Safety Of Travel

[Guest]

More terrible news .. only 6 months ago the ferry in Pattaya, a month ago the Malaysia airline and now the south Korean ferry. Asia is having more than it's share of transportation disasters this year.

 

Is there ever an acceptable level of accidents we just have to except, or should more be done to ensure the safety of travel.

[cavanami]

More should be done to insure safety...I was on a ferry to a small island near Pattaya and they had the life jackets

tied around the back of the seats...it took several minutes to get the jacket untangled so as to be able to put it on!

In an emergency, those minutes would cost lives!!!

 

In the USA, the US Coast Guard does regular inspections on marine vessels and what I saw would be a serious violation!

[Dexi]

Those ferries ( Pattaya to Ko Larn ) seem to sink every couple of years ( not the same boat obviously ) thats one of the reasons I always keep my phone in a sealed plastic bag .....

[radioman]

Those ferries ( Pattaya to Ko Larn ) seem to sink every couple of years ( not the same boat obviously ) thats one of the reasons I always keep my phone in a sealed plastic bag .....

 

I wouldn't be surprised if it were!!!

[Flashermac]

Why Russians Are Obsessed With Dash-Cams

 

 

In Russia, everyone should have a camera on their dashboard. It's better than keeping a lead pipe under your seat for protection (but you might still want that lead pipe).

 

The conditions of Russian roads are perilous, with an insane gridlock in the city and gigantic ditches, endless swamps and severe wintry emptiness of the backroads and highways. Then there are large, lawless areas you don't just ride into, the police with a penchant for extortion and deeply frustrated drivers who want to smash your face.

 

Psychopaths are abundant on Russian roads. You best not cut anyone off or undertake some other type of maneuver that might inconvenience the 200-pound, six-foot-five brawling children you see on YouTube hopping out of their SUVs with their dukes up. They will go ballistic in a snap, drive in front of you, brake suddenly, block you off, jump out and run towards your vehicle. Next thing you start getting punches in your face because your didn't roll up your windows, or getting pulled out of the car and beaten because you didn't lock the doors.

 

These fights happen all the time and you can't really press charges. Point to your broken nose or smashed windows all you want. The Russian courts don't like verbal claims. They do, however, like to send people to jail for battery and property destruction if there's definite video proof. That is why there's a new, growing crop of dash-cam videos featuring would-be face-beaters backing away to the shouts of "You're on camera, fucker! I'm calling the cops!"

 

Dash-cam footage is the only real way to substantiate your claims in the court of law. Forget witnesses. Hit and runs are very common and insurance companies notoriously specialize in denying claims. Two-way insurance coverage is very expensive and almost completely unavailable for vehicles over ten years old–the drivers can only get basic liability. Get into a minor or major accident and expect the other party to lie to the police or better yet, flee after rear-ending you. Since your insurance won't pay unless the offender is found and sued, you'll see dash-cam videos of post hit and run pursuits for plate numbers.

 

And sometimes drivers back up or bump their pre-dented car into yours. It used to be a mob thing, with the accident-staging specialists working in groups. After the "accident," the offending driver–often an elderly lady–is confronted by a crowd of "witnesses," psychologically pressured and intimidated to pay up cash on the spot. Since the Age of the Dash-cam, hustle has withered from a flourishing enterprise to a dying trade, mainly thriving in the provinces where dash-cams are less prevalent.

 

And then, sometimes, someone will jump under your car at a crossing, laying on the asphalt, simulating a badly hurt pedestrian waiting for that cop conveniently parked nearby. This dramatic extortion scheme was common, until the Age of the Dash-cam. Oh, and there are such juicy, triumphant tales about of would-be extortion victims turning the scheme around and telling the cast members to pay them money or they're going to jail for this little performance! Don't try it.

 

...

 

 

http://jalopnik.com/...sh-cams-5918159

[TheCorinthian]

You take a risk every time you get out of bed. And a bigger one by far getting on the road. Safety standards need to be high but you cant plan agains people in other cars or at the helm being idiots. Nor can you plan for evil intent like when terrorists or just plain criminals shoot up the bus.