Kogorah, Sydney - 9 people hit by L plater.

[merlin]

http://au.news.yahoo.com/070327/2/12w6v.html

Car injures nine pedestrians at Kogarah
Nine people were injured, two of them critically, when a car ploughed into a group waiting at a bus stop in Sydney's south, today.

Police have cordoned off a section of Railway Parade, Kogarah, where a red Toyota Echo, its front windscreen cracked, stands about 10 metres from a bus stop.

L-plates lay on the ground and at least six shoes are strewn around the crash site, near the intersection of Montgomery Street.

A crushed pram is next to a bus stop sign which has been bent to within centimetres of the bitumen.

Ambulance NSW spokesman Neil Hargreaves said seven people were taken to four Sydney hospitals following the crash, which occurred just after 11am (AEST).

"We have two in a critical condition with head and chest injuries," Mr Hargreaves said.

"The remainder are in a serious condition and have lower (less serious) injuries including head, chest and pelvic injuries."

Three people have been taken to St George Hospital, two people have been taken to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital at Camperdown, one has been taken to Canterbury Hospital and one to Prince of Wales Hospital at Randwick.

"St George Hospital has received a number of walking wounded because the hospital is just around the corner," Mr Hargreaves said.

No word on the 6 month old baby that was thrown from the pram yet.

[agony]

well this is shocking news, and at the same time the bloke who hit the other kids is in court.
Hope all that are involved are ok.

[Mongoose]

wow, glad i dont suck that much at driving

[Tiapan]

thats shocking and just goes to prove the driver education point...why the **** is he/she driving around people? should have been taught emergancy braking BEFORE going onto a road with other people present.

good luck to the people involved and i hope the baby is ok

[freaky]

so sad, i know the area well, used to catch buses from there all the time..

I hope the injured pull through.

[OLDFORDNUT]

oh jesus, a baby in pram,god its scary to think someone even an L plater decided on ramming the people instead of another car.

[Dave_au]

SMH is saying that a 42 yr old woman was arrested.

Funny they have decided she was an L Plater

[merlin]

Yep it was a 42 year old L plater being supervised by a 60 year old driver.

Also besides the baby there is now reports a toddler was also hit.

[GXL078]

There are some dodgy learner drivers around where I live too. Last week a couple of streets away a 28 year old L plater, driving a Camry, unsupervised and DRUNK took out his and 3 other cars. Guess what he was?
Hint: I live in Blacktown. For those of you in Melbourne it's the Sydney equivalent of Dandenong.

[Grum]

Originally Posted by xcgxl

There are some dodgy learner drivers around where I live too. Last week a couple of streets away a 28 year old L plater, driving a Camry, unsupervised and DRUNK took out his and 3 other cars. Guess what he was?
Hint: I live in Blacktown. For those of you in Melbourne it's the Sydney equivalent of Dandenong.

"driving a Camry" Isn't that a bigger hint?

[Outbackjack]

The NSW governments response will probably be to put speed camera's there and drop the speed limit to 20kph. Once again ignoring the need for a formalised education program for learner drivers. When will they learn? It should be along the lines of pilot training.

[XR06T]

unfortunatly obj, i can see that happening aswell..

[Ives]

Guys, give her a break... she was trying to make it to the ARC driving with Toyota.

Ok, now seriously... if this doesnt budge the goverment to re-vamp the whole licensing scheme, what will?

[The Dok]

Originally Posted by xcgxl

For those of you in Melbourne it's the Sydney equivalent of Dandenong.

Dandenongs not that bad........sure there are a disproportionate amount of less than fair skinned locals, & we've just had the Russian swim team staying nearby, hoorah..........lets overlook the fact a 14 yo female swimmer was caught shoplifting & a team official was arrested for sexual assault, but I'm all for multiculturalism....... :yeees:

[ardei]

Originally Posted by freaky

so sad, i know the area well, used to catch buses from there all the time..

I hope the injured pull through.

Yeah, me too. Its frightening when you can picture EXACTLY what happened :(.

Apparently one is dead now, a 20 year-old woman from Orange died in surgery:

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/article.aspx?id=102840

[Poetic Justice]

Umm... how can you comment on the situation when it hasn't even been explained?

You're all very quick to point the finger at people..

[stockNAfairlane]

One thing i've always wondered is why are you allowed to go get your l's (no prac driving test needed) and then drive straight away on a busy public road?

Wouldn't it be smarter to have the L platers first drive on a private road at the testing centre? Just to teach them the basics of acceleration, using your mirrors, steering etc.

[XRated]

It's quite sad how racial prejudice (subtle or not) is brought into this type of discussion/incident. I guess we should lock the borders and take licences from people who aren't 5th generation Australians or fair-skinned???

