Alternative needed from the absolute crap of stuff.co.nz
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<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="MN5" data-cid="586235" data-time="1465612786">
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<p>That headline is "beer over the laptop" funny jegga........</p>
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<p>So according to the feral's surviving partner the cops shot the feral in the back.</p>
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<p>I find this impossible to believe unless he had his back to them and was threatening others in front of him.</p>
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<p>......and according to the Stuff Morons it was "only" a machete, not like it was something apparently deadlier, like, you know, a gun or something. Just a machete. Not a deadly weapon. Total overreaction, they should have got in there and disarmed him, not shot him.</p>
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<p>Fucken arsehole cops.</p>
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<p>He threw a slasher head at the cop car and smashed the window with a machete, but according to the feral he didn't deserve it <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/80967801/police-said-man-was-shot-in-torso-after-threatening-officers'>http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/80967801/police-said-man-was-shot-in-torso-after-threatening-officers</a></p>
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<p>Look at this non threatening thing he threw at the arsehole cops.</p>
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<p><img src="http://www.bulldogtools.co.uk/gen/thumbs/o7gf2pnxdbccvfznutz6eadrvu-ipekxl5m4giktaykdwbsm5g2ja3t4qwo-medium.jpg" alt="o7gf2pnxdbccvfznutz6eadrvu-ipekxl5m4gikt"></p> -
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<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Donsteppa" data-cid="586232" data-time="1465612207">
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<p> Also in the media this week... vehicle fatalities have halved in NZ while the population has doubled over the last 30 - 40 years (and violent crime stats are also on the decline, amongst other crimes in decline). Yet an outlier Queens Birthday road toll that's the highest since 1989 has also seen all sorts of lengthy knee jerk commentary this week, and an inordinate amount of time debating Judith Collins comments in a way that nearly made me put my foot through the car radio on two occasions driving to Taupo. (I think she's right to the extent that speed is one of multiple factors). SunLive commenter also lose their mind most times that there's a car crash reported - despite the long term trend and QBW fatalities being an outlier (and again, hideous for the families involved).</p>
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<p>Um, no. Vehicle fatalities are on the rise again in NZ - 2013 (253), 2014 (293) 2015 (319) and we are tracking worse this year again, with 154 people already having lost their lives on the road, and that number doesn't take into account all the hundreds of people hospitalised with serious, long term injuries. It's not just the fact that Queen's Birthday weekend was very bad.</p>
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<p>The government Safe Systems strategy has four parts - safe roads and roadsides, safe speeds, safe vehicles and safe road use, and for the roads and roadsides part is pouring a great deal of money in the next 6 years into preventative measures such as wire rope barriers, rumble strips and widening of roads. The thinking is people make mistakes on the road, but they and others don't deserve to die for them, so if more forgiving measures are in place, the numbers will drop.</p>
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<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Mokey" data-cid="586638" data-time="1465644924">
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<p>Um, no. Vehicle fatalities are on the rise again in NZ - 2013 (253), 2014 (293) 2015 (319) and we are tracking worse this year again, with 154 people already having lost their lives on the road, and that number doesn't take into account all the hundreds of people hospitalised with serious, long term injuries. It's not just the fact that Queen's Birthday weekend was very bad.</p>
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<p>The government Safe Systems strategy has four parts - safe roads and roadsides, safe speeds, safe vehicles and safe road use, and for the roads and roadsides part is pouring a great deal of money in the next 6 years into preventative measures such as wire rope barriers, rumble strips and widening of roads. The thinking is people make mistakes on the road, but they and others don't deserve to die for them, so if more forgiving measures are in place, the numbers will drop.</p>
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<p>I was making a very long run comparison back to the 70's, when that road toll was 700 plus and the population was under 3 million. It is interesting that the trend has reversed in the last 3-4 years though.</p>
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<p>NZTA has spoken a lot about safe systems, especially in the SH2 corridor locally towards Katikati, but much of the publicity from NZ Police has stayed predominately on speed and the 5km reduced tolerance in public holidays etc. Leading to their Minister disagreeing with them in parliament this week: <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/305936/motorists-distracted-by-speedo-minister'>http://www.radionz.co.nz/news/political/305936/motorists-distracted-by-speedo-minister</a></p>
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<p>Edit: it was worse than I remembered: <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.transport.govt.nz/research/roadtoll/road-safety-progress/'>http://www.transport.govt.nz/research/roadtoll/road-safety-progress/</a></p>
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<p>In 1973, New Zealand suffered its highest ever road toll, 843 deaths in a single year. Our population at this time was just over 3 million and there were less than half the number of cars we now have on the road.</p>
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<p>...</p>
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If we had the same rate of road death as we did in 1973, given the number of cars now, there would be about 1900 road deaths this year.</blockquote> -
<p>This decade has actually been pretty bad. 2010 (375) 2011 (284) 2012 (308) then it dipped down in 2013 (including the QBD weekend road toll of 0) then climbed each of the following years.</p>
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<p>Very scary when you think cars are the safest they have ever been - seatbelts, airbags etc. I've seen pics of wrecks you wouldn't believe, like cars chopped in half or smashed into a hunk of metal, but driver and passengers have walked away without a scratch. Back in the 70's they would have had no chance.</p>
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<p>The most recent TERNZ report found that wearing seatbelts and helmets, the age and weight of vehicles, and speed are among the crucial factors in whether or not someone survives a crash.</p>
