Average speeds dropping, yet road toll increasing

**riffer** · 1st January 2010, 06:36

Interesting.

From the stuff website:

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crim...t-numbers-down

So, average speeds are down to some of the lowest ever, speed camera tickets have dropped by a quarter, speed is a related factor in only 1 in 6 injury crashes now, down from the 1 in 3 when the speed cameras where introduced...

and the road toll is increasing...

**crazyhorse** · 1st January 2010, 06:54

They will need to get revenue up again, so guess they will do WOF and rego checks to make their quotas .............

**Conquiztador** · 1st January 2010, 06:57

Originally Posted by riffer

Interesting.

From the stuff website:

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crim...t-numbers-down

So, average speeds are down to some of the lowest ever, speed camera tickets have dropped by a quarter, speed is a related factor in only 1 in 6 injury crashes now, down from the 1 in 3 when the speed cameras where introduced...

and the road toll is increasing...

Couple of comments:

- The info they have there re highest ticketed sides has mistakes in it. By reading what is provided we see that ex. "Meeanee Quay, Westshore, Napier, 3823 tickets issued" should be in the national top ten. It therefore straight away puts doubts in the statistics provided.

- If tickets for speeding are going down and average speed is going down, but accidents are on the rise, is the expensive "Speed Kills" campaign where so much money should be focused? Or is this just a indication that they have no friggin idea what is the man cause of ppl having accidents, and speed is a easy target?

- You would expect that people who travel the same roads often have become accustomised to the placing of the stationary cameras, and after being penalised once will remember where it is and not allow it to happen again, therefore contributing highly to the drop in the tickets from that camera.

- Nowehere is it made clear if this is only including the stationary cameras (the article seems to indicate this) or if the mobile cameras are included too.

My comment: I applaud anything that will save lives. But is this revenue gathering really achieving anything else than revenue gathering?

**denill** · 1st January 2010, 07:21

So, speed doesn't kill.

I never thought it did.

Accidents kill. And accidents happen at any speed.

**grusomhat** · 1st January 2010, 07:30

I bet another factor is the advent of cheap GPS units that have Fixed camera locations as POI. That would help a lot of out-of-towners who are likely the biggest source for most cameras.

**Monkeynz** · 1st January 2010, 07:45

With last year being in recession, people have not had spare cash to pay speeding fines so have reduced their speed to avoid getting caught.

I know I have slowed down in my car, but unfortunately not on my bike..... sorry but just can't help it, although nearly got caught during the week.

**CookMySock** · 1st January 2010, 07:49

Originally Posted by crazyhorse

They will need to get revenue up again, so guess they will do WOF and rego checks to make their quotas .............

They are already doing that. It's cool how they just wave bikes through WOF and Rego checkpoints.. Though I always have a WOF.

Steve

**crazyhorse** · 1st January 2010, 07:53

Originally Posted by DangerousBastard

They are already doing that. It's cool how they just wave bikes through WOF and Rego checkpoints.. Though I always have a WOF.

Steve

I haven't been stopped for a while now, but I wasn't waved through, Even had to pull out the ole licence too..... and doubt they will wave bikes through when the new fees come into force

**twotyred** · 1st January 2010, 07:53

Originally Posted by Conquiztador

- If tickets for speeding are going down and average speed is going down, but accidents are on the rise, is the expensive "Speed Kills" campaign where so much money should be focused? Or is this just a indication that they have no friggin idea what is the man cause of ppl having accidents, and speed is a easy target?

that's it in a nutshell

**oldrider** · 1st January 2010, 08:30

What a lot of bullshit these statistics are, they do nothing more than provide mutual back scratching (mutual gratification) for those involved with them!

It may be an "area" thing but I have observed the average speed is increasing on the open road!

My bike seems to feel comfortable and easy to ride at around seventy mph at 4k revs.

That is when I want to travel trouble free and not spend "all" my time worrying about ticket salesmen.

Having no radar detector, it seems easier to wash off any excessive speed quickly from there when I am confronted by revenue gathering opportunists.

At around 70mph I just used to quietly work my way through the traffic into the clear spots in the traffic flow.

That practice has now increased to 80mph or I am being overtaken by all in sundry and am looking for clear spots "behind" me, rather than on the road ahead!

