We're all in this together!

[edz]

Ok ok I know Germany isnt the be all end all of driver traing but it does get used as a benchmark a lot, If you can swap out the yank part of this vid and insert our Aussie known parts of driver licence training, Ithink we are still a fair bit behind ..
http://www.cnet.com/videos/top-5-differences-between-us-and-german-licenses/
Now this is going to be helpfull in geting rid of mucking around with phones etc while driving, http://www.cnet.com/videos/car-tech-101-the-future-of-head-up-displays/

[krisandkev]

highway North of The Sunshine Coast, where several people have died on that stretch of road there due to IMHO not driving to the conditions at the time, the road surface got the blame for people crashing around there in the wet instead of the drivers being blamed for not driving to the conditions. I've driven that road section numerous times in all conditions (including torrential rain where you can hardly see where you are going stuff) and my slowing down and driving to the conditions at the time made the road perfectly safe to drive IMHO. I've driven plenty of highways over the years that are in nowhere near as good condition as that is in and they still have a 100kph posted speed limit on them, so i can only assume that road section had the speed limit reduced due to possible future litigation from all the media attention it got before the limit was reduced.

   Yes, one of my pet hates is that section of road.  Nothing wrong with it.  But the same with speed restrictions at certain road works, it is crazy.   
But then again sometimes I need to relax and just sit back and drive carefully more than worry about the speed limit.  End of the drive it does not make much different with the travel times.    Kevin

[heath74]

Regarding the reality of speedos being out, when I first got my D22, I was thinking about how amazing the fuel economy was...

Then I realised I was driving everywhere at 90kph...

[steppenwolf]

When you listen to talk-back you mainly hear fruitcakes claiming speed laws are all about THEM taking our money and similar rubbish. The same thing happens too often at the public bar. I live where there are in effect 70-80kph one-lane roads, ruled by crap 100kph roadstraddlers talking on their mobiles, so I'm pretty over the "revenue-raiser" chatter.

The contributors to this forum are experienced, clue-ey road users who want to go camping somewhere and still be in one piece. NEVER have I seen so much constructive common sense about safe road-sharing gathered together in one spot. Talk about restoring a bloke's faith in humanity. Looking forward to seeing you all out there! 

[brooke.fossey]

While I completely agree that the only person at fault for speeding is the one doing, if the government was really serious about speeding,  they could mandate all cars be fitted with gps technology(been around for ages) that does not allow people to speed. It won't happen because it is too controversial.  Another option would be too put cardboard coppers holding a radar gun on the side of the road and increasing the number of actual police handheld radars. People would slow down because they wouldn't know which ones are real or the cardboard.

In relation to your speedo, manufacturers are also required to set it in line with the largest tyre that can be fitted to ensure that you don't inadvertently speed if you change tyres.

[gronk]

, if the government was really serious about speeding,  they could mandate all cars be fitted with gps technology(been around for ages) that does not allow people to speed. It won't happen because it is too controversial.

Sounds good, and it would stop people speeding, but it would make overtaking dangerous.

Imagine trying to overtake someone doing 95 k/ph and you were governed at 100 k/ph.....and some will say don't, because it leaves you out on the wrong side of the road for too long, but others will try it, with maybe bad consequences..

The government is not serious about speeding, because at the end of the day, speeding in itself isn't dangerous, and revenue from the cameras would hurt their coffers if it was taken away.

What really needs to happen ( and it won't because it would cost too much ) is driver education...teaching people how to drive..

How many people would know what to do if they were going around a roundabout and the car suddenly went sideways from hitting a patch of oil ??
Or, what would they do if a car coming the other way suddenly veered onto their side of the road and they had 1/2 a second to react ??

Knowing what to do....or at least have an idea of what your options might be in a situation will save more lives than thinking you are not going to be a statistic just by sticking to the speed limit ..

There will always be accidents, but if your ratbag young son had a car full of friends, wouldn't it be better if at least he knew how to control the car in a situation that he got into......and MAYBE because he knows the limits of the car, he MAY not get into that situation in the 1st place !!

[krisandkev]

Sounds good, and it would stop people speeding, but it would make overtaking dangerous.

Imagine trying to overtake someone doing 95 k/ph and you were governed at 100 k/ph.....and some will say don't, because it leaves you out on the wrong side of the road for too long, but others will try it, with maybe bad consequences..

The government is not serious about speeding, because at the end of the day, speeding in itself isn't dangerous, and revenue from the cameras would hurt their coffers if it was taken away.

