Crashing's Not Compulsory, But...

I'VE just come back from a fairly lengthy road trip down some of Australia's busiest highways: the Pacific Highway linking Brisbane and Sydney and part of the Hume Highway linking Sydney and Melbourne.
Both these highways have reputations for being quite dangerous, and with good reason: according to figures on an NRMA website, 453 people died on the Pacific Highway and 153 on the Hume Highway between 1994 and 2003 (figures from the NSW-run RTA, which would suggest Queensland and Victorian fatalities were not included).
If this seems like a lot, rest assured you're not alone.
But why would the fatalities (and "regular" crashes for that matter) be so high? Simple fact is that neither abovementioned highway is dual carriageway (four lanes; two each way).
It seems silly and it is: Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane are the three largest cities in Australia (around 4.2 million, 3.5 million and 1.7 million respectively). The Pacific Highway itself had just under 10,000 crashes between 1994 and 2003, a figure which you'd think would encourage politicians of all colours to fund upgrades.
Nope.
This archived article on the Sydney Morning Herald website suggests that while they may fast-track the upgrades of the Pacific Highway, this could be funded by a toll on non-local road users. Apparently private sector funding is needed to speed the whole thing up.
Let's check those figures again: nearly 10,000 crashes in 10 years.
Given the cost to the state and national economies of people recovering or grieving after accidents, you would think that both governments would be fighting over who was going to chip in the most, but no.
Of course it isn't any government's fault that there are so many crashes: John Howard or Morris Iemma aren't driving all those cars.
What isn't helping is the idiotic behaviour of many on the road, especially those sections where you have to wait for overtaking lanes to safely get past those going a bit slower.
Theoretically these cars should be doing the same speed throughout (obviously a touch quicker downhill), but this isn't always the case.
One idiot (there really is no other way to describe him) would do 90-95km/h normally, only to speed up to 105-110km/h when there was an overtaking lane. Given the speed limit on that stretch of road was 100km/h, it wasn't very bright at all. I ended up hitting 120km/h to get past and save myself the indignity of a heart attack at 25.
There were others that felt being overtaken was a personal affront and would do their best to stop you overtaking, and then those who just had to be difficult at every available opportunity.
So here's the challenge: for state and federal governments to fix up the highways, and for road users to use a bit of common sense.
It'll cut the toll.

And Now For Something Not Entirely Unexpected...

IN a move that can best be described as stupid, cinemas in Townsville and Rockhampton won't be showing the new Heath Ledger movie Brokeback Mountain.
They haven't given a full explanation as to why this is so, but apparently it's not because no-one likes Heath Ledger there, but rather because it tells the tale of two male cowboys who fall in love. With each other.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
Onya guys. Just when we thought it was safe to say you're a Queenslander after Sir Joh died and Pauline Hanson faded back to nothing, a few clowns have come out and shown once again that when it comes to good old-fashioned idiots, the rest of the country's got nothing on us.
Oh sure, NSW had the wonderful Bob DoesntdriveaCarr, who seemed to think that NSW stood for Newcastle, Sydney, Woollongong; Victoria's given us Jeff Kennett and Eddie Maguire; while every other state chips in with a few mass murderers and the occasional ultra-conservative.
Seriously, it must have been agreed upon when Australia became a country in 1901: NSW and Victoria will provide most of the political leaders, Queensland will provide the freaks.
Jokes aside though, what's more concerning is the censorship issue.
It seems every time a controversial movie comes out, a group of self-important people (let's call them People Against Other People Having A Good Time, or PAOPHAGT) decide that society will fall if the movie is released to the general public.
Most of these movies have gratuitous sex, nudity, violence or (shock horror) people kissing people of the same sex.
"Our children will be corrupted," they cry out fervently. "What if our children see this?"
Yes, it would be really bad if your children saw a breast. Terrible, really. Who knows what might go through their minds.
Of course, this all overlooks that fact that if a movie is rated R (18 and over only), children can't go in and see it. Considering I've twice had my id checked to see M and MA movies (15 and over; both times when I was past 18), I fail to see how masses of teenagers are going to be able to get in, let alone impressionable children.
A family friend of ours had a very good policy with her kids when it came to higher-rated movies. Anything with a lot of violence was out, but with sex or nudity was in, largely on the basis that sex and nudity is a natural part of life, whereas violence wasn't.
I happen to think that American football is one of the most boring games in the world, but I'm not going to tell adults they shouldn't watch it because of my views.
If you don't like something or don't agree with it, don't watch it. But don't stop me from watching it either.

Postscript:
In another article on the Sydney Morning Herald website, Roadshow Films has denied it won't be releasing the film in Townsville and Rockhampton, going against earlier comments from cinema operations.