Crash, bang, codswallop - part II
So, the coach crash...
Obviously tragic, but what has astounded me is what people have been saying - namely several of the survivors: "The bus was doing at least 80mph when it turned over".
Really? I doubt it. Can you honestly judge the speed that accurately - in the dark - with no speedometer to look at? Even speedometers are hopeless. Mine reads 80mph when the GPS (far more accurate) reads 73mph. They always over-read. I'd be really interested to put people in a car on a deserted motorway and get them to tell me what speed they think I'm doing. I bet it's nearly always wrong. Psychologically, if I drove in the outside lane at 60, they'd probably say I was doing 80. If I drove in the inside lane at 80, they'd probably say I was doing 60 because we're conditioned to think you go faster in the outside lane. I don't know what lane the coach was in - I suspect the inner lane given the slip road, actually - but you see the point. You just can't tell.
Anyway, the coach was definately not doing 80mph. It was limited to 62mph to start with. It was on or near a slip-road, and wouldn't have had the time to build up the speed. I guess the tacho will show the truth but I'd be amazed if it was doing 80. When was the last time a coach tried to overtake you on the motorway? Exactly.
The point I'm making is that people have automatically assumed the driver was speeding. And speed is A Bad Thing. We know this because we are told this. Despite the official figures that showed that speed was only a factor in 25% of road deaths last year.
The driver may have been at fault - that's for the police or a jury to decide - but let's not blame it on speed without proof, please.
And let's not sensationalise it with ridiculous claims.
Obviously tragic, but what has astounded me is what people have been saying - namely several of the survivors: "The bus was doing at least 80mph when it turned over".
Really? I doubt it. Can you honestly judge the speed that accurately - in the dark - with no speedometer to look at? Even speedometers are hopeless. Mine reads 80mph when the GPS (far more accurate) reads 73mph. They always over-read. I'd be really interested to put people in a car on a deserted motorway and get them to tell me what speed they think I'm doing. I bet it's nearly always wrong. Psychologically, if I drove in the outside lane at 60, they'd probably say I was doing 80. If I drove in the inside lane at 80, they'd probably say I was doing 60 because we're conditioned to think you go faster in the outside lane. I don't know what lane the coach was in - I suspect the inner lane given the slip road, actually - but you see the point. You just can't tell.
Anyway, the coach was definately not doing 80mph. It was limited to 62mph to start with. It was on or near a slip-road, and wouldn't have had the time to build up the speed. I guess the tacho will show the truth but I'd be amazed if it was doing 80. When was the last time a coach tried to overtake you on the motorway? Exactly.
The point I'm making is that people have automatically assumed the driver was speeding. And speed is A Bad Thing. We know this because we are told this. Despite the official figures that showed that speed was only a factor in 25% of road deaths last year.
The driver may have been at fault - that's for the police or a jury to decide - but let's not blame it on speed without proof, please.
And let's not sensationalise it with ridiculous claims.
posted by Nej at
1:07 pm
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