What really needs to happen ( and it won't because it would cost too much ) is driver education...teaching people how to drive..

All very good points but some will argue. 
Re the speed governing, yes how many times have you commenced overtaking and the person suddenly speeds up.  You cannot just slow down and get back in because of traffic behind you and you need to make that split second decision. You have to speed up to safely pass and if you pass a speed camera you would have a very good argument. 
Correct, case law says speeding in itself may not be dangerous operation of a vehicle.  Need a subjective view of what has occurred.
Some will say all the money raised from fines are used for driver safety programs etc.  But it still saves the government (that means us) money because they do not have to use as much money out of the budget for those programs.
Driver education, bingo   .....   Defensive Driver education should be a must.   
And then you get type of incident that has just occurred in South Aust.  4 killed in a 4wd that was not involved in the initial collision.  Just driving along probably being very careful and nothing the driver could do would have avoided the trailer slamming into them.  Kevin

[chester ver2.0]

Well the gove could help me a little i drive on a road where the speed limit changes between 40 k and 80kph 6 times.

Instead of an overkill of signs i wish the would paint the cente line a different colour for different speeds then there would be no excuses

[NewieCamper]

Speeding is easy to police. Point a liar at a car, get an irrefutable reading and fine. Police get a pat on the back for making the roads safer. Ask them to police tailgating, or something else that can't be measured and they'll be stuffed. Take it to court and you can deny you were tailgating because you were far enough back and then ask then exactly how close you were etc. hard to prove. Everybody wastes time.

RBT and red light cameras are similar to speeding, it gets a measured reading, back able by evidence and these two can't very often be argued they are safe either. Speeding is a sore point with lots of drivers because it can be said that speed directly is not the killer, it's inappropriate speed combined with innattention, lack of skill and other factors. Still remains though that speed as a factor in crashes is easy to measure, you can't measure if someone just looked down to change a radio station in a crash.

[dazzler]

Hi newie

So have you used said "liar" to detect speed and if so how did you operate it to get false readings?

Are you suggesting that red light cameras and RBT do not make our roads safer? 

Or am I misreading your post.?

[gronk]

Yeh, technically speed is always a factor in a crash......if it wasn't , you'd be standing still !!

Whereas speeding is a word that gets used a lot, it may or may not have been a factor, but a word that's easily thrown around to "solve" a crash that may have been just inattention/sleeplessness/stupidity....

 

[gronk]

Are you suggesting that red light cameras and RBT do not make our roads safer? 

I don't think anyone has mentioned RBT's....as to being effective, yes I'd say so, but I know and see many people who still risk it, believing because they only live around the corner, and they are going slow, it will be OK.......how do you prevent that ??

Red light cameras ??.....I'd say they make some difference as well, but you see it every day, the smart ones are good at orange light running and just avoiding the red.....and they know the red has to be lit for at least 1 second before they are in danger ....although some must get pinged occasionally !

Speed cameras though......in NSW they are signposted, so you deserve to get booked, but in say Vic, where they are hidden, no I don't believe that's the way to go....say Fred Nerk, who is usually a good law abiding motorist, lets his guard down for 3 secs, drifts over the speed limit going downhill by 3 k/ph, gets a bluey in the mail 3 weeks later ??

Doesn't remember when he made the mistake, thinks it was just a bit of bad luck, pays the fine and moves on..
Who has it helped...only the state coffers, as Fred was already a good law abiding citizen who got unlucky and won't change his ways..

Now if it was a serial speeder who is down to his last few points....then it MIGHT slow him down, either that or he'll think he was just unlucky as well and hope to get away with it for a while longer..

As in Vic, pinging someone for 3 k/ph over is revenue raising....no argument there......in NSW with an unofficial 10% rule, it gives you some leeway and if you are done , then there is no argument either, but you have definately been speeding well over the speed limit and there's no complaint!!

[briann532]

Well the gove could help me a little i drive on a road where the speed limit changes between 40 k and 80kph 6 times.

Instead of an overkill of signs i wish the would paint the cente line a different colour for different speeds then there would be no excuses

Sorry mate, but can you not ruin this wonderful forum with such outrageous comments.

Fair go - common sense???  What the hell are you thinking???

It would be cheap, easy effective, practical and very user friendly.
Nah that would never work.

On a serious note, what a simple great idea to fix a long standing problem.
When Speewa is our PM are you running for Treasury?

