Opportunity Knocks

[R650R]

dont. Its not your job. Your job is policy enforcement.

That's the best advice for you guys Rastus. Somewhere along the way your lot had a bit of mission creep, prob because there's no LTSA or govt guys roadside at the scene of carnage.
So over the years reporters have played on your emotions and gotten some good sound bites.
Really you should be saying to the reporters "Sorry we're just the cleaners, we have no idea how this crazy shit happened" and then direct them to hospital ward to interview any survivors.
It takes a few years but eventually you see the inside of an ICU ward without crashing thanks to mates or perhaps family with cancer etc, that sure makes you realise how fragile we are.

Stop letting manufacturers advertise 'safety features' like airbags and side intrusion beams as it gives a false sense of security. Give a rego discount for uptake of these items but don't let that risk compensation thing creep in.
I used to feel pretty safe in truck, even after surviving a head on with a drunk(still wasn't a pleasant or injury free experience) and the manufacturers there especially Euro trucks promote how strong their cabs are.
Then I went to Europe where truck v truck crashes are way more common than here. Holy hell did that make me start to pay attention to where I was pointed on highway and be very pro active about safety.
BTW in the UK they don't have all the distracting road toll propoganda we have here that turns people off, just a decent driver training/test structure and no nonsense cops. I delivered foodstuffs to some of the prisons there for a short time too, absolutely miserable mediaeval age cold stone wall places you want to stay out of.

[rastuscat]

Rastuscat ... don't read this bit
As one who in very particular circumstances will dribble up the cycle lane to get a head start on a slow vehicle at a give way I might get the chance to do another course huh?. Better keep an eye on the letter box I guess. (My rules for bike lane dribbling ... traffic has to be stopped, got to be a slow vehicle (like a truck) as the target, no cyclists in the bike lane ... and I only move at about 10kph). Still not 100% safe but happy enough to do it as long as I stay aware of what's going on around me.

Dude, I see people doing that most days, and do nothing about it.

It's the knobs who treat cycle lanes as mini motorways that get my back up.

[pritch]

WTF?
a. Ignore option to take course
b. Ignore fine
c. Accumulate more fines
d. Ignore those fines
e. Play more Grand Theft Auto
f. Get fines swapped for commy service by courts
g. Ignore commy service
h. Play more grand theft auto
i. repeat from c

Isn't it done like that any more?

Sadly, that is all too often exactly how it goes.

Had a case at work a few years back. One of our staff was out on business, it was raining so a fuckwit in his gutless little heap of shit was out wheelspinning.
He came flying around a corner on the wrong side of the road wiping out our man who was injured in the crash. Fuckwit exits laughing. About $12,000 damage to our then new car.

Our man having been a cop in Britain was a good witness and had taken fuckwit's rego. Police attending said, "This is good, we've been after him for ages."

So did they charge him with hit and run, dangerous driving causing injury, or something equally serious? No, they charged him with failing to keep left.
Gotta say I was very underwhelmed.

Our insurance company went after the fuckwit who then maintained he was not at fault. I phoned the Police who told me he had not attended court, had been found guilty and fined. That fine had been added to the $6,000 worth of fines that he already owed but wasn't paying. I advised the insurance company accordingly. Here's hoping the insurance people were more determined to collect than the justice system is.

"The only people who are policed are those who permit themselves to be policed."

[Akzle]

"The only people who are policed are those who permit themselves to be policed."

this is les crux.
Ive incurred a similar amount of fines, before i wised up to the fact that the whole system is bullshit and that theyre voluntary. But anyway. None of them changed my behavior, at all.
Ive never hurt anyone in an 'mva'. Which admittedly has been only 70% skill. (30% luck )
however ive somehow reached the point where im fuckall% likely to be in a crash, let alone cause one.
Ive come to peace with the fact that 90% of people are fucking morons (usually with 'vote national' or ' i heart my wife' bumper stickers, or those fucking stick figuire things. There should be fines for THEM).
Whats the majic ingredient?
Cannabis. And woodstock. Have a fat joint and a couple of 8%s before you drive your kids to school. Lulz guaranteed.

[Oakie]

Dude, I see people doing that most days, and do nothing about it.

It's the knobs who treat cycle lanes as mini motorways that get my back up.

Whew! Not wishing to stereotype at all but it seems to be the scooteratti who do that at speed much more often than larger bikes. I suppose it comes from being forced to ride on the far left most of the time so they are used to being there.

[Big Dog]

Just a starter for ten.

I've just posted a ticket out to a bloke to blitzed up the cycle lane past me (I wasn't working at the time) a few days ago.

All processes followed, ticket posted.

I've offered him the option to do one of the ACC subsidised courses.

http://www.rideforever.co.nz/training/

If he does it within 6 weeks, I'll cancel the ticket.

Ticket costs $150 (ridiculous, but I don't set the fines), the training costs $50.

What are the odds that he'll go and do the training? Seems like a good deal to me, but less than half the folk I've offered it to actually take it up.

Are we really so can't be arsed?

I could have used that option this morning...
Paying too much attention to staying clear of the trucks jockying for position and not enough to the speedo on the way down the Bombay hills.
Oh well, not going to cry about first ticket in 8 years.