Hindmarsh Drive closed to Queanbeyan

“does anyone know if it actually makes much of a difference if you don’t let someone get on the roads until they’re say, 19 or 20”

Yeah, it means 17-20 year olf kids can’t get jobs that start or finish any later than the local bus timetable, or their kind parents will drive them to. Dumb idea.

Kids will always have accidents, but the overall accident rate is far lower now that it was 10 or 20 years ago – the whole P-Plater doom and gloom rubbish you hear is a media beatup by those too lazy to have a crack at the real issues – the lack of RBT’s, the lack of on road police presence, the failure of many oldies to be capable to still driving, but maintaining their licence as noone wants to disempower a large group of potential votes.

Yes, 1% of P Platers are dickheads who will crash – but there are many non P-Platers who are moving accident sites on every Canberra road.

I don’t think it would. You’d just have inexperienced 20 year olds driving around.

In the US they drive at younger ages (like 16). Some say it is better to learn younger, as you pick up the skills better.

I think everyone should drive a bit slower. And more police should patrol the roads.

What about raising the minimum age limits for P-platers? That’s occasionally kicked around as an alternative – does anyone know if it actually makes much of a difference if you don’t let someone get on the roads until they’re say, 19 or 20?

Its just a shame that idiotic driver (p-platers or not) have to learn from their mistakes by usually involving other innocent road users!

But I guess cars, cigarettes, sky-diving and guns have skewed it in the other direction for many years, so a correction is in order.

And as others here have pointed out in the past, it skews natural selection.

-But not so good for the undertaking profession.

I had a 1.3l suzuki swift with about 120hp
Dont sound like much but in a 700 something kilo car and the wrong hands could quite easily be fatal.

Its power to weight ratio not hp that kills – but in saying so – I could still die in any car that could go faster than 60kmh.

I believe limit power – and power to weight on P plate drivers – but it should be more about education rather than limitation.

To have any effect, you’d need to make the cars *really* slow. A bog-standard Hyundai Excel would probably be capable of reaching 140km/h+ along Canberra Avenue to Queanbeyan.

Perhaps a kilowatt and rev limit is the answer 🙂

Eighty kilowatts and half the rev range. It’d probably solve the oil crisis at the same time.

I meant, “small red car”. [ED. edited]

Take a look at the other thread, with the small red car on its roof.
-It’s all about engaging brain before gear.

Thats true, but wouldn’t there be more chance if those rollerblades went really fast?

Engine size has got sod all to do with it. You can kill yourself on a pair of roller blades if you wanted to (or even if you didn’t want to).

Restricting drivers to low-power cars won’t really help much.

I disagree. If you take away P-Platers power to drive at high speeds, it lessens the chance that they’ll wrap themselves around a tree.

Yeah, you’re right fnaah. Strange I forgot about this, as I contemplated getting a Kawasaki Vulcan 800 when I got my ‘L’s, but went for a ZZR-250 instead.

How ridiculous I looked on that tiny little sport bike.

Actually Sammy, you’re not restricted to 250cc at all, you are restricted to a certain power/weight ratio. 1100cc cruisers are generally “learner legal” due to their massive weight, and I can tell you that they will propel you down the road faster than just about any car.

I learned to drive in a ’68 Fairmont XT with a 302 Windsor V8, and have an exemplary driving record. A friend of mine learned to drive in one of those 3-cylinder Suzuki jobbies, and he totaled two cars before he turned twenty.

Restricting drivers to low-power cars won’t really help much. I know they do it for motorcycles (I let my L’s expire a year ago, but I’ve still got my 250cc yamaharley), but what of the Sydney P-plate biker who was caught doing 190km/h on his brand new R1 (which he wasn’t legally allowed to ride)?

Doesn’t Victoria have power restrictions on L and P plate drivers? Does anyone have any numbers that show the restrictions have any effect (one way or the other)?

Sammy, that actually makes sense.

When you first get your motorcycle license you are restricted to 250cc. Should be the same for car drivers. Restrict them to 100 kw.

I hear you Maelinar – my first car was 998cc, and the speedo didn’t even go to 140kmh. If I wanted to show off to my mates I had to bang on about my power to weight ratio, rather than impress them with speed. Looking back, I’m glad I had the car I did too.

Just plain stupidity!
Getting home yesterday afternoon was a nightmare!

Oh well.

I blame the parents. When I was the equivalent of a P Plater, the maximum top speed on a downhill run with the wind behind me was 120, in a gutless 1.3l Nissan Sunny.

Retrospectively, it saved my life by being such a go-cart, I was not able to put myself into the serious risk category between in this example a regulated traffic light stretch of road.

My guess is one of those hotted up holdens that go for around $30k, and a harsh welcome to the world of enduring debt.

As in “U F***ing Onanist”. (The driver, not you West_K).

The car crash is a cover story, it was actually a UFO crash.

If you need two hands to pick your nose, Hasdrubahl, you probably need medical attention…

Looking at the footage on the ABC News, it looked like he crossed the median strip, across 3 lanes of traffic going the other way, up an embankment and into a tree.

There were thick skid marks the whole way, so he must have been travelling at a *very* quick pace.

Only if you take your hands off the wheel to light a cigarette/text your mate/pick your nose.

Sorry, when you’re driving at 140+ it ain’t an accident, its an inevitability

Any news on whether the kid’s gonna be OK?

Welcome back SGS

Yeah, sorry, Canberra Avenue is the road that was closed, at it’s intersection with Hindmarsh Drive.

Actually no it doesn’t, my mistake

It’s Canberra Avenue that was closed, just after the Hindmarsh intersection. Apparently it is open again now, but there are still longer than usual delays in and around the area.

It does if you live in Jerra

Hindmarsh Drive doesn’t go to Queanbeyan?

Yay. Monaro Highway will be (extra) chaos.

Late teen P Plater hit a tree and was taken to hospital in a critical condition. Police estimate he was travelling in excess of 140km/h. Accident happened just after 2pm, the road will probably be closed right through peak hour.