How to get off a speeding ticket

quote:

Travelling down to Cardiff for the Wales/England game, i pass a Scamera Van out to catch anyone over the limit on their way there. Coming back in the evening, the Scamera Van has switched to the other side to catch folk on the way back. If that's got nothing to do with revenue collecting, i'll eat my hat...

We seem to have an over zealous attitude with regard to speed cameras in South East Wales. On a one journey, I,ve passed one at Port Talbot, another at Bridgend, onto Llantrisant, Cardiff Gate, last but not least - Magor, and I think the worst one is on the new Seven Bridge when your entering Wales where a new speed restriction has now changed from 70 to a 50.

The only thing positive I can say however is that they post on the web where cameras will be that week. (So really you could argue, there's no excuse).

http://www.checkyourspeed.org.uk/fe/default.asp?n1=32&n2=36

Regards

Justyn.

I hail from South Wales and I heard that the daughter of the Chief Constable of the Newport area was killed by a speeding motorist (who also happened to be drunk).

I have NO IDEA whether this is true or not.

However it serves as a reminder that Police are only human, and sometimes the victim of crime/imperfections of society themselves. (Well, it does to me, anyway).

I for one go very carefully re speed in this area, er, everywhere, Officer.

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Originally posted by andy c:
Might also be a deterrant to get folk to slow down a little...

How can it be a deterrant when it can be up to 2 weeks before you're informed of your law breaking? You could cover 1000's of miles in that time, driving like you stole it.
And nice of them to put them at the bottom of a long perfectly straight descent. Sorry, i just think it's a sly shitty way to catch folk out.

Anyone contemplating improving their security should contact their local crime prevention officer. (If they still have them in the UK)

He/she can then point out where the burglar got in so easily and how he overcame the pathetic level of security offered by your commercial locks, hasps and padlocks. Do it now! Rather than after the event.

I thought I heard a danish police officer saying that hard drugs to feed a habit cost an addict an average of £200 a day. The wasters with a habit gets less than a fifth of the value of the stolen goods from their fence. So they must steal over £1200 of your belongings every day of the week.

What a shame they took away the right to kill any unwanted visitors in your own home. You could save society a conservative £8-10k of losses a week per dead drug addict. Not to mention the lifelong lack of self-confidence in the security of your own home after you are burgled.

Getting back on subject: Why do police officers with radar guns hide beyond blind corners if it a public campaign to slow speeding motorists? You never see them on a long straight....?

quote:

How can it be a deterrant when it can be up to 2 weeks before you're informed of your law breaking? You could cover 1000's of miles in that time, driving like you stole it.
And nice of them to put them at the bottom of a long perfectly straight descent. Sorry, i just think it's a sly shitty way to catch folk out.

and if you knew anything about my previous posts on this topic you would know I agree with you! ten years behind the wheel of a granada/senator/cosworth/volvo/subaru taught me the correct way to deal with motorists - fairly! I'm sure you can work that one out.

Oh and for the record 14 days to notify someone of an intention to prosecute them is sometimes not long enough!

andy c!

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Getting back on subject: Why do police officers with radar guns hide beyond blind corners if it a public campaign to slow speeding motorists?

appen if yer going too fast around a bend you may not be able to stop in time?

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Originally posted by andy c:

appen if yer going too fast around a bend you may not be able to stop in time?

Poor psychology Guv! I can't slow down in time therefore I have no choice in avoiding a fine.
I feel cheated and resentful and am now seriously anti-police. I feel alienated and will fail to help them in future situations where my input might be valuable. I will badmouth the police at every oppportunity and my 17.5 children will be listening. Resulting in several million pounds of criminal activity per week for the rest of their lives when they aren't actively employed educating and rehabilitating prison guards.

Smirk if you must. But danish experts are telling parents never to badmouth the police, teachers or education in the presence of their children. This faulty behaviour has (allegedly) resulted in the collapse of discipline in schools. Not the removal of corporal punishment!

Nime,

LOL!

How about applying a bit of common sense to driving then. 1st off be able to stop in the distance in front of you that you can see to be clear between you and the car in front, or as far as you can see round the bend in question?

If everyone did this, crashes would fall dramatically!

andy c!

Now you're preaching to the converted!

PS Did you pinch this idea from my post on the "speeding" thread?

Nah,
I pinched it from my driving instructor in 1993 when I got my grade 1! Now i only crash reversing into stuff LOL

andy c!

