My idea to cut road deaths and accidents

Winty

Driving a car brings out an aggression in drivers that we rarely see in people walking down the street.
How often has a driver pulled out in front of you with little or no regard for your safety? But what about cash machines how often has somebody just jumped in front of you without an apology or asking permission? People behind the wheel act like they have an invisibility cloak.
So my idea is simple, we can cut the amount of accidents on our roads by taking away the drivers anonymity. How different would the roads be if a simple search online of any number plate would publish the name and address of the driver/owner?

What is the negative side to this information being in the public domain? OK some will jump in with civil liberties but I don’t see how a database of drivers names would prohibit personal freedom.
Some may say “what would you do with this information go around his house and punch him?”
My idea is not based on revenge of vigilantism but more in line with Panopticism the social theory that if people think they are being watch and observed they act more civilized.

Regards
Winty

Wossack

as a car thief, I heartily endorse this idea

Winty

Wossack wrote: »

as a car thief, I heartily endorse this idea

Because its so hard to follow a car home?

jimboblep

So if somone is driving a nice car johnny car thief just needs to google his reg number and hey presto thats where he goes to rob it

draiochtanois

This post has been deleted.

Mrs Garth Brooks

Colour the roads pink

I Heart Internet

It's a novel idea and worth discussing.

But I can't help thinking that to have such a database is just a tool for revenge.

It could also be used by stalkers.

whiskeyman

The driver of a car should be positioned in a thin glass shell just on the front bonnet of the car.
Watch as road death stats and speeding tickets hit zero as people realise how vulnerable they are...

Winty

draiochtanois wrote: »

This post has been deleted.

Do you know anyone who lost a life on the roads?
Would you like the numbers to be cut

Kev954

Great idea!

Cut road deaths/accidents and increase car theft, vandalism, violence, aggression, assault etc etc... How have we not thought of this before?

Winty

Kev954 wrote: »

Great idea!

Cut road deaths/accidents and increase car theft, vandalism, violence, aggression, assault etc etc... How have we not thought of this before?

Missing the point!

more nice drivers on road less dick*eads who think they invisable

Thoie

Because pedestrians don't advertise where they live on their jackets. What if someone takes a shine to you during the morning commute and decides to turn up on your doorstep?

A picture of the driver on the roof would be more akin to the personal connection of pedestrians.

Thoie

whiskeyman wrote: »

The driver of a car should be positioned in a thin glass shell just on the front bonnet of the car.
Watch as road death stats and speeding tickets hit zero as people realise how vulnerable they are...

Wasn't it Jeremy Clarkson who had the idea that to cut road deaths all you needed was a giant spike sticking straight out of the steering wheel?

Tails142

I think Switzerland do this, there is a big book like a phone book with everyone's registration number in it and you can look up there name and address.

You keep the same reg for life.

SeaDaily

Winty wrote: »

Missing the point!

more nice drivers on road less dick*eads who think they invisable

He didn't miss the point, he is just pointing out why this is a terrible idea.

Larbre34

Get a dashcam. If something happens, it can be followed up. There is no need for you to know the names and addresses of the 1000 other motorists you will pass in a day without incident.

And it wouldn't cut road deaths either, we're talking mainly about minor incidents and material damage, it would just add to the litigious nature of road collisions.

I Heart Internet

Tails142 wrote: »

I think Switzerland do this, there is a big book like a phone book with everyone's registration number in it and you can look up there name and address.

You keep the same reg for life.

You keep the same reg number for life in many US states also.

Badly Drunk Boy

Winty wrote: »

How different would the roads be if a simple search online of any number plate would publish the name and address of the driver/owner?

"Hmmm, that female there is a fine bit of stuff. I'm too busy to follow her home at the moment, but I'll take note of her reg so that I can stalk in my own time."

Shenshen

I don't believe that publishing personal infornation is going to help much... at the end of the day, when you queue in a supermarket, you don't know the name and address of the person in front of you either.

The difference is that in a supermarket, you've only got a poxy little trolley whereas on the road, you are in charge of a 1-ton killing machine - that kind of power does give some people ideas and brings out the worst in some.

That said, I was really aurprised when driving in Germany recently - I had dreaded it, to be honest, I made my license here and felt less than sure I could handle German traffic. BIG surprise... you get the same number of morons doing stupid and unexpected stuff, but you get far, far fewer bullies. I haven't once had anyone trying to make babies with my rear bumper.
So I don't know what ther Germans (not normally known for being overly polite or considerate) are doing differently, but it might be worth finding out, cause it works.

