Researching the researcher .... Dr Sarah Jones (Restricting young drivers)

Dr Sarah Jones, Honorary Senior Lecturer, Dept of Primary Care and Public Health, Cardiff  University has just recently announced her research on 'Restricting young drivers'. l won't comment about the actual research as it's been done by other bloggers such as Dick Puddlecote here.

What l thought l would do is look at the Dr herself, so l pulled up her page at Cardiff University. Firstly l noticed that she has no biography listed as other Dr's have on the same site. What qualifications she has is not listed so l have no idea what her doctorate refers to.

Secondly, l pulled up her research history but again, nothing listed.

Thirdly, l pulled up the publications that she was involved in and was astounded to find a list of them. Even more astoundig was the subject of these research publications, l really don't know what we would have done without such earth shattering research. Such as :-

1. Gender inequality in the risk of violence: material deprivation is linked to higher risk for adolescent girls.

2. Using geographical information systems to assess the equitable distribution of traffic-calming measures: translational research.

3. The advocacy in action study a cluster randomized controlled trial to reduce pedestrian injuries in deprived communities.

4. The influence of local politicians on pedestrian safety.

5. Modification of the home environment for the reduction of injuries.

6. Injuries in homes with certain built forms.

l couldn't read anymore of them as it was hurting my eyes and numbing my brain.

Our Dr Jones was not the only one involved in these researches, there were lots of others, God knows how much it cost to do these but l do know that we are funding them to do it. lf ever there was a department that is crying out to be cut ... this is certainly one of them.

So folks , l give you (l certainly don't want her) Dr Sarah Jones, big salary paid for by you to do research in things of no relevance whatsoever.

Maybe l can get funding for my research and publication l've just done here? ... worth a try.

14 comments:

  1. Jesus H Christ ... we pay for this crap? She should get a job doing something useful ... like a checkout girl at Asda!

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  2. Typical waste of space and money. Prob got Hon Sen Lecturer job for services rendered.

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  3. You have to understand how these research papers work. The lead name on the paper does most of the work. The rest will have made a contribution, and one or two will have their name on there merely because of seniority. They may not have even read it. On that basis, S Jones has produced five papers between 2001 and 2005, all, it seems at the same place and one of them is probably a "poster" for a conference. Given their scope, that is not what you would call a heavy workload. Lecturers are under pressure to do research, in order to attract funding, so they do it. That does not mean it is of any use.

    What you looked at is a list of abstracts. Without examining the full document it is impossible to give a qualitative opinion of the research. It should have been submitted for peer review, and I do not have the resources to check that.

    What irritates me about Ms Jones is that she is clearly political in her intent and does not appear to have set foot outside her ivory tower in Cardiff. That does not bode well for her academic work at all.

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  4. Anon now, now

    .........................

    Got an interesting e-mail in which they tell me that they've sent an FOI to Dr Jones requesting the data and methods used. Also they asked if any of the following data was ever considered or indeed available in coming to the conclusion that young drivers should be singled out and restricted.

    Gender of drivers

    Specific age of drivers

    How long driving licences had been held

    Joyriding, theft by people with no licences resulting in fatal RTA's.

    Drugs/alcohol related fatal RTA's

    Weather conditions and time of fatal RTA's

    Make and maufacturer of vehicles involved in fatal RTA's

    Conditions of vehicles involved in fatal RTA's ... roadworthy or not roadworthy

    Passengers or no passengers involved in fatal RTA's

    Passengers ages and gender involved in fatal RTA's

    (RTA's being Road Traffic Accidents)

    Excellent points, l wonder if our good Doctor Jones will reply? :)

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  5. WW ... thank you for our contribution, it is appreciated. What bothers me is that we live in an age where all we get is spin with little or no access to the facts/data. Being peer reviewed no longer has the weight it used to have since the revelations in Climategate. Cherrypicking has become the norm whilst hiding the cherry tree.

    What is even more worrying is the state of journalism which has been reduced, for the most part, to cut and paste. lnvestigative journalism has become almost extinct.

    lndeed, although we live in a communication age that is unsurpassed in history, we seem to have less facts.

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  6. What a useful prat she is.
    Needs exterminating !!!

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  7. You are so right Macka. Added to that she'd make 1000's of kids criminals because all they'd want to do is do what we did as kids. Take your girlfriend out, go to a concert and so on but the good Dr of whatever S Jones would deny them that and all because she thinks it's right.

    Instead of kids being put on a curfew it should be her. I think allowed out once a year should suffice. Leap Year that is!

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  8. She's clearly not stupid, just a nasty deceitful control freak. She knows how to give the message she wants to push, without (she thinks) quite telling an actual barefaced lie. These people are despicable, especially when they achieve an apparently respectable publicly funded position. People like that wonder why respact for authority is continually eroded, don't they? You won't get it back in my lifetime.

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  9. This lot should be on Mastermind. Their chosen subject would be "The Fucking Obvious"

    What awaste of money paying this lot. Someone said she should be a checkout girl but she'd be incapable of even that!

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  10. Too true Steve, they haven't got a clue of the real world. All they got is conferences, meetings and general pat each other on the back and say how how important they are. Cant think of anything worse than being stuck with this group of egotistical idiots. Most of them will be tree hugging, non-smoking, non-drinking prats who ride bicycles who'll bore you to death with their preaching.

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  11. It's a shame to read such vitriolic nonsense spouting forth above
    If you don't like Dr Jones all you need do is check out all the research in other countries who use post test restrictions while new drivers build up experience
    In every case in every country the casualty reductions are impressive
    This is not about self righteousness it's about reducing needless death and injury on our roads
    I in 5 new drivers crash in their first six months of passing their test ( my own much loved daughter among them)
    So concentrate your research there and then tell us it doesn't make a difference

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    Replies
    1. Why are you people always anonymous? Is it so hard putting your name and e-mail address?

      Of course young drivers are high in the statistics ... they are on the road more than older drivers. lt's a time of having the freedom to go where they want, when they want. Whilst they are doing that the vast majority of older drivers are at home watching the tv. lt's a completely different lifestyle. either you've forgotten what it was like to be young or didn't experience it.

      l've lost friends through accidents and they were all bikers. Everyone of them was the result of older car drivers making mistakes. Driving is dangerous, life is dangerous and that's simply the way it is. Sure you can take precautions and regulate for safety but you eventually reach a point where you lose a grasp of reality.

      As they say in America ... Shit Happens!

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  12. Wondering why this site seems to think it is some authority on all aspects of research? This research above is mostly about road safety, backed up by scientifically collected data, not speculation as above 'I think they just drive a bit more' rubbish. Not sure why this researcher named, or organisation, hasn't acted legally with this article as it is libelous.

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"In the eyes of the Tribunal the review letter contained several preconceptions, prejudgments and non-sequiturs"

"the absurdity of this reason is demonstrated by simply stating it"

"We therefore find that Mr Sked misdirected himself as to the Policy in carrying out the review and his decision is therefore one that no reasonable review officer could have arrived at."

... commonly known here at N2D as 'Skeds' ... that is to say these are Judges comments regarding UKBA Review Officer Ian Sked's reasons for rejecting peoples appeals against seizures.

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