand up in the first place. To me, putting your hand up, says you have accepted responsibility. Too often, people will point the finger at someone or somthing else, to be the blame for thier actions.

As far as doing it in stolen cars etc….pretty much goes without saying, they would never put thier hand up…they steal cars, the good nature and human decency is not there to begin with.

Majura Avenue is particularly interesting because it’s a wide smooth road marked as 60 with the gentlest of bends.

These accidents only happen when there’s no other traffic because it creates the opportunity to really open up the throttle and exceed the safety of a very safe bit of road.

In short, people always drive to their perceived level of acceptable risk. If you want them to drive safer you’ll need to increase the perception of risk.

Spideydog said :

vandam said :

Well when it cost $4000 + to replace a pole, I’d probably do a runner to if I could!

(not having a go at you vadam – I realise you are most probably joking ??) But this sums up the general feel of society these days…the “I won’t face up to my responsibilities and TAKE RESPONSIBILITY OF YOUR ACTIONS” Alot of people these days will not even think twice about “doing the runner” rather than putting your hand up and saying “Yup, I F&^%$D up, what do I have to do to make it right and learn from my mistakes”.

This may be just me, but this is something I am seeing increasingly which is quite sad, especially when it’s an action that has hurt someone else.

Rant over…. 😉

I agree with you, but where is the incentive to do the right thing? They will chuck the book at you just as hard for doing the right thing as the wrong it seems? Or to put it another way there is probably little to lose br running, particularly if you stole the car! if it’s your own car then running is surely only delaying the inevitable. I stand to be corrected as I try not to drive over the limit, certainly never by a large amount, and I never steal cars. Also So far been fortunate enough not to wrap a vehicle around a lamp post, but a shower of rain and a need to brake in a hurry can alter that, but I doubt I would run away if I did

vandam said :

Well when it cost $4000 + to replace a pole, I’d probably do a runner to if I could!

(not having a go at you vadam – I realise you are most probably joking ??) But this sums up the general feel of society these days…the “I won’t face up to my responsibilities and TAKE RESPONSIBILITY OF YOUR ACTIONS” Alot of people these days will not even think twice about “doing the runner” rather than putting your hand up and saying “Yup, I F&^%$D up, what do I have to do to make it right and learn from my mistakes”.

This may be just me, but this is something I am seeing increasingly which is quite sad, especially when it’s an action that has hurt someone else.

Rant over…. 😉

Well when it cost $4000 + to replace a pole, I’d probably do a runner to if I could!

As for drink/drug drivers, If they choose to drive, then I have no pity for them if they kill themselves.

The sloogan ‘Drink and Drive….You bloody idiot’ only sums it up. I don’t know how much more you can do to get through to these idiots.

Lucky no one was kiled or seriously injured. I see no way of stopping this behaviour. If you are intelligent enough to be able to drive a car, then you must know: A)It’s stupid & dangerous to drink & drive and B) it’s illegal. Techincally a partial solution could be produced by using high tech satelite tracking in all vehicles, but that would not stop theft related stuff. Also, the big brother / police state brigade would probably, and rightly? Have much to say on the matter!

plausibly_deniable11:28 am 20 Jul 08

Some dork in a Falcon did the same thing at 3am on Saturday morning in Duffy – car wasn’t as badly damaged, though, because they drove off, presumably to hide the evidence and sober up. By 9am the ACTEW boys were on the scene, took the bent pole away and put a don’t-electrocute-yourself cover over the hole pending replacement.

Weston Creek has a remnant hoon culture – traffic calming measures on the bigger roads would do some good (or cause more crashes, or both). There’s an idiot with a 1000cc motorcycle who’s going to kill himself on Burrunjuck Crescent one day.

Ant wrote “I’m waiting for all the aggrieved friends and family members to start posting profane and monosyllabic rants at everyone for caring more about a power pole than their saintly relative/acquaintance.”

Well done Ant, one of the most senisble postings you have ever written. Sincerely, well done.

Deadmandrinking7:54 pm 19 Jul 08

DJ said :

I am waiting for the speed doesn’t kill and drugs aren’t bad responses….

Drug’s aren’t bad, mmmkay.

Looks like they did an excellent job of it. No doubt drunk.. now have a written off car and a free trip to the polic station once the police caught up with them. No doubt insurance won’t be paying for this one.

ACTEW will always come out fairly promptly when a lightpole/ electricty/traffic light is brought down. They need to make the area safe. Normally only take a couple of days to replace a light pole as well. Instances like these are given high priority, I believe.

That might scare them off, maybe.

zomg like power poles are soo replacable, unlike drunk drivers!!1!!

there, happy? 🙂

I’m waiting for all the aggrieved friends and family members to start posting profane and monosyllabic rants at everyone for caring more about a power pole than their saintly relative/acquaintance.

ACTEW has duty of care. Pole gets smashed out of the ground there are plenty of exposed wires which they are then responsible for.

There was a bloke who put his car into the fence at Yowani golf club the other week and then did a runner as well. Don’t think insurance will cover those ones. Then wait til ACTEW bills the owner for the light pole.

The street trees along there are good for stopping cars.

I am now well and truly sick of this.

Make that five accidents now since I have lived on Majura Ave.

And JB – they are very, very quick at replacing those poles. Last time a young woman smashed into the one outside of my house, ACTEW had it up and out and a new one replaced within days.

I’d be worried if they weren’t so quick – those poles have saved many a house frontage on Majura Ave.

I’m guessing that if they’re sending a truck out to take the damaged pole away they figure they may as well take the new pole out at the same time.

I am waiting for the speed doesn’t kill and drugs aren’t bad responses….

DJ said :

Unless you wear a cape or leap from tall building to tall building looking for damsels in distress I am guessing you live nearby?

Just keep that kryptonite away from me!

Unless you wear a cape or leap from tall building to tall building looking for damsels in distress I am guessing you live nearby?

Discuss? Easy. Intoxicants (any or all that come to mind), speed (obviously too much – it kills you know), youth (inexperience… no ‘P’ plate to be seen though). I bet the car was reported stolen AFTER the incident. Hope the first on scene gave Police a good description of the two involved.

Lets all shrug this off as something that could have happened to us all in our respective youth… no sense actually coming up with ways to avoid this happening again.

Appliances? Oh, you must mean Emergency Services.

ACTEW are on the ball most of the time in my experience… plus I bet there was overtime involved too!

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