Fighting Irish

Winty wrote: »

Driving a car brings out an aggression in drivers that we rarely see in people walking down the street.
How often has a driver pulled out in front of you with little or no regard for your safety? But what about cash machines how often has somebody just jumped in front of you without an apology or asking permission? People behind the wheel act like they have an invisibility cloak.
So my idea is simple, we can cut the amount of accidents on our roads by taking away the drivers anonymity. How different would the roads be if a simple search online of any number plate would publish the name and address of the driver/owner?

What is the negative side to this information being in the public domain? OK some will jump in with civil liberties but I don’t see how a database of drivers names would prohibit personal freedom.
Some may say “what would you do with this information go around his house and punch him?”
My idea is not based on revenge of vigilantism but more in line with Panopticism the social theory that if people think they are being watch and observed they act more civilized.

Regards
Winty

Or else you could make the driving test a good one and educate the population.

Kev954

Winty wrote: »

Missing the point!

more nice drivers on road less dick*eads who think they invisable

It's not the job of motorist to police other motorists, leave that to the authorities. Vehicles have registration number plates so report the driver and let the gardai deal with it. What possible good can come from that type of information being allowed in the public domain!

The Diabolical Monocle

But people could take on others' identity for vengeful lulz.

Ex. You dont like someone, you get their reg plate and put it on your car, go to some scummy areas on a saturday night, do a bit of road-hoggery, maybe throw some stuff out the window, generally scummy it up.

Next day your target is being stalked by chavs.

WilyCoyote

Wossack wrote: »

as a car thief, I heartily endorse this idea

Winty wrote: »

Because its so hard to follow a car home?

My reading of this is that regardless of how Wossack drives ........ the owner gets blamed.

Extremely witty reply from a bloke that was out half the night with a phishing rod and wire clothes hanger.

The Backwards Man

I believe private car ownership should be banned.

wrt40

Maybe for convicted drivers. Innocent until proven guilty and all that.

Winty

Kev954 wrote: »

It's not the job of motorist to police other motorists, leave that to the authorities. Vehicles have registration number plates so report the driver and let the gardai deal with it. What possible good can come from that type of information being allowed in the public domain!

So I should call the Guards if a driver fails to use his indicastors?
This idea is to make people a bit more considerate to others around them the same way we act when walking down the street

wazky

The Backwards Man wrote: »

I believe private car ownership should be banned.

What if we all get a pony and a sulky each instead?

The Backwards Man

wazky wrote: »

What if we all get a pony and a sulky each instead?

You can do whatever you want, just keep it the fcuk off the highway

kneemos

Winty wrote: »

So I should call the Guards if a driver fails to use his indicastors?
This idea is to make people a bit more considerate to others around them the same way we ack when walking down the street

Would people care.I mean so what if someone can look up your address?

Kev954

Winty wrote: »

So I should call the Guards if a driver fails to use his indicastors?
This idea is to make people a bit more considerate to others around them the same way we act when walking down the street

Ok so, Mr jonny ignorantprick pulls out in front of you, doesn't signal and nearly causes an accident. You get his reg, obtain his name and address from your online source.... What happens next?

WilyCoyote

wazky wrote: »

What if we all get a pony and a sulky each instead?

Geh ouha my way Settled Paleface!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_EMMH0NBcLU

Soups123

As stupid as ideas go, this one is right at the top

Dyr

Arm pedestrians, let see ye break that red when im walking across the road covering ye with an AK 74 ye prick ye

kneemos

Bambi wrote: »

Arm pedestrians, let see ye break that red when im walking across the road covering ye with an AK 74 ye prick ye

Give cyclists a hammer.

Quin_Dub

whiskeyman wrote: »

The driver of a car should be positioned in a thin glass shell just on the front bonnet of the car.
Watch as road death stats and speeding tickets hit zero as people realise how vulnerable they are...

That reminds me of a quote from a comedian a few years back..

His solution to Road traffic deaths etc was to replace the airbag in the steering wheel with a giant spike that would only be a few inches from the drivers chest..

Nobody would speed or take risks then.....

Dyr

kneemos wrote: »

Give cyclists a hammer.