Is that written confession?

Nime,

ROLF.

Oh yes. I'm quite good at reversing into stuff - well I was when I was younger anyway. A lamp post and another works vehicle have been slightly 'tickled' by me - nothing serious tho.

I am quite safe going forwards LOL!

andy c!

PS - my gran used to have a saying about being perfect - it went something like this:
"there is no point in being perfect - you only have on way to go then and thats down. better to just try to be above average - you will still get noticed but for the right reasons!"

Mmm

Oh and FWIW a typed confession, without more, is not an admission of guilt, even on the Naim forum

It is if it's signed.

Just my 2 cents. Why whinge about the cost of your stupidity. If you drive above the speed limit, you can be or will be fined. Get over it.

If you do not want to be fined, stop speeding. It does not take a genious to figure out that if everyone stop speeding, there will be no revenue, it will eventually reach a point where the police will have to focus elsewhere like catching the real criminals.

You stupid speeders are giving the boys and girls in blue an easy way out insted of doing the job we all want them to do. So stop whinging, slow down and the let the police catch the real crims. Plus the added incentive of driving "smartly" is fuel savings. Anyone notice the price at the pumps these days? Huh!

quote:

Originally posted by andy c:
Funnily enough where I live burglary offences are down by a considerable margin on last year, due to prevention! Prevention re installing burglar alarms and education campaigns re locks and sutting windows etc. Sadly car crime has gone up - wonder why?

Because none of the offenders are ever caught and brought to justice in spite of more cameras in the average high street than in the Big Brother house?

So to reiterate. Lock your house, buy alarm etc. then get your car broken into because houses have become more difficult.

Just keep paying your council tax and take the crime rate on the chin like nice little drones.

quote:

Originally posted by andy c:
How about applying a bit of common sense to driving then. 1st off be able to stop in the distance in front of you that you can see to be clear between you and the car in front, or as far as you can see round the bend in question?

If everyone did this, crashes would fall dramatically!

andy c!

If everyone did this, then hundreds of bastards would appear from nowhere and cut into the now-just-about-big-enough gaps.
Well, that's what happens to me - and I always leave the "two chevron's worth", as I expect does everyone who has ever been in a serious car crash*

I appreciate I am somewhat contradicting the use of the word "everyone" here, but hey, the world ain't perfect...


(*passenger, I shriek before anyone leaps to conclusions)

quote:

Originally posted by rodwsmith:

quote:

Originally posted by andy c:
How about applying a bit of common sense to driving then. 1st off be able to stop in the distance in front of you that you can see to be clear between you and the car in front, or as far as you can see round the bend in question?

If everyone did this, crashes would fall dramatically!

andy c!

If everyone did this, then hundreds of bastards would appear from nowhere and cut into the now-just-about-big-enough gaps.

So what? Annoying but not adding a huge amount to your journey time.

Your safety is your responsibility.

For once I agree with Nigel on this topic. Those bastards fill the gap I've left all-too often meaning I have to drop back too create another gap.

What would happen if, just as the twat in the 4 x 4 pick-up, cuts in front of you to fill the gap you've left, everything stops and you rear-end him. My guess is it would classed to be your fault and not his.

The bastards could be taught to respect distances kept by other vehicles as well as keeping their own if only there was less emphasis placed on the question of absolute speed and simplistic speed limit compliance.

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Plus the added incentive of driving "smartly" is fuel savings. Anyone notice the price at the pumps these days?

Driving slow does not equal driving smart. Exceeding the 30 and 40 limits by 10mph respectively is actually better for fuel consumption. Some people present some incredibly fatuous arguments regarding speed and fuel economy. I once read a letter in a local newspaper suggesting that a 20mph limit would be a very good idea as it would reduce fuel consumption. Anyone who actually drives a car on a regular basis would know that at 20mph in second gear you will burn around double the amount of fuel compared to driving at 50 or 60mph in fifth.

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Originally posted by Nigel Cavendish:
[So what? Annoying but not adding a huge amount to your journey time.

Your safety is your responsibility.

Well, point taken Nigel, but as the action of the "shovers-in" then necessitates slowing down to recreate the gap, I suspect this could very well be one of the causes of the bunching that is encounterd on busy motorways. I know there has been much research into what causes this effect. We have probably all experienced a slow moving traffic jam that has/had no obvious cause once through. It appears that a relatively small number of cars slowing down in tandem can be the author of such a thing. If this is then followed by heavy traffic, the risk of a pile up is greatly increased and this can cost lives.

