Paul Nicholls

The recent series of “Think” Road Safety adverts have really been bugging me; they provide all kinds of shocking statistics which make you think. Unfortunately, after thinking about them for a little while, I find myself reaching completely different conclusions to those they are trying to evoke the watcher to reach.

Many of the following statements are a case of “Well Duh”. You have to wonder how many thousands of pounds are spent researching these pearls of wisdom.

“The greatest risk of falling asleep at the wheel is between midnight and 6am”

Fancy that, people falling asleep at night.

“Over one third of all road traffic accidents, about 1,000 deaths a year, involve someone who is at work at the time”

So what are we saying? About a third of traffic is commercial? Sounds about right when you take into account sales teams, taxis, lorries, delivery services, couriers, emergency services, to name but a few.

“Over half of all driving fatalities occur on rural roads”

They take this to mean rural roads are more dangerous… in fact this makes them virtually equally dangerous… and doesn’t take into account the number of miles of rural road we have compared to other road types!

“6% of all road casualties and 18% of deaths in 2004 occurred when someone was driving when over the legal limit for alcohol”

Only 6%?

“More than twice as many boys as girls are killed or seriously injured in pedestrian and cycle accidents”

Without wanting to sound sexist, you see far more boys out riding their bikes, playing football on the pavement, etc, than you do girls.

“More than two thirds of all accidents in which people are killed or seriously injured happen on roads where the speed limit is 40mph or less”

So are maybe 2/3rds of our roads have a speed limit of less than 40mph, or maybe faster roads are safer – I’m sure that’s not something they want promoted!

“68% of all crashes involving a two-wheeled motor vehicle also involved a car.”

Well, given a fairly similar percentage of all traffic is cars, that’s hardly surprising.

“You are not as safe as you thought – in 2004 car users made up 52% of all road traffic fatalities in Great Britain.”

So, given more than 52% of traffic is cars, that does make us safer…

“You are more likely to kill a pedestrian driving at 40mph than 30mph.”

So says common sense.

“Just over half (50%) of drivers break the 30mph speed limit.”

So, if more than half of drivers speed, perhaps the speed limit needs reviewing – rather than suggesting most drivers are dangerous . Incidentally, why does it say just over half, then state 50%? If its 50%, that is half. I can’t imagine they’re explaining to the reader that half=50%.

[Reference http://www.thinkroadsafety.gov.uk/ ]

Yes Yes Yes!

The Italian accent has to be the best bit..

After four days of celebrating finally a chance to blog my results…

AAABB in Computing, Philosophy, General Studies, Physics and Maths (that order). Pretty much what I was expecting, wasn’t sure if I’d be A or B in Physics but missed it by a few marks. Still more than enough to get into Durham and my offer is now unconditional and confirmed. I have to say I’m amazed I got an A in General Studies though, unlike many other students I went to some of my lessons – but that only taught me I needn’t have bothered.

You would think by the time we choose our AS/A2 options we should be responsible enough to make our own decisions about our education (after all, we have already chosen to remain in education) but the school still see’s fit to force a compulsary subject upon us. Fair enough from their point of view PSHE/RE is a government requirement for all students in full time education (although in itself that now seems rather outdated) but why force us into an A Level no-one cares about and holds no value?

Woah, this almost turned from a positive post about exam results into a rant about General Studies. It’s just too easy! I’ll just vent that particular frustration through the student newspaper at some point. I’m not supposed to care about things like that any more now I’m no longer a student – but old habits die hard.

Yes – no longer a student! Now I have to pay to go to the dentist! Its craaaazy! Its almost enough to convince me to pay £5000/year to go to university….

A remote control that can beep when you lose it?

So, you’ve lost your remote control. You go over to the TV (yes, get up!) and press a button, and then *bleeeep* *bleeeeep* you can easily locate the missing remote.

(C) Paul Nicholls 2006, Patent Pending

As of Tuesday I am now officially employed by Rainham Mark Grammar School, and will be for at least the next thirteen months. Its really happening!

I can’t begin to express how odd it is to work for the school – to be a member of staff. There are the obvious differences between staff and students (I get paid to be there, for one), but then there’s the things you might not think of; like using the staff toilets (I don’t even know where most of them are), parking inside the gates (saving me at least 50m on my walk from the car to school), and … weirdest of all – calling people by their first names! There’s also a feeling that I’m being treated differently, I can’t identify quite what it is, but I think its that we’re now talking on a level, rather than me being looked down on for being “just a student”.

Obviously at the moment things are a little different because there are very few teachers in, mainly support staff. the hours are shorter and everything is a little more relaxed. However, once everyone comes back in September and the existing technicians leave me and Sam behind it’ll be interesting to see how I cope with the “weirdness”.

All of this does open an interesting moral question too. With the rest of my year group heading off into the Big Wide World (or Uni…) my friendships in year 12 are ever more important. But is that “allowed”? Arguably I’m not in a considerable “position of authority” over the students, but theoretically I could be – and I’ve been Police checked for that very reason. So do I continue seeing these people out of school as after all they were my friends before I became an employee of the school, or distance myself? The former does carry with it risks, but the latter is unfair on both parties. Hmmmmmm