http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/...615115.stm

I've whinged about this subject before, but make no apologies for reintroducing it. Any of you that have been victims of such a spillage will understand my concerns.

Many of the buses and coaches spill copious amounts of diesel. Have a look at the tarmac in the bus park at CRHS on any damp school day, for example. I was told by someone at the Vehicle Testing Centre that if you report the registration of an offending vehicle they will have it called in for testing.

This is going on all the time and may have been responsible for countless crashes, possibly deaths, throughout the year and not just at TT.

It is not just a hazard to bikers and cyclists, and can cause any vehicle to skid dangerously.

Play "Spot the Spiller" by getting some "guilty" registrations reported. You could save lives.

Maybe a good idea would be like the MOT for HGV lorrys every 2 years. I wonder who inspects the government vehiclas.... ohhhhh yeesssss the Government..... how could I be so stupid. Wonder if they hae to go though the same rigmarole as the taxi's who need their certificate every year or two. Maybe Badger could be the one to ask about that.

Hope it all goes well for you by the way Badger.

Maybe time for a pettion to be put together by this web site?

It's not a recent development, John.

I can remember, when doing my first Manx GP in 1978, being warned by several riders (notably Billy Guthrie) NOT to use the lay-by on the right in front of the school coming out of Schoolhouse Corner in Ramsey - awash with diesel at all times it was :!:

So I didn't . . . . . . . . . .

Mind you, I can remember using the School clock to get a rough Ramsey-to-Ramsey lap time. How sad is that??

Anybody else to admit to ever doing that :?:

Before I started racing I was an ordinary biker diesel spllls were just another road hazard to be dealt with. Once on a wet day I followed a trail of diesel and found him and his leaky van................. :twisted:

Now Mr Devlin once again you prove yourself to be a $martar$e.

What clock....never seen it :!: not ever :!: not once have I ever ever noticed a clock :!: at Schoolhouse nor anywhere else.

Glen Helen, many early mornings, there is a slick all the way through, especially round Sarah's Cottage - opposite side of the road to the racing direction. Yes I do ring and report it, but the number isn't easy to find. Perhaps the fuel companies could be persuaded to put some publicity on fuel station forecourts? I'm sure not everyone realises that diesel is such a hazard, especially if they don't ride a bike. Just a thought.

Heard a DOT ad on Manx Radio this morning, asking people to be careful when filling their tanks etc etc... hope some of them listen. Usually buses and trucks, though, and they don't seem to care.

Manx radio also informs drivers to use dipped headlights in bad weather and poor light conditions, but the advice is totally ignored.Never in my life have I seen so many vehicles driving over the mountain , in the fog, with NO LIGHTS WHATSOEVER! They don't know how to switch them on, so there is no chance of them knowing when diesel is leaking out.It is a wonder they don't put it in the screen washer instead of the fuel tank,lol :roll:

None of this applies only here, of course, and only recently I came across someone whose reason for not using dipped headlights was explained scientifically to me.
When it is foggy, or, indeed, in heavy rain, you are travelling slower (maybe), so, if you put on your lights, your battery will very soon go flat..........
Bet you never knew that.

The cliche that I use when I see such morons is, "They think they're saving on their electricity bill." It helps me to feel better anyway.

Hilary M Wrote:It is a wonder they don't put it in the screen washer instead of the fuel tank,lol :roll:

I know a bloke from Pakistan who, years ago, put oil in his radiator instead of in the engine. :roll: :roll: :roll: :roll: