Attitudes to the road toll

[Twisted Tenon]

T
I'm actually surprised that these charges are holding up in court as there are so many flaws in it... probably people aren't willing to fight it because they'd be admitting they'd taken something illegal in the first place...

Firstly the law is currently written so that if any illicit drugs are found in your system you are guilty of DUI. Secondly the cost of defending the matter is often not worth the lawyers fees and time off work. Better to just cop the fine. Thirdly, many an offender has claimed that his drink has been spiked to no avail

TT

[rustynail]

Firstly the law is currently written so that if any illicit drugs are found in your system you are guilty of DUI. Secondly the cost of defending the matter is often not worth the lawyers fees and time off work. Better to just cop the fine. Thirdly, many an offender has claimed that his drink has been spiked to no avail

TT

One can "claim" almost anything. The onus of proof becomes relevant here.

[woodPixel]

L-plater was on drugs when stolen car ploughed into shuttle bus in Kewdale, killing teen boy - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

[MAPLEMAN]

And of course there are those that drive around merrily on 'legal' prescription drugs...MM

[ian]

L-plater was on drugs when stolen car ploughed into shuttle bus in Kewdale, killing teen boy - ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

I'm not sure of your point. given the kid's history he possibly had more experience driving than most other 18 year olds -- I'm not suggesting that the experience was legally obtained. But short of a .22 to the head, how should we as a community react? Lock him up and throw away the key? treat him as a person with a mental illness? give him a smack on the wrist and admonish him not to do it again?

There must be lots of kids out there with histories similar to Mourish -- I tend to think the community's best response is to try and detect these kids and divert them from what is essentially their self-destructive behavior before that behavior affects others.

[A Duke]

Bring back the cat!

[doug3030]

I'm not sure of your point. given the kid's history he possibly had more experience driving than most other 18 year olds -- I'm not suggesting that the experience was legally obtained.

For the last 20 years or so, our young people have been learning how to drive by playing computer games. Long before the ever get behind the wheel of a real car they already have ingrained bad habits and a poor attitude to safety.

For several years after they get their license, they have more "driving time" on the computer where if a car crashes, it rolls over and the windscreen cracks in front of them. The car then immediately rights itself, the windscreen automatically heals itself miraculously and they drive off unscathed with a new life. When they get an Adrenalin rush in a race or a police chase their mind reverts to the computer scenario that they know so well. In their mind, there are no physical consequences and all that matters is the win.

A human being is a product of their past experiences. Look at what the youth of today are feeding their brains with. Therein lies the problem - and not just on the roads. Society used to discourage the young from watching movies with physical violence that was no where near as bad as what there is in G rated computer games now. It's the old computer adage - garbage in garbage out.

[Twisted Tenon]

For the last 20 years or so, our young people have been learning how to drive by playing computer games. Long before the ever get behind the wheel of a real car they already have ingrained bad habits and a poor attitude to safety.

For several years after they get their license, they have more "driving time" on the computer where if a car crashes, it rolls over and the windscreen cracks in front of them. The car then immediately rights itself, the windscreen automatically heals itself miraculously and they drive off unscathed with a new life. When they get an Adrenalin rush in a race or a police chase their mind reverts to the computer scenario that they know so well. In their mind, there are no physical consequences and all that matters is the win.

A human being is a product of their past experiences. Look at what the youth of today are feeding their brains with. Therein lies the problem - and not just on the roads. Society used to discourage the young from watching movies with physical violence that was no where near as bad as what there is in G rated computer games now. It's the old computer adage - garbage in garbage out.

Not sure that your analogy is a good one Doug. There are numerous studies which indicate that kids can differentiate between reality and what’s on a computer screen. But I agree that there needs to be significant amounts of desentitisation in order for juveniles offenders to behave the way they do. It’s all about the family/community (or lack of it in some instances) which are the significant contributors towards juvenile delinquency. Unemployment , poverty and community expectations are significant contributors to this.

TT

[doug3030]

Not sure that your analogy is a good one Doug. There are numerous studies which indicate that kids can differentiate between reality and what’s on a computer screen.

Computer gaming is a multi-billion industry which can afford to fund research to support ANYTHING that is in their own best interest, true or not.

[Twisted Tenon]

Computer gaming is a multi-billion industry which can afford to fund research to support ANYTHING that is in their own best interest, true or not.

Im not resourcing data from the computer industry for this Doug. There are a lot of independent, peer reviewed papers which support the thesis that kids can differentiate between what they see on a computer screen and reality. While it was a long time ago that I was researching this, I would be surprised if this has changed.

TT

[doug3030]

Can you post a link to one?

[Twisted Tenon]

Can you post a link to one?

Sure. I’ll have a look at my stuff. I finished my degree in 2000 but still have my essays in a folder somewhere. It was a Social Welfare degree which majored in Juvenile Justice. One paper I remember noted that TV could exert an influence in a home environment which placed it on a pedestle. So if no one in the family was allowed to speak or interrupt while theTV was on, there was a likelihood that what was seen on TV was likely to be treated as gospel. You’ve only got to look at The guff on American cable TV re Trump/Clinton that was treated as truth to realise that there is more at play than just the fact that “it was on TV”. I’ll have a look and see if there is any recent data on this too.

TT

[ian]

Not sure that your analogy is a good one Doug.

I tend to agree.

I haven't seen the papers myself, but I'm told that adults who play driving simulator games -- and I'm not sure if in this context an adult is older than 18 or 21 or some other age -- drive more aggressively, especially in respect to tail gating, but have fewer rear end crashes than adults who don't play those sorts of games.

If you want an analogy, the airline industry and military make extensive use of simulators to train pilots and some simulators can be programmed to perform aerodynamically impossible feats -- like flying a 737 under the Harbour Bridge vertically.

[rustynail]

Virtual reality is exactly that - virtual. Not quite the real thing. This can lead to trouble in a dangerous situation. As an addition to the real thing, when the real thing is not available, can be a a handy tool. To consider it an alternative becomes the folly of fools. I don't know how many times I have had to "snap" my kids back into reality, as they attempt to take on projects well outside their comfort zones. Work experience, internships, apprenticeships all provide the student with real life training.

[Twisted Tenon]

Can you post a link to one?

Hi Doug
So, went to look for my electronic files and realised that all my early essays were written in Claris Works which became Apple Works. I should be able to open the docs as RTF in Word but it aint playin. In any case most of my older stuff was obtained in hard copy because the interwebby wasn't cranked up in the 90"s.

I have located some recent papers as below. The last link is to an article which leans towards your theory I think.

TT
APA Review Confirms Link Between Playing Violent Video Games and Aggression


Do video games make people violent? - BBC News


https://videogames.procon.org/


Impact Of Television In Relation To Juvenile Delinquency - Free Coursework from Essay.uk.com, the UK essay, dissertation and coursework writing company

https://www.forbes.com/sites/jordans.../#33051cbb7556


http://time.com/34075/how-violent-vi...ut-aggression/