I'll hammer them with the butt of my AK74

Or give them the buisiness end of a bayonet, they don't like it up them, cyclists

Reminds me of this funny

http://theoatmeal.com/pl/minor_differences/cutting_off

TGJD

It would be way worse! If someone gets really pissed off with you they can find your house and kill you.

humbert

I'd say coupled with dash cams it might work. People would be slower to act like unhinged lunatics if it could end up online with their name beside it. I wouldn't endorse it though any more than I would the suggestion that people should have to wear name tags.

Winty

Winty wrote: »

Do you know anyone who lost a life on the roads?
Would you like the numbers to be cut

I know too many people who have died on our country's roads. Two of them were my family, and in the same car as me at the time of the crash. So, now that we have that out of the way, I think it's an absolutely outrageous idea. It would be used for a whole lot more negative than positive.

If I cause an accident the gardai can use my car registration number to get in touch with me and notify my insurance company. They're the only people who should be able to do that.

Winty

Deleted User wrote: »

If I cause an accident the gardai can use my car registration number to get in touch with me and notify my insurance company. They're the only people who should be able to do that.

The idea is more than accidents, Its an overall change to how people treat each other on the roads. People act in a way behind the wheel that they would never do when walking down the street.

Just beacuse your in a car should not allow you to be aggressive.

A prisoner will act in a totally different way when he thinks he is being watched.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panopticon

Lapin

Winty wrote: »

Some may say “what would you do with this information go around his house and punch him?”

Thats exactly what I'd do.

corner of hells

kneemos wrote: »

Give cyclists a hammer.

Have you ever tried to cycle a hammer ?

Winty

Winty wrote: »

The idea is more than accidents, Its an overall change to how people treat each other on the roads. People act in a way behind the wheel that they would never do when walking down the street.

Just beacuse your in a car should not allow you to be aggressive.

A prisoner will act in a totally different way when he thinks he is being watched.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panopticon

IT doesn't matter though. What if I'm driving my mam's car and I make an error in judgement, don't even notice I've done it, and next thing my poor mother has someone banging on her door threatening her?

Do you genuinely believe that this idea would not be used negatively?

Pawn

Winty wrote: »

taking away the drivers anonymity

Why stop on drivers? Cyclists, pedestrians, mothers and toddlers... Everyone! Get a PPS no. tattooed on everyone's forehead.

All for our own safety, of course :rolleyes:

Winty

Deleted User wrote: »

IT doesn't matter though. What if I'm driving my mam's car and I make an error in judgement, don't even notice I've done it, and next thing my poor mother has someone banging on her door threatening her?

Do you genuinely believe that this idea would not be used negatively?

What doesnt matter?

The point I want to get across we would all be better as a society if drivers were just a bit more considerate and did not feel that because they are behind the wheel they can treat each other with anger.

If you reach into a supermarket fridge to get milk how often does a stranger slap your hand and steal the milk?

OK NEW IDEA

We all have to have a dashcam and you can send footage of somebody being a dick to the traffic cops and if they agree that it was rude driving from the other driver they will issue 1 point for being a knob.

See I know we could get this issue sorted, well done all

Winty

Pawn wrote: »

Why stop on drivers? Cyclists, pedestrians, mothers and toddlers... Everyone! Get a PPS no. tattooed on everyone's forehead.

All for our own safety, of course :rolleyes:

When was the last time a mother with a toddler pushed you off the footpath?

Pawn

Winty wrote: »

When was the last time a mother with a toddler pushed you off the footpath?

Does walking in front of the moving vehicle causing emergency braking count?

Anyway, you never know - better safe than sorry. PPS tattoo for everyone. And cameras, microphones. Everywhere.

JustAddWater

Dashcams compulsory and being able to upload RTA's and breaking of ROTR to traffic corp would be way better

Heisenberg1

To cut road deaths and accidents limit all cars speed to the maximum permissible speed exclude Garda and ambulances from this.

seamus

Winty wrote: »

OK NEW IDEA

We all have to have a dashcam and you can send footage of somebody being a dick to the traffic cops and if they agree that it was rude driving from the other driver they will issue 1 point for being a knob.

See I know we could get this issue sorted, well done all

Mandatory dashcams, I don't see the need for. But a simple system for making such submissions would actually be very effective.

At the moment you need to go to your local Garda station, stand in a queue and then explain to the Garda behind the plexiglass, in full view and within earshot of everyone else there, that you have a DVD in your hand of someone being bold on the roads. And you would like that Garda to find a DVD player and have a look at the footage.

Yeah.

Maybe if you could just upload the thing from your computer and provide a few details, people would be more willing to do it.