Speeding tickets. Why the angst?

[Mad-V2]

Or what about giving out a licence too speed? sounds silly but if you encourage drivers to take a series of advanced driver training courses that need to be reviewed/re-sat annually, this could possibly improve driving in general.
What I mean is if you have a "licence to speed" you can travel up to a specified speed, around 130k's or so if the conditions allow it and traffic is very light.
But if you are caught doing these speeds in the wrong places, like built up areas/residential/busy motorways, you loose your right to travel at speed and have to resit your advanced training again.
My theory is, that when you constantly travel at a higher than normal speed, you improve your reaction time for when you slow down to normal speed (feels like walking speed) But when you travel at say 80 - 90 all day then suddenly speed up to 100, it feels quite allot faster than it normally would if you sat on 100 all day (hope that makes sense)
I think the prospect of being able to speed without consequence will get alot of people motivated to take the advanced driver training courses which should improve driving as a whole.
But THAT will never happen!!!!

[oneofsix]

But maybe if policing idiot driving was based on something like the threat of a crushed vehicle, like the hoon law, or heavier demerit points and loss of licence it might work. According to the Police Minister no cars have been crushed because boy racers are coming into line.

Policing idiot drivers involves putting them in front of judges, see the editorial in today's DomPost for comment on unbiased enforcement by judges (thanks crasher)

[Scuba_Steve]

Or what about giving out a licence too speed?

What about a licencing system that is more than "heres money" "Well I see you know how to keep your eyes off the road, heres your licence"

Maybee one where you had to prove you could drive, now that might be an idea... Don't see it taking off tho the Govt couldn't drive round then.

[steve_t]

Or what about giving out a licence too speed?

Refer to posts about 'speed differentials'

[steve_t]

What about a licencing system that is more than "heres money" "Well I see you know how to keep your eyes off the road, heres your licence"

Eyes off the road? On the speedo?

[Zedder]

Policing idiot drivers involves putting them in front of judges, see the editorial in today's DomPost for comment on unbiased enforcement by judges (thanks crasher)

Forget about judges, it doesn't have to be that way.

Cops could do it. No fines, only heavy demerits leading to loss of licence or vehicle crushing for idiot drivers.

Mind you it would probably lead to huge loss of revenue and everything else would go up.

[Mad-V2]

O.k so I understand that when speed increases, so does the risk of crashing.
But if you spend a month doing advanced driver training annually, your risk of crashing should decrease as you have more control of your driving and awareness.
Also these courses should be made very hard to pass, and if your caught doing the wrong thing on the road, the consequences should be very harsh.

[Scuba_Steve]

Eyes off the road? On the speedo?

Speedo, mirrors (all 3 of them) etc...

O.k so I understand that when speed increases, so does the risk of crashing.

No when speed increases your injuries or chance or death increases, if you crash. NOT the risk of crashing, that decreases (in the real world)

I should put "sensible speed"

[James Deuce]

Yo. Mad-V2. Ask any Traffic Superintendent what he/she thinks of advanced driver training. He/She'll say, "Advanced driving training encourages drivers to take needless risks, causing accidents."

Not an argument you can present without being coated in righteous spittle.

[HenryDorsetCase]

yo. Mad-v2. Ask any traffic superintendent what he/she thinks of advanced driver training. He/she'll say, "advanced driving training encourages drivers to take needless risks, causing accidents."

o rly???????

[James Deuce]

o rly???????

Yes. Has been stated publicly more than once. Have posted sources before, including Fairfax and radio new Zealand. Am too lazy to go looking again.

[scumdog]

Yes. Has been stated publicly more than once. Have posted sources before, including Fairfax and radio new Zealand. Am too lazy to go looking again.

How long ago?
It's a bit of a to me.

[scumdog]

Wondered when this would arise so I've prepared a response.

NEVER LET THE FACTS GET IN THE WAY OF A GOOD WHINGE

9% of the tickets my section issued last year were for speed.

So there.

Whoa!

Makes me look like a right Road-Nazi with my 12%...

[Scuba_Steve]

o rly???????

Yes. Has been stated publicly more than once. Have posted sources before, including Fairfax and radio new Zealand. Am too lazy to go looking again.

Yea I know the NZTA aint supporters of anything "advanced". They're excuse for being anti them is "if we teach people the skills to save their lives the boyracers are just going to go round doing donuts & drifts" despite the fact that they are going to do that regardless just without the skill. It's the old "if we don't talk about suicide they won't do it" thing

[swbarnett]

Wrote a rambling note about speeding tickets on another thread, then decided it was off topic so deleted it. It was the POP radar detector thread.

It caused me to ponder why it's such an emotive issue. Exceed the tolerance applied to the legal limit, get a ticket, isn't that just how the law works? Why so much grief about it?

Sheesh.

I'll bite.

1. Speeding (over the limit) is supposed to be unsafe - bollox (most of the time).

2. There is a belief that speeding (over the limit) is policed harder than other, arguably more dangerous, practices simply because it's easy. It can be numerically measured whereas, say, crossing the centreline on a blind corner is extremely hard to catch.

3. No harm, no foul. If noone is hurt, what's the issue? Sure, throw the book at someone "speeding" after it is proven to have caused a crash.

4. Why is someone that travels a lot held to a higher standard than someone that doesn't travel much. For example, my wife works from home and maybe does 10,000km per year. Therefore she has only 20,000km to rack up 100demerits before disqualification. I, however do about 30,000km per year so my ticket per km ratio has to be lower than hers to keep my license.

5. It has been shown more than once that accident levels drop when open-road speed limits are raised or removed entirely. What is enforced in the name of safety is actually counter-productive to that aim.