HamaTime, I disagree with you about the b/s surrounding P Plate drivers. The news and current affairs can only report on what they see. They may dress it up a bit but I have never seen false reports about dead P Platers. All of the following is a "copy and paste" from news reporting.
It takes a special kind of genius to kill yourself in a car these days. Unless you’ve got an old bomb. Most cars these days are so safe that you really have to try hard to succeed
The statistics for P-plate deaths this year are sickening. In NSW alone 19 P-platers drivers have died this year, 2010- that’s almost one-third the number killed in 2009, and we are just into February.
There were more than 65 reported P Plate deaths in 2010 in NSW. Plus a few unreported ones. Then there are the ones brain damaged, having legs and arms amputated and living with terrible scarring
how could this have happened?
The answer is obvious. Dead obvious.
This happened because your friend didn’t know how to drive. Or drove too fast. Got really drunk and drove. Got high and drove. Was so distracted by having four friends in the car that he was more interested in impressing them than paying attention to the road.
If kids are going to keep killing themselves at this rate - and kill or injure other people as a result of their reckless or incompetent driving - the time has come to stop molly-coddling these young people and their deluded friends.
As a first-year P-plate driver, Kylie Poyner, 17, was prohibited from carrying more than one passenger under 21 years old between 11pm and 5am.
When she died at the wheel after slamming into a tree near Eden about 3.40am yesterday, three younger teenagers were in the car with her.
Tegan Lloyd, 15, has had both her legs amputated and was in a critical condition in Canberra Hospital this morning.
Ben Halfpenny, 13, and Michael Clark, 14, both from Merimbula, were in a serious but stable condition in the same hospital, with severe head, leg and pelvic injuries.
Exaggerated? B/S? No, just some more dead and severely wounded as a result of a P plater doing the wrong thing.
Mate. I didn't deny the fact that P Platers are killing themselves, and that they are responsible for a number of tragic incidents. But what I am saying is that they are not the majority or primary factor for the large road toll, hence being scapegoated as someone to blame for the road toll (because they are easy to target and control) and that bullshit and public opinion which has been sold by the news to society, is a primary weapon for the government to justify policies which do not cost as much money to implement as other policies which would fix problems.
I also didn't say that the news '
makes up' these stories or creates
false news. They don't, because as you said, they can only report on what has happened.
You completely misunderstood what I was saying.
The
bullshit surrounding P Platers is due to the fact that the government/police/news have all hand in hand overexaggerated the situation (by focusing on young drivers) and have scapegoated said young people to the wider population who now believe that all the roads problems are 100% involved with P Platers and young drivers. P Platers make up about 20 - 25% if that, of the total road using population. Yet as an age group, they have the highest number of accidents. Why, because of:
- Showing off
- Speeding
- Alcohol/Drunk
Based off statistics, as I said before, young drivers have the highest number of fatalities per individual age group. I.e. 18 - 25 year olds have more deaths than 55-60 year olds.
What I'm saying is, that if you look at the annual road toll, less than 30% will be directly related to young drivers hooning (excessive speeding), drunk driving etc....They have been
over represented and they have been
scapegoated by the government as the primary reason for our road toll. Based on the above they are not. More people in the 26-60 year old bracket are killed from:
- Fatigue
- Drink Driving
- Drugs
- Speeding
- Failing to obey Road Signs
Etc etc etc....
What you are saying is that you believe 110% in the hype the news and government put out saying that P Platers and young drivers are the primary risk on our roads. As I said numerous times above, they are a risk and they are involved in serious accidents alot. But based on an age group. They are not the majority of numbers in the annual road toll. The news have constantly focused more on young drivers and hooning....saying that young drivers in modified cars, drink driving, etc etc etc...they are the
Menace....They are
Over Represented and because the news focuses on this, the wider public believe that they are the true
villan and cause for the high road toll. (
See where I am going??)
Based on statistics, they are not the primary group and factor for the large road toll, hence being
Over Represented.
They have been scapegoated, because the news has sold their inflated bullshit to the public who believe every rumour, reason, opinion as gospel truth. WRONG.
Summary:
It is easy to blame the younger crowd because they are involved in alot of fatal accidents, because the news creates the public opinion, and the government can exploit policies based on public opinion which make the government more money, or cost it less....
P Platers and young drivers are high risk, there is no doubts, but they are a
Minority Group responsible for the
Minority number (according to statistics) of road toll fatalities...therefore the public opinion which has everyone believe that they are the primary villan is the
bullshit I was referring to.
The news don't make false reports, and I never said they did. They have the power of what news to focus on, and write continually about and put forward their opinions and bias, why? because good news sells....its good business for the news companies. It's a ripple effect mate.
End rant.