Brian

[Jeepers Creepers]

Overtaking lanes should have a posted limit of 120kph up to and including 200 metres beyond the end of the overtaking lane.

This wouldn't apply to the left lane, just the right lane and giving the driver time to return to the 100 posted limit.

Would solve a lot of drama trying to overtake..... 

[krisandkev]

Overtaking lanes should have a posted limit of 120kph up to and including 200 metres beyond the end of the overtaking lane.

This wouldn't apply to the left lane, just the right lane and giving the driver time to return to the 100 posted limit.

Would solve a lot of drama trying to overtake.....

Well I have not heard of that one before but I love it.  Unfortunately it will not happen, imagine if it did and the first head on fatal occurred.  Maybe take it a bit further.  All sections of road on a main highway with a overtaking lane should have a barrier between the opposing lane and then the increased speed limit would apply. And take the licence off drivers who travel under the speed limit and then speed up in an overtaking lane and then drop back after the lane!!!!!    What about signage on overtaking lanes asking slow driver, like maybe some caravaners, please let piled up traffic behind you pass safely...   Kevin

[Jeepers Creepers]

I been telling Mrs Jeepers for years it would be a good idea, but yes Kev, i'll never see it happen in my lifetime.

[gronk]

I been telling Mrs Jeepers for years it would be a good idea, but yes Kev, i'll never see it happen in my lifetime.

Got more chance of a hwy patrol officer being a normal human being !!!!   










Oh, alright, before you bag me, I was only joking.......BUT, I haven't met a normal one yet !!!!   

[NewieCamper]

Hi newie

So have you used said "liar" to detect speed and if so how did you operate it to get false readings?

Are you suggesting that red light cameras and RBT do not make our roads safer? 

Or am I misreading your post.?

Maybe throwing liars at speeding cars would be a bit of fun, can we start with anyone who was called up to ICAC? Autocorrect probably didn't know what LIDAR was.

Nt suggesting that red light cameras or RBT don't make roads safer, you probably read it right and I typed it wrong. I was trying to make two points:

Policing a measurable thing is relatively easy to focus on while things that can't be measured are more difficult.

Speeding is not in itself dangerous, inappropriate speed is dangerous. You can travel at or below the posted limit and be travelling too fast. Pea soup fog on the freeway at 110km/h is one example.
 RLC and RBT are very difficult to argue against as not making roads safer whereas exceeding a posted limit can be argued against.

[dazzler]

I wondered how far you could throw a liar and was speed measured by the splat

[Kangaron]

Maybe, just maybe, some who drive under the speed limit are driving to the conditions, as they see them.
Or to their ability to be safe.

[briann532]

Maybe, just maybe, some who drive under the speed limit are driving to the conditions, as they see them.
Or to their ability to be safe.

I certainly don't have any problem with that. It's no different to L platers or the elderly or those who just simply aren't confident. They have every right to use the road as well.

What I have a problem with is when they refuse to let you pass.
Plenty drivers pull over or just simply let you overtake.
Others however think its allmighty powerful to refuse to let you get past them or speed up when they think you can overtake.
Its these fools that I think people have issues with.

I drove back last weekend towing and it was raining and the Hume was busy so I slowed down a bit. In the left lane and let those who wanted to go faster do so.
It was quite a pleasant safe drive. No real story to tell, and that's just the point.
Plenty of miles done safely, calmly and without event, but we love to rant about that few minutes of agro with some tool who chooses to do the wrong thing.
I'll admit I'm guilty.

Drive safely
Brian

[dazzler]

Hi Brian.

You make a good point. Recently I drove from Melb to qld in our old rodeo. 90ks mostly in the left lane and you know what?  It wasn't too bad.

Relaxed actually.

[edz]

Hell with all the micro tech available these days lets get serious ....WHY even bother to have speed camera's, radars etc wasting tax payers money, just retro fit an electro gizmo speed GPS with in car camera [ to prove who was driving ] to each car at rego time. Have a live data link to a police linked satelite, each time you break the speed limit you get points deducted and an automatic fine deducted from your bank account electronicaly.. That would realy increase road safety for sure .
Lose enough points and an automatic arrest warrant gets issued and sent and your vehicle is disabled..  till robocop out on patrol, comes to pick you up . ..

[KingBilly]

Gotta have money in your bank account for that to work 

[edz]

Theyd work out a way to get you still... The day will come when something like this will happen, sometime in the future .