Alternative approach to road safety

Zoink · 07-08-2007, 05:53 PM

This made me laugh.
http://abc.net.au/news/stories/2007/08/07/1998980.htm
Imagine your surprise when a ASM missile comes through your roof.
Maybe the NSW government is secretly looking at serious alternative methods to stop hooning.

Quote:

The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) says it is possible people may have been injured when a laser guidance system on a jet fighter accidentally targeted several cars north of Newcastle.
The RAAF says two jets from the Williamtown base were flying at 20,000 feet on May 28 as part of a training exercise.
Weapons guidance lasers were pointed at a car at the intersection of the Lakes Way and Seal Rocks road near Forster, but eight other vehicles drove past the same spot.
Air Commodore Geoff Brown says it was a computer malfunction but the risk to the public was remote.
"The biggest risk of major injury is if you are actually inside that laser spot and looking directly back up at the aeroplane," he said.
"That's why we think it's extremely remote."
The Air Force has set up a hotline for people who think they may have been affected

v8falconsrule · 07-08-2007, 07:51 PM

thank god the RAAF is too poorly funded to afford large amounts of live ordanance.

MO · 07-08-2007, 08:06 PM

NSW govt is looking at serious moves to stop hooning...e.g you lose your car its crushed into cube and dumped in your driveway.

Same as some states in USA.

Fairlane · 07-08-2007, 08:13 PM

Accident, yeah right. They are just probably just getting some practice targeting cars or something. Somehow i dont think it could possible get you unless you looked directly at it and besides im pretty sure lasers are virtually invisible, so the odds of eyedamage would be some minimal

stockel · 08-08-2007, 03:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fairlane

Accident, yeah right. They are just probably just getting some practice targeting cars or something. Somehow i dont think it could possible get you unless you looked directly at it and besides im pretty sure lasers are virtually invisible, so the odds of eyedamage would be some minimal

While I agree that the probability of the laser contacting the eyes in any way would be minute, the visibilty of the laser would depend on its wavelength and even if 'invisible' it could still cause damage, as invisible in this case could simply mean that it is outside the spectrum seen by the average human, although I don't know where or how broadly they (lasers) occupy it.