Melbourne Learner Driver, 8 people in car Crash

[Hot-Rod]

'Bodies everywhere' as learner driver crashes on Melbourne's Princes Highway'

Eight young people in one car hurt in crash
Learner driver, 20, and seven teens involved
There were bodies everywhere - police officer
EIGHT badly injured young people were cut from a mangled car after a horror single-vehicle smash in Melbourne's southeast early today.

The learner driver, a 20-year-old woman, is fighting for life following the crash which emergency crews said was like nothing they'd seen before.

"There were bodies everywhere,'' police Sgt Murray Jones said.

"I've never seen anything like it, there were eight ambulances here.

"The driver was obviously trapped and there were three others still in the wreck and another three lying out on the nature strip.''


Once again Learner driver decides to go for joy ride and ends up smashing into a pole. Single car crash how is this possible?? must of seen a ghost or something on the road. It was a straight road to. A little Mitsubishi Lancer Red Sedan too. So small how'd they fit 8 in it anyway ???

Usual waste or resources on saving their lives rather then having those eight ambulances helping people that actually need help.

Just my thoughts......

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574...98-421,00.html

[TVR-190]

source? link?

[Paytz]

Eight in car 'legal': Vic police chief

[mischa]

Ms Nixon said so long as all of the car's seat belts were being used, overloading the vehicle with people was not a crime.

.....wahh???

[minux]

it is amazing no one was killed, i seen the pics of it on the news.

I always thought that a car was required only to carry the amount of passengers it was designed for, in this case 5

[Hot-Rod]

Yeah apparently it's not a Traffic Offence. Is some sort of a loop hole as long as all seat belts are in use and driver isn't blocked. Same in NSW as long as all seat belts are used. Bit of a joke really should be changed to come in line with these stupid acts.

[Paytz]

my rego sticker says 5 people seats not sure if thats the max tho

[VN_Luke]

I'm a bit confused about the seat belt thing too...

so if you have 5 seat belts, all of which are being used, by 5 passangers.. you can just slam an extra 10 people in the car? VicCop? can you shed any light on this?

[VN_Luke]

oh and as for the crash, it sucks - good thing noone was killed - certainly wouldn't want to be anywhere near a lancer loaded up with 8 people and 'booze' (according to the news report )

"The driver was obviously trapped and there were three others still in the wreck and another three lying out on the nature strip.''

... that only adds up to 7 people! what happened to the last one?

Maybe this will highlight that enforcing road safety isn't all about sending cars with big wheels on that road to the EPA

[Reaper]

I'm a bit confused about the seat belt thing too...

so if you have 5 seat belts, all of which are being used, by 5 passangers.. you can just slam an extra 10 people in the car? VicCop? can you shed any light on this?

This goes back several decades to the late 60's and 70's when seatbelts became mandatory on all new cars (1969 from memory). The law was written in such a way that a passenger must wear a seat belt where there is one provided. Thus many cars in the early 60's didn't have them and therefore you didn't have to wear one. There was a time when only the front seats had belts and thus if you piled however many in the back and because there was none there, those passengers didn't have to wear it. Might be time to re-visit this law.

Reaper

[MEANVY]

This definitely should have been another one for the Darwin Awards.

Saving the planet by removing themselves from the gene pool....

[VN_Luke]

This goes back several decades to the late 60's and 70's when seatbelts became mandatory on all new cars (1969 from memory). The law was written in such a way that a passenger must wear a seat belt where there is one provided. Thus many cars in the early 60's didn't have them and therefore you didn't have to wear one. There was a time when only the front seats had belts and thus if you piled however many in the back and because there was none there, those passengers didn't have to wear it. Might be time to re-visit this law.

Reaper

but aren't vehicles registered with a 'number of seats' ?

I would have though one occupant per seat?

and to pass ADR's, each 'seat' would have to have proper restraint mechanism (i.e. seatbelt)


if this IS in fact legal, i'm cramming 500 people in my car next time i go to buy a "car load" ticket at the drive ins

[minux]

but aren't vehicles registered with a 'number of seats' ?

I would have though one occupant per seat?

and to pass ADR's, each 'seat' would have to have proper restraint mechanism (i.e. seatbelt)


if this IS in fact legal, i'm cramming 500 people in my car next time i go to buy a "car load" ticket at the drive ins

I big lap sash belt across the back seat

[CSP]

The most stupid part about the seat belt laws, is that if you have a car manufactured without them, you don't have to have them. However if you want to add them to the car, they must have an engineers certificate. If they don't you can actually be defected and told to remove them!!!

[VN_Luke]

The most stupid part about the seat belt laws, is that if you have a car manufactured without them, you don't have to have them. However if you want to add them to the car, they must have an engineers certificate. If they don't you can actually be defected and told to remove them!!!

i can see some logic behind that though - i'd rather take my chances through the windscreen than be chopped in two/three (lap sash? or just lap?) by an incorrectly installed seat belt!

[Reaper]

but aren't vehicles registered with a 'number of seats' ?

I would have though one occupant per seat?

and to pass ADR's, each 'seat' would have to have proper restraint mechanism (i.e. seatbelt)

if this IS in fact legal, i'm cramming 500 people in my car next time i go to buy a "car load" ticket at the drive ins

No arguments here. Unfortunately it's just one of the anomalies in the law.

Reaper

[Sabbath']

My sympathy level is somewhere under zero for these people. Bunch of morons.

[Philthy]

I've heard of people getting warnings for an 6-7 in a car before, but never anyone getting fined. So does that mean that they could have all piled back in and driven off again after getting pulled over?

[Cobez]

I wouldn't be suprised if it was a member of Vic Street Scene LOL!!

[Its_camo]

can any one get proof of this that you can have more ppl in ur car then amount of belts

[Cheap6]

i can see some logic behind that though - i'd rather take my chances through the windscreen than be chopped in two/three (lap sash? or just lap?) by an incorrectly installed seat belt!

I'm not so sure about that - it would be to do with the perception of risk. Motorcycles are less safe than cars but people still ride them knowing that. If you choose to get into a car without seat belts, you understand that there will be an increased risk. If they are present you have an expectation that they will work and not tear off of the mounts (say).

There may be different rules between the states re. wearing seatbelts/occupancy. I have a recollection of an incident a few years ago (in NSW?) where people were killed while riding in the cargo area of a hatchback (VW Golf?), ironically to avoid driving DUI, and that the rules were changed to prevent another similar incident.

[minux]

can any one get proof of this that you can have more ppl in ur car then amount of belts

The police commissioner stating it isn't proof enough?

[pow3rslave]

i'm suprised a lancer goes with 8 people in it, let along got to the speed it was doing.

[Full Spectrum]

It's about time the government changed this stupid law they currently have in place. Well time they replaced many stupid laws.

[Grennan]

It's about time the government changed this stupid law they currently have in place. Well time they replaced many stupid laws.

Yeah how smart was it of Christine Nixon to openly say its perfectly legal to have 8 passengers, how many people would have known that? Now there are going to be people doing it without a care in the world. I know its legal to do it, but **** you dont advertise that stuff across the news.