More restrictions and speed limits coming up. Announcement 13 December

[Ixion]

http://www.stuff.co.nz/stuff/0,2106,3892510a11,00.html

Brace yourself.

New restrictions could include

Blanket 80kph speed limit except for motorways.
Double demerit points on holidays
Tougher speeding penalties
Reduction in blood alcohol limits
Tougher penalties for breach of licence conditions
(unlikely) increase in minimum driver licence age.
Radar detectors to be illegal

And who knows what other silly ideas.

None of which will make any difference of course, but it will be seen as "doing something"

It is *just* possible that the 70kph limit for learners might get looked at.

[Swoop]

How sad. They have locked the figure of 300 into their brain and the population refuses to comply with their budgeted amount of road deaths per year.
The population growth may or may not have been taken into account. The state of the roads will not sway them.


It is *just* possible that the 70kph limit for learners might get looked at.
Using their logic, 70 will be lowered to 50kph...

[FilthyLuka]

(unlikely) increase in minimum driver licence age.

a shit head is going to kill himself/others regardless if hes 16 or 36... Licence age is fine as it is in my oppinion...

Denden

[Karma]

15 year olds aren't mature enough to drive a car. If you're still running around playing kiss chase or tag then you don't deserve to drive.

[judecatmad]

Hmmm.....tell you what, why don't they just make driving illegal?

Or, ooh, ooh, I know this might sound silly but (and apologies if I make any sort of sense here) how about 1) increasing learner driver training and making it harder for idiots to get licences, 2) raise the age at which you can learn to drive and get a full licence and, 3) improve the state of NZ roads.

Just the thoughts of a crazy lady....

[Jantar]

I received an invitation to the launch of the Road Safety Policy Statement on Wednesday 13 December at Parliament, from 4.30-5.30pm. However I fly out of Wellington just before lunch time on that day so I won't be able to honour the ministers with my presence.

Somehow I don't believe that the measures will be quite as draconian as you think. Ixion. Almost all of the measures you suggest relate to revenue gathering rather than road safety and I believe that the police, LTNZ and our politicians want to move away from that direction.

[Steam]

Imagine 80kph on the open road! It'd be like the 1950's again. I think it's a great idea, as my GN250 doesn't do more than 80.

[davereid]

suits me too, I'll be able to sell the FZR and the harley and just keep the scooter !

[slinky]

Hmmm.....tell you what, why don't they just make driving illegal?

Or, ooh, ooh, I know this might sound silly but (and apologies if I make any sort of sense here) how about 1) increasing learner driver training and making it harder for idiots to get licences, 2) raise the age at which you can learn to drive and get a full licence and, 3) improve the state of NZ roads.

Just the thoughts of a crazy lady....

sense.. far from it! that made absolutely no sense at all, and they are very bad ideas, and definiately extremely worthless ideas for the government to consider............YEAH RIGHT!

........ could be a good Tui advert maybe?

[TonyB]

Well thats the first time I've ever seen any info on injury numbers. Surprise surprise its going up.

Achieving the hospitalisation target of 4500 by 2010 was a concern, Johnson said.

Hospital admissions were 5985 in 2000, but this increased to 7225 last year.

Thats a significant increase. Could this possibly mean that all the tactics being employed are having no effect at all? I mean, it sure as hell looks like there have been MORE accidents to me, and whats the bet that the only reason the DEATH toll has dropped is because as time goes by the NZ vehicle fleet becomes progressively safer.

[Al]

Sheesh, and here in the NT everyone is up in arms about the proposed abolishment of open speed limits!
Next year sometime the limit on open roads will be 130km/h. Demerit points were suggested and promptly dropped!

Nanny states?

Al

[idb]

Well thats the first time I've ever seen any info on injury numbers. Surprise surprise its going up.
Thats a significant increase. Could this possibly mean that all the tactics being employed are having no effect at all?

Yeah, that confuses me as well!

[ManDownUnder]

It is *just* possible that the 70kph limit for learners might get looked at.

WHY??? Hell's bells it's only 10 kph slower than the proposed open road speed and simply means they'll stand out as road kill.

If you can handle 70, 80's not a lot different (is it???) and it sounds more like a punative measure than common sense or an injury reduction measure.

[Ixion]

It's 70 at present. I mean that they ahve been vaguely receptive to doing away with it.

I hope Mr Jantar is right. But they must do something to be seen to be doing something.

I forgot cellphones, I think that soem sort of restriction is highly probable.

[Robbo]

F***in Wankers, they fail to address the real problem on our roads, which is the standard of driving. eg Tailgating, Dangerous Overtaking, Running Red Lights and Stop signs, Failing to keep Left, just to name a few and continue to target Speeding, which as we all know is just another form of Taxation, with the possible exception of driving at excessively dangerous speeds.
I am sure that a large presence of Clearly Marked and Visible Patrol Cars out and about on our roads would have a better effect and may actually be able to see Tailgaters etc and target them as opposed to fixed cameras, after all, when did you last see a fixed camera observe a dangerous driving manouver and jump out and catch them. Just Bloody Roadside Cash Registers.
This is not a moan at our cops but at our Parliamentary Law makers who half the time would'nt even know what way up was, even if it was up them.