Of course not leaving enough space is obviously not any kind of solution. People cutting in however is exceptionally dangerous and was the cause of the accident that nearly killed me and put a close friend of mine in hospital for over a year.

"So what?" you say?
A bit more than just "annoying" anyway. Added foureen months to my friend's journey time.

The police should target cutting in and tailgating as an experiment for, say, six months on a few key busy (but fairly free-flowing) stretches of motorway. At the same time they could abandon speed limit enforcement (apart from the guys that really take the piss.) The results could be interesting...

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Of course not leaving enough space is obviously not any kind of solution. People cutting in however is exceptionally dangerous and was the cause of the accident that nearly killed me and put a close friend of mine in hospital for over a year.

And would you have the police prevent this with high profile patrols and media campaigns, or prosecute with evidence when the due care offence is committed?

Do you see there is merit in both approaches?

If so, why are you blaming the police for not detecting enough crime (a fair point I agree), and yet you give nothing to the fact that we ought to have responsiblity for our own posessions/manner of driving?

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Because none of the offenders are ever caught and brought to justice in spite of more cameras in the average high street than in the Big Brother house?

This is not true. Its a sweeping comment that is not correct. CCTV helps both to prove innocence re false accusations, as well as guilt, and has done so on numerous, numerous occasions IME!

andy c!

Steve,

the wrong speed for the conditions causes crashes. An argument could be that some folk don't even appreciate this aspect of driving manner,,,

Andy,

I said:

quote:

(apart from the guys that really take the piss.)

Taking the piss may include any of the following:

1) Driving at speeds of more than 100mph. Whilst on the autobahn it may be safe to do over the ton, it isn't in the UK because other drivers, when/if they check their mirrors, are not really expecting roadrunner to be coming up behind them at mach 1.

2) Not being able to stop within your visible distance. In fog that could be as low as 30 mph. The 70 limit is irrelevant.

3) Heavy rain, snow and ice etc. As above.

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An argument could be that some folk don't even appreciate this aspect of driving manner,,,

Then they should bloody well learn. A posted speed limit only serves as a deflection from this very important aspect.

quote:

Originally posted by andy c:

quote:

Of course not leaving enough space is obviously not any kind of solution. People cutting in however is exceptionally dangerous and was the cause of the accident that nearly killed me and put a close friend of mine in hospital for over a year.

And would you have the police prevent this with high profile patrols and media campaigns, or prosecute with evidence when the due care offence is committed?

Do you see there is merit in both approaches?

If so, why are you blaming the police for not detecting enough crime (a fair point I agree), and yet you give nothing to the fact that we ought to have responsiblity for our own posessions/manner of driving?

andy c!

Erm, I'm not sure I follow your logic here Andy. I do think it is outrageous that burglars go, not just unpunished, but unlooked for (seems to me) whilst the rest of us can get speeding tickets where (arguments passim) these MAY be just revenue generation and a waste - in their own way - of police time.
I not sure at any point I have "blamed" the police in any way, if the police priorities are wrong (and whilst I think this may well be the case I'd bow to your better knowledge), then it is the fault of those who set the priorities. A burglary is patently not the police's fault.

If you can come up with any system of deterring, stopping or punishing those who cut into too small gaps in moving traffic, then go for it, in any way. This does seem terribly hard to police to me in fact, and certainly the only thing such arsehole drivers could be charged with is reckless/dangerous driving which would surely require more evidence than you're likely to have.

As it happens I have yet to see anything terribly compelling against making overtaking in any lane legal. It goes on frequently enough anyway, it works in America (although I can accept their freeways seem to a) move less fast and b) have more lanes and c) take a bit of getting used to driving on) and it would also at a stroke stop the tossers who sit in the middle lane (wearing their hats and driving indicator-disabled volvos). This would, if not stop, then at least limit anyone's desire or need to cut into too small a gap.

However, I still think the police should devote more resources to viscious and conscience-free criminals than crap drivers, no matter (within reason) how crap those drivers are.

quote:

Originally posted by andy c:
and yet you give nothing to the fact that we ought to have responsiblity for our own posessions/manner of driving?

andy c!

I don't remember (not) doing that.

The second quote in your last post was not from me, I think that should be made clear.