I just hope the people injured can pull through as best they can.

[Keepleft]

Originally Posted by Tiapan

thats shocking and just goes to prove the driver education point...why the **** is he/she driving around people? should have been taught emergancy braking BEFORE going onto a road with other people present.

good luck to the people involved and i hope the baby is ok

Over two million licensed drivers in Sydney, not all do this or your suggestion first. Mind you, probably just as well most of us don't take out bus stops.

Driver, a 42 year old woman hysterical, tutor, a 60yo man from memory.

A woman from Orange, 20yo, died. Sad. Baby is fine, mothers nephew suffered a broken leg.

One thing i've always wondered is why are you allowed to go get your l's (no prac driving test needed) and then drive straight away on a busy public road?

In NSW before being issued an L license, one does a knowledge test.

Wouldn't it be smarter to have the L platers first drive on a private road at the testing centre? Just to teach them the basics of acceleration, using your mirrors, steering etc.

Yes, but utterly impractical, and that will never happen politically. This event is the very rare exception, rather than general reality.

[red_hotxr6]

Geez not good, arent there pedals for the other side of the vehicle so the trainer can slow the vehicle down.?

[TURBO_GHIA]

i can see it all now ,BAN teenage L earners haha

[DTFRMONT]

Originally Posted by red_hotxr6

Geez not good, arent there pedals for the other side of the vehicle so the trainer can slow the vehicle down.?

It proably wasn't a driving school car, more than likely she was driving a private car.

[J_Tank]

no signage on the car and it appeared to be a loooong way past the bus stop. someone found the wrong pedal methinks. That's usually a trick favoured by much older drivers.

[TwistedEL]

Yeah look at the video on ninemsn, correct me if I'm wrong but that liquid that runs from the bus stop to the car must be blood?

[TwistedEL]

Originally Posted by TwistedEL

Yeah look at the video on ninemsn, correct me if I'm wrong but that liquid that runs from the bus stop to the car must be blood?

Just saw it on the news, oh yeah it's blood

[GXL078]

Originally Posted by The Dok

Dandenongs not that bad........sure there are a disproportionate amount of less than fair skinned locals, :

That's what I meant, we got the same here and they CAN'T DRIVE for peanuts.

[GXL078]

Originally Posted by TwistedEL

Just saw it on the news, oh yeah it's blood

I thought the same at first but I reckon it was oil from where it holed the sump when it went over the kerb.

[new2ford]

Not only a written test but perhaps psychological/aptitude testing before getting behind a wheel. There must be some precedents in other areas of transport industry. I saw in the city once what must have been a very similar situation. Middle aged woman in a Honda Civic, I saw it close up - she clipped a car and then froze, her hands were off the wheel and the car steered itself, no use of brakes either ...bounced off three cars on the wrong side then went at ninety degrees into the opposite kerb ploughing through pedestrians who fortunately all jumped out of the way.

Like the one in Kogarah I wonder whether this person even had the mental aptitude to ever be allowed to drive a car. I think there needs to be a lot more testing/elimination in various ways before even going onto the road. Driving schools and testers also not doing their job as people obviously still getting licences without proper abilities. And how many driving school cars do I see cruising down the outside line in multilane roads!

But perhaps a driving school still better than leaving the instructing to the 60yo family member.

[normxb]

[QUOTE=Keepleft]Quote:
Wouldn't it be smarter to have the L platers first drive on a private road at the testing centre? Just to teach them the basics of acceleration, using your mirrors, steering etc.


Yes, but utterly impractical, and that will never happen politically. This event is the very rare exception, rather than general reality.[QUOTE/]

Keepleft
I know it's impractical to "car test" learners , but could a "driving simulator" be hooked up to the existing computers at the RTA ? I know this might be "pie in the sky" stuff , but in the city where you're "out the driveway onto a main road" it MIGHT detect the small percentage learners that have "no idea" . I lived in the city for 20 years and saw quite a few "first timers" with dad on Parramatta Rd on Saturday afternoons , quite frightening .

I'm very lucky here , now we've moved back to the country , our kids can actually learn the basics in the "front yard" (when it's clean :yeees: ) we've had 17 cars in there so there's plenty of room .

Just a thought
Norm

[Jayden]

man this was one nasty accident. I imagine she hit the go pedal and just panicked, happens lots of times, but now that people have died there will be some sort of crack down... I predict higher learner permit fees.

Come to think of it, its kinda unusual how someone with zero experience in a car is alowed straight out onto any busy city street.
.. sure it makes you learn damn fast when theres a truck baring down on you :P