Tuesday, May 22, 2007

Bored with Boy Racers

Gee I'm tired of this subject and Christchurch Mayor Gary Moore's opining about parenting and alcohol and fast cars (my Austin A40 wouldn't spin the gravel in the driveway) is pointless. We don't have a crisis; that is, a problem that's gotten far, far worse. Just take a snapshot.

In 1985 there were 274 road deaths with alcohol as a factor. 2005 - 115.

In 1985 23% of the drivers affected by alcohol were 15-19. 2005 - 20%.

In 1985 the population was 3.3 million. 2005 - 4 million.

In 1985 there were 8.3 road deaths with alcohol as a factor per 100,000 population. In 2005 there were 2.9 per 100,000.

4 comments:

Peter Cresswell said...

May I pinch your numbers, Lindsay?

Do you have a source?

Lindsay Mitchell said...

download here;
http://www.transport.govt.nz/
drink-index/

PM of NZ said...

Great post - time the gang of 20 left the Police to it. Have used your numbers - cheers!

Anonymous said...

Hi Lindsay. My problem with Boy Racers is not that they kill each themselves occasionally. It is that they tear up the roads, cause chronic noise pollution and make life really unpleasant for people who happen to live where they congregate. I used to live on a dragstrip in residential Gracefield and it was not nice. My parked car was hit by one who was doing a burnout one night who lost control and I never did find out who did it.

I say that anyone who drops wheelies on public roads or who races down suburban streets should have their car converted to landfill.

Brian Smaller