A place to rant mark ii

The IRA came to "The bargaining table" because we rolled over, all the murderers were let out of prison etc.
And if anyone thinks they have destroyed all their arms....... well can we be SURE.
There is also a couple of very dubious people in the parliament there.
Still, its nothing to do with me. Or shouldn't be, anyway. :rolleyes:

 

Pete, I agree we can`t be sure they destroyed all their arms, and at least 2 of them should be in prison not power. But when it comes down to it they came to the table to talk. I trust them as much as you seem to do. And when it comes down to it, you and I seem to have the same views.

 

Around my way they do! and come 16 they can take a joke of a tractor test then drive 18ton plus combintaions legally!

Yet If my van is a flys fart over 3.5 ton VOSA will fine me �£2000.

Also as a post 1997 driver every time i load up my Ifor willams LM85 trailer even behind a 2 ton Nissan Navara im technically illegal. yet my father who has never towed a trailer in his life would be perfectly legal.

 

We dont always say it the same David, but we quite often end up in the same place.

 

Pro, not really in this discussion, but there seems to be a weight thing creeping in here, not sure what bearing it has on driving.
The vehicle size, or if it is articulated surely has more bearing.

Can you not take a test that would make it legal for you to drive the vehicles that you use.

 

Pete I think we are on the same wavelength. Pro, what the f*** are you talking about?

 

I could but it would cost �£200 ish for the test plus �£150- �£200 a day in lost earnings plus likly �£50 plus in derv plus a lot of time to arange it. only the hgv test centres do it and these are few and farr between.

Also even if I did the test if my vehicle and trailer combined weight exceeds 3.5 tons as it would then id need a tacho!...... theres a lot of illegal drivers about!

 

Sounds like a nightmare Pro.
But if it was my buisness then I'd consider doing it, if your making 200 a day, then its not a real problem, .... is it?

 

This seemed to go all askew ... let's go back to the subject ...

I looked it up on the net and was absolutely horrified to discover that since last Sunday there have been no less than THREE YOUNG GRILS aged 5-7 killed in quad bike accidents ... the one originally in the discussion in Essex, one in Dundee and one in S****horpe ...

What is going on ??????????

 

Basically LOL, I think it has to go down to the parents. They don`t seem to realise these things are not toys, they are dangerous. According to todays papers children under the age of sixteen are not allowed to ride them even with an adult driving them. The television reports yesterday did get one thing wrong though, and that is the woman who hit the girl in Essex had not been drinking and was released without charge. The girls parents, however, may be charged. By all accounts the father told the other driver that the girl was alright so an ambulance wasn`t called until later when her condition deteriated, with tragic consequences.

 

Evening, David. T'other half and I (who don't have children, by choice) are horrified by all of this.

T'other half has said this "woman" will suffer all her life because of this accident, mentally ... yes, the parents will as well ... however ... the parents are TOTALLY IRRESPONSIBLE and why did they buy 7 and 10 year olds vehicles that only 16 year olds can drive on the roads ... IF THEY HAD ENOUGH SENSE TO LET THE CHILDREN USE THEM ON PRIVATE PROPERTY. Someone else now has to suffer for the TOTAl IGNORANCE of these parents.

I could scream .. I worked in the law long enough and it makes my blood boil ...

I could crucify that father if I had the opportunity ...

So ... what's all these other horror incidents ??? no doubt, quad bike designers (not irresponsible parents) will be blamed for all of it ..... ???????????????

Sheesh ... this stuff can do my head in ... it's why I wasn't a criminal lawyer ...........

 

We had all this with those mini scooter things that were all the go, loads of kids are killed on them ,it is down to irresposible parents,I see kids on push bikes all over the road and without lights in the dark do the parents know they are out there course they do they just so thick they ignore the dangers usually with tragic consequences.

 

Pete, Its the time to arange it, booking a day off and all the hastle, basicly for something I can do perfectly well and someone a few years younger can do legally.

As I say even if I did take it I would then need a tacho fitted to the pick up as Im towing for reward. Tacho data has to be submitted to the vosa every six months and the thing calibrated by the ministry every twelve, more hastle and unnpaid time off.

Since the vehicle is used for general driving i dont want a record of the speeds I drive at without the trailer! a tacho costs around �£400 to buy and a yearly fee to vosa.

A very large proportion of people towing trailers as part of thier business are curently breaking the law as I seriously doubt many have tachos. Also did you know that the majority of medium sized vans are suposed to do no more than 50mph on B roads!

The above is typical the police and transport ministrys sole intent on fundraising and persecuting the transport industry as oposed to actually enforcing safety.

The frequency I see scooter and motorcyclist without helmets is alarming yet we have no police patrols to enforce this most oficers are in the camera vans and the vosa are busy hounding hauliers.

 

Yeah sounds a nightmare Pro.

We are still having kids riding mini motos up and down the street here, one minute on the pavement the next in the road.
A couple were confiscated by the police further up the road back in the summer, but it seems they have aquired new ones now.
We also have adults riding quad bikes down the street and doing wheelies.
If the adults are doing it what can we expect from the kids.
Oh, and the government has now said, its OK for boys to play with toy guns, to the HORROR of all other parties concerned.
I had quite a collection when I was a kid, but I've never shot anyone, up to now that is. :D

 

Hello all, my goodness what a debate.

i was absolutly appalled when i heard about that little girl. like you have all said what was her father thinking about - she was on the road (& her brother).

the thing is too, if the woman that hit her had had a glass of wine before, she could be done for that. it still would not have been her fault. of course, it wasn't the little girls fault, she was just doing what kids do.

i feel strongly about this - what were the parents doing! looking back, used to let my son out. it was a small cul de sac though, i taught him to look right & left all the time. now say 'oh, you're so perfect'. no.

i was knocked over by a car many years ago, i knocked over 2 girls(running at the same time) many years ago.

it was my fault when i was young, & it was the girls fault when they were young. Luckily no damage done to either. but this has left me knowing how dangerous driving & crossing the road is. i am a driver with 'scared lookout' for pedestrians.

I bought my son a 'bike' (electric) when he was 3 years old. it wasn't fast & i was always with him. we weren't farmers or anything so no private land. but it was a new then.

nowadays everything has to be fast & glossy.

I know we all moaning about things, i did too,what was a father doing letting his kids out on a road. i feel for both families. they have lost someone,and will probably get a load of stick soon. they know better now, i hope. just think of the woman who was 'accused'.

not expressed very well i know, but i hope you will understand.


cheers

a happy new year to all.