I have a bit of a 'thing' for just avoiding smashes on the Rimutakas. When I say just avoiding, I mean that I have passed the about to be crash site five minutes or less before the incident. This has happend on no less than eight occasions- about once a year. Not so much now that I'm working locally.
Today's one would have happened less than 60 seconds after we passed the site, going by the position of the convoy of emergency services.
When I was commuting, there would be signs of a new crash (broken glass, fences down or paint on the rock) at least three times a week. It's not really a hard road at all. You just have to slow down in the wet, wind or when there is ice on the road.
A hell of a lot don't.
UPDATE:
I did it again today!
I arrived at the club and a chap who arrived 5 minutes after me asked "Did you see the burning motorcycle on the side of the road?"
Wasn't there when I went past that spot!
Before you ask- yes- I did get that new pair of glasses!
8 comments:
My wife never has smashes either but she has seen hundreds in the rear view mirror.
Going over that hill at 2.30am in heavy clouds is always interesting.
coge
That you leave a wake of destruction behind you could be significant. Have you developed any other unpleasant super-powers lately? Do you have the number '666' anywhere on your person?
I am more familier with Dome Valley that the Rumitaka Hill but the nuber of crashes on both seems to be odd. Is it an excessive camber that encourages people to drive towards the middle? Neither are bad roads.
The coast road to Russel is a bad road.
No SP, its just that people dont treat it with the respect it deserves. Really its only a goat-track, widened a bit and smoothed slightly before sealing. For some strange reason, they believe that their vehicle can power smoothly round a 180° u-bend at 100kph and they are quite taken aback when they meet the wall, or another vehicle, with a meaty thud!
Perhaps the end result of driver training that focuses on watching the speedometer and well, watching the speedometer..
Yeah I think speedo watching is part of the problem. That is why so many people smash themselves up on SH2 around Maungatawhiri and Maramarua. The speed limit is 100km/h but to stay on your own side of the road you are better off sticking to 80km/h or less.
saw a beautie of a near miss yesterday. the family and myself were in the right turn lane at a four way intersection with two lanes to my left, there were several stopped cars in the lane to my left the inner lane was clear, the light was now red. the side street to my left was now green and a right turning car was moving off the line, screehing tyres drowned out the radio as a fucktard who was flying up the inside lane locked up completly (it was raining lightly) and the woman turning right did the same out of panic, her eyes about the size of dinner plates, he managed to stop about a foot and a half from her. everyone stopped for a moment to check their underware, the right turning car proceeded cautiously, and the idiot procceded at pace to the next red, which we coud see he stoppped for.
Now consider this.
1, had he not stopped the impact would have been square between the wheels of the right turning car.
2, Waitakere hospital was 2km down the road.
3, 10 seconds after everyone moved off a cop pulled up.
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