Road Toll

[tk421]

+1.  have to agree with KB here...

speed and drunken idiots are two of the biggest killers on the road.  hence the reason they concentrate on them...

in the end, you can't cure 'stupid'...

yup - in the 4 and a half months after introducing RBT in NSW in 1982 there was a 48% reduction in fatal road accidents.

[dales133]

Speed cameras are predominantly revenue collection devices disguised as safty tools.
A wholeheartedly agree there are absolute tosspots hammering around doing excessive speeds and they are a danger to everyone including themselves but they are a minority.
If i get booked for instance doing 56 in a 50 that's flat out bs and to try to convince me that it is punishable by fine for any other reason than revenue collection is a waste of time because it's horse Shit.
Unless we want to all agree that Germans are indeed the master race and far more capable of driving over 100k and it isn't just thier tax dollars build better roads than ours. our tax dollars plus millions in speed camera fines should go on better roads not to our our incompitant governments coffers

[Bird]

yup - in the 4 and a half months after introducing RBT in NSW in 1982 there was a 48% reduction in fatal road accidents.

they have lost their effectiveness. Many don't give a Shit anymore.

NSW alone
Drink driving charges 298
Positive drug tests 222
 

[paceman]

they have lost their effectiveness. Many don't give a Shit anymore.

NSW alone
Drink driving charges 298
Positive drug tests 222

the justice system is what has lost its effectiveness...

when there is little to no penalty, people won't care as much...

[Bird]

the justice system is what has lost its effectiveness...

when there is little to no penalty, people won't care as much...

I put it down to less cops on the road compared to humans.. more presence and people will change... But that costs money not makes money...

first thing most people do when the see a cop is check their speed...

[Foo]

Make a presence on the road and people slow down. Hide and no one thinks about it! 

Foo

[dales133]

More cops less fixed speed cameras, but the local govt dosn't want that...Both options cost them too much

[Swannie]

On driving home yesterday cruising along on 95-98 on a 100 signed road I must have had 50 cars go past and give me a look of disgust as I was clearly driving at the speed limit. At least 10 cars decided to cut back in front of me within a meter of old Frankie.

Swannie

[tk421]

I put it down to less cops on the road compared to humans.. more presence and people will change... But that costs money not makes money...

first thing most people do when the see a cop is check their speed...

Isn't that what happened in New York. They asked Mayor Giuliani (sp?) how he'd reduced the crime rate so much. He said he put more cops on the street and less behind their desks doing paperwork.

More visible cops out the less issues there are.  Mind you I saw about 15-20 cops out and about on the Pacific Highway this weekend.

[Bird]

just another, today heading to airport and home, it was pissin down, I mean real Shit conditions, and the amount of people with no headlights on with viz at some stages where the water was sitting on the road, only 50-100mtrs tops..
What are people trying to save their car battery power?

[lino6]

My thoughts go out to a MySwag family that lost a Mother, and the father is still in hospital in a bad way. As far as I am aware they were in the wrong spot at the wrong time and was hit by someone on the wrong side of the road. Please take care at all times but especially at the busier times.

If we can keep the tone of this thread a bit lighter for the time being that would be appreciated

GG

Sad reminder that this can happen to anyone.

Thoughts go out to the swaggers.

[KingBilly]

Sad reminder that this can happen to anyone.

Thoughts go out to the swaggers.

And ours also

KB

[paceman]

Sad reminder that this can happen to anyone.

Thoughts go out to the swaggers.

+1...  prayers to the family involved, and also friends...

[BigDog816]

I put it down to less cops on the road compared to humans.. more presence and people will change... But that costs money not makes money...

first thing most people do when the see a cop is check their speed...

Agreed, if it was about road safety and not revenue raising they would be more visible and wouldn't have unmarked speed cameras. The best thing the police could do in an unmarked car to get people to slowdown is drive around around flashing their headlights at oncoming traffic.

[BigDog816]

Sad reminder that this can happen to anyone.

Thoughts go out to the swaggers.

Terrible, thoughts go out to them.

[Mik01]

Agreed, if it was about road safety and not revenue raising they would be more visible and wouldn't have unmarked speed cameras. The best thing the police could do in an unmarked car to get people to slowdown is drive around around flashing their headlights at oncoming traffic.

I get to drive around the country a bit. Recently in NSW I saw a marked camera vehicle with warning signs before and after. Was nice and visible.
In QLD, they only have to display a single sign which is always on the other side of the vehicle from where you are approaching. And they are unmarked, or worse they are hidden behind Perspex in custom ute canopies.

[KingBilly]

For all those having a little whinge about speed cameras, whether they be marked or unmarked, here is an easy solution to solve all your problems, don't speed.  Simple!!!!

For those who reckon the cops are doing it for revenue raising, seriously?  The police get no revenue from fines of any description.  All fines go to the state gevernment's consolidated revenue fund and the police budget is doled out by your elected representatives just like for any other government department budget.

