If you're doing nothing wrong, you have nothing to fear?

[Highlander]

To a point I agree with what you are saying Inlinefour, but where you have two slow vehicles (not just because of their size, but the open road speed limit for trucks is less than other road users) it seems unreasonable that they should hold the other traffic back in what is often the only safe place to pass.
I did say that I realise they are as entitled to pass as any other road user (probably more so if you take road user charges into account).

A little more consideration from Professionals for other road users may prevent some of the stupid passing we see that puts us all at risk.

I agree with Jantars comment that where there is a line of vehicles behind them Truckies should allow them to pass first, then pass the other truck (pretty much the point I was trying to make initially).

I Do love that clip in your signature.

[inlinefour]

I fully agree. That is one of the reasons that when I am driving a slow vehicle I always give faster vehicles the chance to pass me before I will attempt to pass vehicles that are even slower than the one I'm driving. It is a legal requirement, but its also just common courtesy.

When towing a horse float, or driving a horse truck, I find that pulling over to allow faster vehicles to pass only adds on about 2 minutes per hour of driving. I never overtake slower vehicles on passing lanes if there are faster vehicles waiting to pass me.

That certianly sounds fair. However I'd expect you to pass grandma in her 1968 clapped out cortina who is travelling at 75kph and is totally oblivious to other road users.
Yep I agree Highlander, I just was thinking that there are allways the two sides (at least) to every situation. I suspect that in most passing lanes, by the time everyone else has passed, that the extra lane ends prior to the truck being able to pass itself.

[MrMelon]

Let me get this straight, you were doing 106 in an 80kmh zone, 26 k's over the limit and liable for a 230 dollar fine and 35 demerits or so. This 'prick' of a cop dares to pull you over and is rude enough to give you a ticket for 30 dollars and 10 demerit points.

And now you want to try and get off it because he marked down your speed?

Yep it sure is the cop who is the 'prick' here.

I appreciate the fact he didn't nail us to the full extent of the law for it, but it shouldn't have warranted a ticket in the first place since it was so obvious we were in the midle of nowhere, thought we were in a 100 zone and only doing 106. It's the demerits I'd rather not have. I don't care about the fine, but whatever.

[scumdog]

11 Hour day today, went to four crashes, got to shoot one of the 'offenders' - but it was only a wandering bull that got hit by a truck!
The crashes were caused hopeless drivers - although a couple of the cars involved were 'innocent parties' and got taken out by inferior drivers.

Home now and FOUR days off, yeee-effing-hah!!

Drive/Ride safe people.

[SPman]

The crashes were caused hopeless drivers - ....
Drive/Ride safe people.

Business as normal........

[Fatjim]

A little more consideration from Professionals for other road users may prevent some of the stupid passing we see that puts us all at risk.

I'd like to say that I mainly get a fair go from truckies in Welly. If there are any here, cheers.

Now Taxi and bus drivers (Professional my arse), they scare the SH*T out of me.

[mstriumph]

pushbike couriers scare the crap outta me in perth ------- those guys have about as much roadsense as the local fauna [ie kangaroos] and probably similar insurance [ie none] ...

[Highlander]

Didn't mean to tar them all with the same brush.

Reality is that most are good, but occasionally there are few who let the side down (just like any group of people).

[spudchucka]

There was a well publicised case last year where the defendant proved by use of a GPS system the he wasn't speeding.
Funnily enough, there weren't any questions asked about why the Plod said he was.

He didn't prove or dis-prove anything, he just created reasonable doubt, therefore the court can't convict.

[Pixie]

Rant on.

Just the fact that they love to hang around passing lanes pisses me off. How many times have you followed some muppet who's doing like 80km/h, then they get to the passing lane and accelerate rapidly to 100+?? Bloody heaps I'll bet! Wether it's through pig headeness or simply because the extra width of the road makes it feel slower, damn near EVERYONE speeds up at a passing lane, and then slows back down again afterwards. If you've just followed some numbnuts for the last 20km at 80km/h, you KNOW they're just gonna slow down again when the passing lane ends, so you have no option but to exceed the speed limit to get past. I'll bet the cops know this too, and I think it's pretty fucken low to sit around gathering revenue off frustrated drivers.

If they want to play fair they should target the left hand lane!

Rant off. Have a nice day.

Not pigheadedness...have to be first!
Kiwi sporting ethos

[Pixie]

On the other side of the coin, you end up with a big line of trucks, cause they no longer can pass slower vehicles as they are waiting for all the other vehicles to pass. Up AKL where there is so much traffic on the roads, it'd be a nightmare. Besides, it your behind the truck, whos to say who is slower and who is faster (although yes it might be obvious).
All I'm trying to point out is that the roads are there for everyone and we all have the privledge to use the same ones. I do not believe that anyone should get prefferential treatment just based on how fast they may or may not be able to travel. We all have the right to pass a slower vehicle in frount of us, no matter what we are riding or driving.

In the EU,trucks have to stay in the slow lane,or have a very good reason to be elsewhere

[Lou Girardin]

He didn't prove or dis-prove anything, he just created reasonable doubt, therefore the court can't convict.

He PROVED that at the time he was not speeding. He produced the data-log of the GPS, time, date and precise location. A bit more, actually, than the cop did.

[spudchucka]

He PROVED that at the time he was not speeding. He produced the data-log of the GPS, time, date and precise location. A bit more, actually, than the cop did.

There was an article on telly the other day saying how inaccurate GPS is, (the most accurate units can apparently only pinpoint position within 10 metres).

He created reasonable doubt before a judge that didn't know any better.

[marty]

we use gps extensively in my line of work. it gives us more trouble than most of the other systems put together, and each unit runs to about $100k. it's just not accurate enough, and there is much resistance in the aviation market to relying on it for instrument approaches and waypoints, due to its inabilitly to be checked against any other system. if the gps is out, and you're relying on it, there is simply no way of knowing that it is out.

still, if some tosser wants to spend what, $10 grand? on defending a $300ticket by creating reasonable doubt, then good on him. i would have enjoyed throwing reasonable doubt on his data though