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<p>Is here if anyone wants to take a look: <a data-ipb='nomediaparse' href='http://www.transport.govt.nz/research/roadtoll/#TERNZ'>http://www.transport.govt.nz/research/roadtoll/#TERNZ</a></p> -
<p>As the driving population goes up (including tourists who rent cars, which is a rapidly expanding market), the road toll will generally increase slightly over time unless other measures are taken. I think the cars are about as safe as they will get (or at least, we're at the diminishing returns stage of development) until self-drive cars come along. but slowly rotating out the old cars for newer cars leaves a few gains here to be had.</p>
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<p>Most of our long distance roads have issues, so some work there would help - median barriers (or painted medians) and moving trees and power poles away from the roadsides would be helpful.</p> -
<p>Part of the problem is that our "state highways" are actually just country roads. No way you should have people doing 100KM on a lot of those roads, they are narrow as fuck. Hardly surprising we get quite a few head on collisions.</p>
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<p>In Europe a "highway" is like 6+ lanes at least.</p> -
<p>not to mention alot of major roads around Europe are often single direction, with either a median barrier or a decent chunk of grass in between....</p>
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<p>Yep to all of the above. Rural state highways are where a lot of accidents occur. Some of the roads are just old and crappy, with no shoulder, and plenty of hazards like ditches, trees and power poles. You don't have to do much to get off course, and when you get some dickhead coming around a blind corner going at 115km, there is no latitude for error, or correction. One car drifts over the centreline and boom, head on collision.</p>
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<p>Most of the accidents happen in the Waikato/BOP, I think probably a bad combo of high volume traffic, speed and lots of narrow, windy roads. The big cities like Auckland and Wellington actually have hardly any, probably cos gridlocked traffic doesn't allow the momentum to have injury-causing accidents.</p> -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="taniwharugby" data-cid="587101" data-time="1465720497"><p>
not to mention alot of major roads around Europe are often single direction, with either a median barrier or a decent chunk of grass in between....</p></blockquote>
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Yeah, dual-carriageways.<br><br>
A lot of the time on the interstate in the US you can't even see the cars going the other direction.<br><br>
Meanwhile NZTA are adding rumble strips... -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="canefan" data-cid="587103" data-time="1465720907"><p>I always find Kiwi drivers are pretty inconsiderate rude or incompetent relative to drivers abroad when I've come home after driving in Europe the USA or Oz</p></blockquote>
Sorry but I have just spent the weekend driving around London and Kiwi drivers are no worse than the aggressive pushy ones here. People deliberately close up gaps as you try and change lanes, push out from side roads making others brake heavily etc<br>
Found the same in the US. <br>
People everywhere are fucktards behind the wheel. -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Crucial" data-cid="587190" data-time="1465748834"><p>Sorry but I have just spent the weekend driving around London and Kiwi drivers are no worse than the aggressive pushy ones here. People deliberately close up gaps as you try and change lanes, push out from side roads making others brake heavily etc<br>
Found the same in the US. <br>
People everywhere are fucktards behind the wheel.</p></blockquote>
I dunno I find London drivers are better at letting people in but are quite shit at merging. If that makes sense. -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Bones" data-cid="587191" data-time="1465751678">
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<p>I dunno I find London drivers are better at letting people in but are quite shit at merging. If that makes sense.</p>
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<p>Do you own a car there Bones ? I didn't see the point when I lived there.</p>
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<p>Wellingtons hilly roads are narrow as fuck and no one knows who needs to give way so there's issues when there is parked cars everywhere too.</p> -
No I just steal them. It's London.<br><br><br>
Anyway I live in Kent. Should have said English drivers. When I was home at Xmas the most fucking frustrating thing was kiwi drivers and their inability to accept being passed or their need to be at the front of the queue, but slow down drastically once they've passed you. It's the weirdest thing but so fucking annoying, must cause a shed load of accidents. -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="Bones" data-cid="587220" data-time="1465765756"><p>
No I just steal them. It's London.<br><br><br>
Anyway I live in Kent. Should have said English drivers. When I was home at Xmas the most fucking frustrating thing was kiwi drivers and their inability to accept being passed or their need to be at the front of the queue, but slow down drastically once they've passed you. It's the weirdest thing but so fucking annoying, must cause a shed load of accidents.</p></blockquote>
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This times 10000.<br><br>
It's not a personal affront when I pass you , get the fuck over it. -
<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="jegga" data-cid="587235" data-time="1465768399"><p>
This times 10000.<br><br>
It's not a personal affront when I pass you , get the fuck over it.</p></blockquote>If you pass me it's highly likely I'll rape you. I'm a white middle aged male.<br><br>
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<p>Careful what you say Bones, you'll have half the Fern trying to pass you.</p>
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<blockquote class="ipsBlockquote" data-author="jegga" data-cid="587235" data-time="1465768399">
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<p>This times 10000.<br><br>
It's not a personal affront when I pass you , get the fuck over it.</p>
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<p>I find the desperation to pass other cars when they going the speed limit (or slightly over) rather bizarre.</p>
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<p>I like to follow other cars that are cruising along at a good speed. Must be safer as well.. if some foreign driver or moron causes a head on collision.. I will be first at the scene instead of being the scene.</p> -
<p>Shittest driving I've seen lately is someone overtaking on double yellows TWICE on the rimutakas going downhill on blind corners. Absolute fucken moron, I did the sensible thing and called *555 and saw them being spoken to by Police at the bottom of the hill.</p>
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<p>Even my boys are wise enough to ask why does someone bother overtaking when at best they'll arrive at a destination 30 seconds quicker than we did.</p>
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<p>Even with the improvements the Rimutakas is still a fucken pain in the arse to go over.</p>