Every state govenment in Australia would go broke overnight if they did not have speed cameras.  I personally reckon speed cameras are great.  The more the better.  You see I know that if there weren't any speed cameras, the government would have to raise taxes, or introduce new taxes, to cover their current level of spending on things like health and education and better roads etc.  Because I don't speed, I don't have to pay the speed camera tax and can leave it to those who speed to subsidise my welfare.  Speed cameras are saving me taxes.  They are great!!!!  Let's have more of them.

KB

[edz]

In this day and age of cars / trucks being that 99.9 % are fitted with computers,  it would be easier and cheaper to market a mass produced speed limeter and retro fit it, No more speed worries and free's up the Blue ..

[KingBilly]

In this day and age of cars / trucks being that 99.9 % are fitted with computers,  it would be easier and cheaper to market a mass produced speed limeter and retro fit it, No more speed worries and free's up the Blue ..

Nooooo, then my taxes will go up.  Let the speedsters pay my taxes for me.  Silly suggestion 

KB

[lino6]

In this day and age of cars / trucks being that 99.9 % are fitted with computers,  it would be easier and cheaper to market a mass produced speed limeter and retro fit it, No more speed worries and free's up the Blue ..

GPS trackers are the way to go. Every month download the info and issue fines accordingly. We have them in our work trucks and issue warnings to those that continually break the speed limits.

[cardinal28]

Heard an interesting comment the other day regarding people falling asleep behind the wheel. Apparently most new vehicles today, the cabins are very well sealed from the outside world, so after a period of time when the air con is set on recirculate the oxygen levels in the cabins become very low and that is when drowsiness sets in and people tend to want to go to sleep. A solution is to every hour or two to put the air con on fresh to replenish the oxygen in the cabin. Makes sense to me.
As far as speed cameras go, you only have to have a UHF on channel 40 to find out where a camera or hand held is situated. Personally I think more patrol cars would slow people down. Sure they tell you on the UHF where they saw them, but buy the time you get there the patrol car could be anywhere. I totally agree with the comments ' If you don't want to get booked for speeding, then don't speed'. Simple solution.

[Moggy]

I get to drive around the country a bit. Recently in NSW I saw a marked camera vehicle with warning signs before and after. Was nice and visible.
In QLD, they only have to display a single sign which is always on the other side of the vehicle from where you are approaching. And they are unmarked, or worse they are hidden behind Perspex in custom ute canopies.

Strange that isn't it.
Its a bit like "Flashing oncoming traffic" if you do it & get caught you get fined (apparently) but if i think someone heading towards me is travelling to fast, I flash 'em, may or may not slow them down but my bet would be that they would slow down fo the next few klms at least, i know i always do. So my gripe with potentially getting fined for doing it is, whats more important someone slowing down & possibly saving a life or that the police miss out on nabbing a speedster?
In saying that i have been "Flashed" by highway patrol, was probably doing the obligatory 10% over, but hey i did slow (if only to see whether they turned & chased) down, i was grateful for the warning, so whats good for the goose is good for the gander 

[KingBilly]

Strange that isn't it.
Its a bit like "Flashing oncoming traffic" if you do it & get caught you get fined (apparently) but if i think someone heading towards me is travelling to fast, I flash 'em, may or may not slow them down but my bet would be that they would slow down fo the next few klms at least, i know i always do. So my gripe with potentially getting fined for doing it is, whats more important someone slowing down & possibly saving a life or that the police miss out on nabbing a speedster?
In saying that i have been "Flashed" by highway patrol, was probably doing the obligatory 10% over, but hey i did slow (if only to see whether they turned & chased) down, i was grateful for the warning, so whats good for the goose is good for the gander 

Comparing youself randomly flashing somebody who you are "guessing" is speeding to a cop car flashing you based upon their tested and QA approved radar is not much of a comparison.

Oh, and in Qld, the "obligatory 10% over" went out 12 months or more ago.  Good luck if you are still basing your speed on that.

KB

[Moggy]

Comparing youself randomly flashing somebody who you are "guessing" is speeding to a cop car flashing you based upon their tested and QA approved radar is not much of a comparison.

Oh, and in Qld, the "obligatory 10% over" went out 12 months or more ago.  Good luck if you are still basing your speed on that.

KB

You totally missed the point of my post.
I was merely questioning the validity of fining someone who "flashes" oncoming traffic with a view to slowing them down, regardless of whether i "guess" the speed as opposed to police radar.
Because in the cold hard light of day there is noway known if my "flashing" makes any difference at all, simply because its a circular argument. The other consideration is also the limit maybe 100 but if its pi$$in rain then that speed may not be appropriate, but it certainly wouldnt be illegal.
As i said previously the only guaranteed way to eliminate the road toll is to get rid of the cause - CARS -
I hope i never have to face that & i feel for the people that have & do, but we need to understand its inevitable that people will be killed whilst driving cars

My speed is based on the speedo, & i know the 10% rule went out, its down to 8% apparently 

[tk421]

Strange that isn't it.
Its a bit like "Flashing oncoming traffic" if you do it & get caught you get fined (apparently).

The fine is for using high beams within 200m of an oncoming car (at least in NSW).  Simple solution, turn lights on and off quickly to low beam only.