Menopause Matters Forum
General Discussion => This 'n' That => Topic started by: CLKD on October 31, 2016, 05:24:02 PM
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Lorry driver Tomasz Kroker jailed over four-death crash - 10 years for using his mobile phone whilst driving a lorry :'(- He kept looking down at his mobile to change the music. There was a camera in the cab ……..
No one goes out to cause an accident or to kill anyone but this was horrific for many reasons. The families concerned had been on a camping holiday and were driving home in convoy - so the partner following behind saw the whole accident happening. A mum, two children and a step-child killed instantly.
I think that this lorry driver should be taken round to Schools, Colleges, places of work; should talk at the Courses for those who speed etc.; go into Prison - and talk, talk, talk about his actions of almost a minute looking at his mobile changed lives forever. Chained to his Prison Officer. Dressed in clothing with arrows on. Make it obvious that this man has to do 'time' for killing someone. It wasn't even a 'death by dangerous driving' but he was done for 'dangerous driving'.
Unless the accidents that happen when drivers use social media etc. whilst driving are out in the open then it will continue to happen.
Oprah Winfrey said 'friends don't allow friends to drive drunk' - we now need a slogan for those who kill/maim whilst using mobiles.
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10 years for 4 lives, is not fair! No wonder family are angry!
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Well said CLKD, 10 years is definitely not long enough! Such a sad story.
S x
If I had my way, anyone convicted of causing death in this way would have a life ban on driving. Plenty can never drive through no fault of their own due to health problems. Why should this driver ever drive again?
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I stand corrected, later Reports state that he was done for 'causing Death by dangerous driving'. How about touting him around so that he can impress on the dangers of mobiles whilst driving? I am sure that he didn't think he would cause carnage that day :'( and that 'it' wouldn't happen to him …….. :-\
Unless these Cases are in the public eye all the while, illegal use will continue :sigh:
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I don't drive far, just around my local area, but almost every day I see someone on a phone, it's usually a van driver who is nice and high above the cars around them. In the past few days I've also witnessed a lorry driver folding a piece of paper that looked like a map while driving >:(
It makes my blood boil to see someone who has caused so much heartbreak and killed these people to get such a short sentence, the law needs changing now.
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The best 1 I saw was years ago; Himself was driving so I was watching white van man in my vanity mirror. It went like this: man bends over into the passenger foot well and brings up a flask. Undoes flask lid and removes cup. Stands lid on front dash board. Tips liquid into the cup. Puts cup between knees and rescrews lid. Drinks liquid. We were travelling at 50 mph and he went by ……….
Now had the liquid spilled into his lap, either hot or cold, he would have been distracted :bang: :bang: :bang:
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Last winter daughter and I went on a coach trip holiday. Because we were so high up we could look down into all the vehicles on the motorways. I'm not kidding, it was so scary seeing what drivers were doing. We just lost count of the people using mobile phones - cars, vans, petrol tankers, lorries. We saw countless people texting, we saw people watching films, we saw people reading magazines and books.
and all of this was people driving FAST on motorways.
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A car can be a lethal weapon in irresponsible hands.
We all have choices when getting in a car to drive. I choose not to drink and drive at all as I know even the smallest drink affects me, even if I have less than the legal amount of alcohol in me. I will not drive if I am taking medication where you are advised not to drink. I will drive at the moment as I am suffering from asthma and my oxygen levels are down, which affects my responses. As to using a mobile, etc......
I make choices, hopefully responsible ones, but then I'm married to a retired police officer, who served some time in the traffic department. I was the wife at home who had to take my husband in her arms after he had to take charge of a similar accident, having had to councel the young police officer who was first to arrive at the scene, who had to tell close relatives and picked up a child's Wellington from the middle of the dual carriage way.
Education can help before young adults pass their driving tests. My DH initiated a series of workshops in schools. He brought bereaved parents along (obviously when they were in an emotional place to talk about their grief) to tell their stories. The affect on these young adults was profound as they understood the ripple effect of fatal incidents. ( not accidents. Accident is word for something unavoidable.)
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In our village in the last month alone I have seen:
A female, local taxi driver flossing her teeth whilst driving. :o :o
A mother holding up her phone to show "something" to her child in the back seat whilst driving. :o :o
Although not on a motorway these incidents were still on a road with a 30 mph limit.
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How do you report online. I would love to be able to do that.
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A few years ago I sent an e-mail to a Company - the woman behind the wheel, on the 'phone, was driving a vehicle with the Company details along the side. Job Done! She came back to me trying to fob off with "It was my brother who is in the Armed Services who I haven't spoken to for 3 months". Yeh. Right. My response - "And?"
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How do you report online. I would love to be able to do that.
I'm not sure you can actually. I've rung the police a few times when iVe seen people driving dangerously or on phones and the police told me that they can't do anything as it's just my word against theirs.
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One has to take photos, registration etc.. If there's an accident the Police can back-track mobile phone/computer access and prove if the driver was using ….
