Cop versus bike fatality - Poll up on Yahoo for 20 April only

[shafty]

Have your say - Yahoo has a Poll up FOR TODAY asking your opinon on this matter. Its at http://nz.yahoo.com - centre of page, Cheers, Shafty

[candor]

4813 votes yes
3496 votes no
Don't know 6% 549 votes

[p.dath]

This makes me ask myself if the Police re-directed some of that emphasis into other activities could we have a lower road toll. You also have to consider the job of the Police - enforcement of the law and keeping public order. They are not employed to do anything else. They are not there to teach or train - that is the job of others.

I guess if you consider what they are employed to do, what else can they do but give out tickets?

[CookMySock]

They are not there to teach or train - that is the job of others.

Actually I think it's an important precedent to set - A friendly traffic cop doing your bike training and drivers license test. I think a lot of positive attitudes would be created and a big step towards creating positive attitudes and a positive relationship. Of course, they would probably have to sort their current attitudes and policies out first.

edit: Owl City makes awesome music...

Steve

[p.dath]

Actually I think it's an important precedent to set - A friendly traffic cop doing your bike training and drivers license test. I think a lot of positive attitudes would be created and a big step towards creating positive attitudes and a positive relationship. Of course, they would probably have to sort their current attitudes and policies out first.

edit: Owl City makes awesome music...

Steve

Police officers do not do bike training or give people their drivers licence test. That is the job of private contractors.

[Ixion]

Police officers do not do bike training or give people their drivers licence test. That is the job of private contractors.

They used to , though, back in snake days. And garnered a lot of goodwill thereby (mind you, I guess the snakes needed any positive PR they could get. Still, was a positive though).

I'll give credit to what the local snake taught me for safing my life. He was a good bastard. When he didn't have the ticket book out.

[Oakie]

"Is police emphasis on speeding ticket revenue contributing to the road toll?" Shitty question really. The emphasis is on speeders...
Oakie pauses and awaits inevitable flaming

It's painfully obvious that they contributed on this most recent occasion. What we can never know though is how many lives have been saved because of their emphasis on speeding. There may have been a stuff up this past weekend but for every life they've taken on the roads, they've probably saved hundreds.

[zealchick]

"Is police emphasis on speeding ticket revenue contributing to the road toll?" Shitty question really. The emphasis is on speeders...
Oakie pauses and awaits inevitable flaming

It's painfully obvious that they contributed on this most recent occasion. What we can never know though is how many lives have been saved because of their emphasis on speeding. There may have been a stuff up this past weekend but for every life they've taken on the roads, they've probably saved hundreds.

So well said.... we tend to bag the cops straight away. A very unfortunate accident that this cop will never forget

[trailblazer]

you are dead right in what you have said. Would there be such an uproar if it wasn't a motorcyclist. while it was a horrible tradgedy who on here hasn't had an accidant that could have been prevented.

[Winston001]

What a stupid question. It assumes the only reason the police catch people exceeding the speed limit is to make money. Utter rot.

The rational question would have been:

Is police emphasis on catching speeding drivers contributing to the road toll?

[davebullet]

"Is police emphasis on speeding ticket revenue contributing to the road toll?"

Out of interest... did the Police actually make this claim or are we just eating what the media choose to feed us?

[Oakie]

Whew. I'm not alone. Seems there'll be a few of us getting flamed.

[davebullet]

Whew. I'm not alone. Seems there'll be a few of us getting flamed.

I missed your reply above - agreed.. Propaganda is rife in both eastern and western worlds. A wise person believes half of what they read. A genius believes the right half. Flame me all they want - it's just a website. I just want the truth.

[robinm]

Slightly off subject, but way back when I was a bulletproof 18 yr old, riding a very noisy Suzuki GT750, the local copper lived two houses away. I got lots and lots of tickets, until I cottoned on to pushing the bike out the drive, coasting to the bottom of the small hill we lived on, then starting the bike and riding as quietly as I could, until I was a few blocks away before going for it. The bugga was going out after me when he heard me leave!!.

[Maki]

"Is police emphasis on speeding ticket revenue contributing to the road toll?" Shitty question really. The emphasis is on speeders...
Oakie pauses and awaits inevitable flaming

It's painfully obvious that they contributed on this most recent occasion. What we can never know though is how many lives have been saved because of their emphasis on speeding. There may have been a stuff up this past weekend but for every life they've taken on the roads, they've probably saved hundreds.

Don't be so bloody shure.

"Up until 2007, rural freeways in the Northern Territory, Australia had no speed limit. Claiming that speed limits were essential to saving lives, the state government imposed a 130km/h (80 MPH) limit on the Stuart, Arnhem, Victoria and Barkly highways and a 110km/h (68 MPH) speed limit on all other roads, unless otherwise marked lower. Despite the best of intentions, however, the number of road deaths actually increased 70 percent after the change — despite worldwide drop in traffic levels (view chart)."

http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/aus...imits-imposed/

Policing actually seems to have led to more deaths, not less and that probably does not include people killed by morons in cop cars doing U turns in stupid places.

If they were to place the emphasis on behavior that is really dangerous, such as overtaking in areas with limited visibility, driving while impaired and general stupidity such as U turns where no one should dream of making one I believe they would actually make our roads safer.