On some days it has been as high as 90mph and that includes little old ladies, assorted vehicles with boat trailers, campervans, trucks and buses, you name it!

I don't ride like a Nana all the time but as a retired pensioner there is not the need for "speed all the time" and we like to enjoy our bike and the countryside as much as possible, trouble free.

Just saying the statistics in that report and my experience, where I normally ride, tell me that they are bullshit!

How often am I out there?

Well I bought my current bike 28/02/07 and have travelled 30k miles (50k kilometres) since then, so that's a reasonable amount of time.

I have two other vehicles as well to spend time driving in as well.

I just believe people are travelling faster than ever, especially out on the open road, it doesn't bother me, it is the "dangerous" driving that does that!

Failing to keep bloody "left" is the worst offending in the area's where I mainly travel!

**Monkeynz** · 1st January 2010, 08:35

Originally Posted by oldrider

What a lot of bullshit these statistics are, they do nothing more than provide mutual back scratching (mutual gratification) for those involved with them!

It may be an "area" thing but I have observed the average speed is increasing on the open road!

My bike seems to feel comfortable and easy to ride at around seventy mph at 4k revs.

That is when I want to travel trouble free and not spend "all" my time worrying about ticket salesmen.

Having no radar detector, it seems easier to wash off any excessive speed quickly from there when I am confronted by revenue gathering opportunists.

At around 70mph I just used to quietly work my way through the traffic into the clear spots in the traffic flow.

That practice has now increased to 80mph or I am being overtaken by all in sundry and am looking for clear spots "behind" me, rather than on the road ahead!

On some days it has been as high as 90mph and that includes little old ladies, assorted vehicles with boat trailers, campervans, trucks and buses, you name it!

I don't ride like a Nana all the time but as a retired pensioner there is not the need for "speed all the time" and we like to enjoy our bike and the countryside as much as possible, trouble free.

Just saying the statistics in that report and my experience, where I normally ride, tell me that they are bullshit!

How often am I out there?

Well I bought my current bike 28/02/07 and have travelled 30k miles (50k kilometres) since then, so that's a reasonable amount of time.

I have two other vehicles as well to spend time driving in as well.

I just believe people are travelling faster than ever, especially out on the open road, it doesn't bother me, it is the "dangerous" driving that does that!

Failing to keep bloody "left" is the worst offending in the area's where I mainly travel!

Yep, well said.

**CookMySock** · 1st January 2010, 08:39

Originally Posted by oldrider

It may be an "area" thing but I have observed the average speed is increasing on the open road!

My bike seems to feel comfortable and easy to ride at around seventy mph at 4k revs.

At around 70mph I just used to quietly work my way through the traffic into the clear spots in the traffic flow.

That practice has now increased to 80mph or I am being overtaken by all in sundry and am looking for clear spots "behind" me, rather than on the road ahead!

On some days it has been as high as 90mph and that includes little old ladies, assorted vehicles with boat trailers, campervans, trucks and buses, you name it!

Either there's something wrong with your speedo or it IS an area thing. There's no way that is happening over here.

I sit on 105-115k mostly, and I'm passing everything in sight. It is very very rare that I am overtaken by any vehicle at any time.

Mind you, I do not hesitate in traffic. Any little gap is used as a way forward, and I know and exploit any loophole in the law to move ahead, leaving much traffic puzzled and annoyed behind me. Funny ay.

Steve

**Monkeynz** · 1st January 2010, 08:42

Mind you, I do not hesitate in traffic. Any little gap is used as a way forward, and I know and exploit any loophole in the law to move ahead, leaving much traffic puzzled and annoyed behind me. Funny ay.

Steve[/QUOTE]

While you're on that subject, whats the laws around riding between vehicles say stopped at a set of lights?

**CookMySock** · 1st January 2010, 08:47

Originally Posted by Monkeynz

While you're on that subject, whats the laws around riding between vehicles say stopped at a set of lights?

There is an enormous amount of reading material on this site about that, but basically you may pass on the right, in any lane, at any time, at any speed, as long as you can say WHY it was safe, and as long as you do not cross a yellow no-passing line, AND additionally, if the traffic is completely stopped, then you may also pass on the left. In a nutshell.

Steve