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Did anybody see the news today. A DM reporter photographed 17 lorry drivers ALL using their mobile phones in less than an hour yesterday. I believe it was the Kent area.
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I noted that Himself is leaving more space between us and the vehicle in front.
I would like to have the Press photos of the lorry driver bracing himself as he ran into that family, blown up and laminated. Strung across the back of both vehicles …….. with NO EXCUSES blazoned across. Anyone up for a Campaign ?!?
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The A34, the dual carriageway where this accident happened, is the major road between the M3 and the M40 on the way north from Southampton, a major port. It is packed with lorries at busy times. I hate it when it is busy because of the driving of lorry drivers. They pull out to overtake other lorries without any interest in cars in the outside lane and usually uphill, causing long tailbacks. You have to watch these lorries, so you don't plough into them as they pull out. I choose to go on the quiet country roads in preference. It is notorious for accidents and really needs to be a motorway, but that's another battle. (Remember the environmental battles when they were building the bypass round Newbury) But this 'accident' was particularly horrific.
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Also, increasing road capacity will never keep up with the amount of traffic. We all need to be more patient.
On the A43 it's chaos. We went through recently and were 40 mins. doing half a mile >:(. Also those that don't stick to the 40 mph speed limit make me ANGRY!
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There was a mother on This Morning yesterday I think, who's son was killed on the road by a driver using a mobile hands-free. She has started a petition for the Government to ban the making and receiving of calls whilst driving. It's #SignForSeth
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Although a good idea because over a certain amount of signatures means that the Government of the day has to respond and discuss in The House, it won't stop those who think 'it won't happen to me'. We have Laws enough already!
Thinking about the Taxi driver flossing her teeth, well a 'phone call to the Company and another to the local Police station might be a starting point! Also tell as many people which Company is concerned, so that the boycott them!
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I have hands free, but even then I won't use my phone whilst driving. I prefer to stop, then make phone call. It's handy when hubby is driving & I'm passenger, I can answer on the move. I'd rather pull over & phone someone back, if I'm driving.
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Because one can't concentrate in the same way …….. it only takes a second for Life's to be changed :'(
Flossing teeth :bang: :bang: :bang: I had a friend many years ago who would turn from the driving seat to talk to her child in the back, after 3 journeys I stopped travelling with them :-\
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The situation has worsened since we had smart phones I think. The lorry driver wasn't texting or making a call he was scrolling through his music for a track he wanted to listen to which seems even more dangerous.
Taz x
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He had his eye off the road ……… :-\ apparently the Law states that one must keep control of the vehicle at all times, only removing the hand from the steering wheel in order to show other road users which direction he intends to take (i.e. up and down for slowing down and turning left, straight out to turn right). OK unless it's raining or snowing :o
Then came traffictors ::).
The problem is, we go out not expecting accidents to happen to us! I don't think that anyone intends causing road chaos when they turn on the ignition :'(
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There was a mother on This Morning yesterday I think, who's son was killed on the road by a driver using a mobile hands-free. She has started a petition for the Government to ban the making and receiving of calls whilst driving. It's #SignForSeth
This is a difficult one, as there would have to be many exceptions, e.g. Police, firefighters, paramedics.
The trouble is there is potential for many distractions for drivers, like children arguing, dogs barking, normal conversation, which can be as dangerous as hands free mobiles. How do you legislate for all that? I had a friend who was killed in an accident where it is believed that the driver was distracted by their dog.
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However: apparently Road Traffic Police stopped a foreign driver who was using his mobile whilst driving a car, but because he 'only' had Euros they couldn't apply the fine until his passenger had handed over a 'card' ..... :bang: :bang: :bang: well that card could have been stolen or there may not have been money in that particular account - why wasn't the driver taken into custody for breaking the Law until payment was cleared? I wonder if the crd will be genuine .........
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Probably because there are not enough police anymore and they have closed most smaller police stations. The only cells in use are in larger police stations, which can be miles away. This is certainly how it is in the county where I live and still know some police officers still serving. And most of them can't wait until they retire.
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Probably so. A lot of things have been outsourced from Police jurisdiction too >sigh<. Maybe as well as 'drive on the left' warnings when entering the UK there should be signs advising that using a mobile is now illegal?
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Several years ago, I was being driven back from a workplace event in the car of one of my colleagues and driving behind her was another of our colleagues. They were going along the motorway, in the outside lane, somewhere between Fife and Perthshire. One of them took out her mobile and texted the other one, who then texted this driver back, etc. They thought it was great fun. It wasn't. It was so dangerous. I was just glad to get out at the other end.
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No, Hasty, and as I no longer work there, they're no longer my colleagues either. These were both mature women who you'd have thought would have known better.
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Sadly people have the attitude that 'it' won't happen to them :-\ . I saw a foreign lorry driver on the 'phone yesterday trying to negotiate a round-about :-\ Bas...d