I'm a grave menace to society

[Grahameeboy]

You are right Sir Alex

NZ has one of the lowest average speeds in the world yet is probably ranked 2nd highest in the Fatals per Head of Population in the world.

Police Accident Investigators rank speed, from memory, as 3rd or 4th on the list, not 1st. I think tiredness is the main culprit.

Sanz if you were riding your blade which has a digital readout, you may have been doing 112kph at time of lock and then when you saw the cop you looked down and saw 105kph.

Agree it was not excessive speed but that's life eh.

[Albino]

I was very recently following a woman on SH2 who lost control on a bend at 100kph. She crossed the centre line twice before ending up on the other side of the road. God knows how she missed all the oncoming traffic (2 lanes each way), but if she hadn’t I am certain there would have been a few people dead, and it’s possible I may have been one of them.

If this woman wasn’t in front of me I would have been going 120kph. Who was the biggest danger on the road that day – the speeder or the poor driver?

Statistics are not research. 100kph is not a magic number at which driving becomes safe. But this is what we are telling drivers - doesn't matter as long as you are not speeding.

Train crossings: low speed + stupid driving = death.

[scumdog]

Explain why then:

1. Raising the speed limit in the states resulted in a drop in accidents
2. Why there are few fatalities on the Autobahn
3. Why here in the UK 100MPH on the motorway is the norm


Who chose 100kmh? A nice round number but was there any study done to find out if this was the safest speed? I mean the newer vehicles in the fleet can do that easily, your old 1970s car is really struggling with its drum brakes and little wheel but thats when they set the limit?!

When we get freeways with two lanes each way and a large median strip for our main intercity routes and 4 lanes in town then yeah, maybe then our speed limit might go up - but even then the 'drop in accidents' did not happen on smaller two lane roads.

And same goes for the autobahn, roll on the day NZ gets one from Kaitaia to Bluff 'cos then the speed limit will go up

I guess we can dream - roads like that with a population of 4 million+ ? "I don't think so Tim".

BTW Say speed limit get bumped up to 120kph - will you NEVER exceed it??
Pffft!

[scumdog]

lets face it... the coppers aren't very bright. everything else goes in the 'uhhh too hard basket'. this way the simpson like brain of the rozza thinks hes starsky or hutch

Sooo, you don't even enough smarts to become a cop eh?

Bad luck!!

[Albino]

Sooo, you don't even enough smarts to become a cop eh?

I'm not normally one to care about spelling or grammar, but

[sAsLEX]

When we get freeways with two lanes each way and a large median strip for our main intercity routes a

I guess we can dream - roads like that with a population of 4 million+ ? "I don't think so Tim".

Kinda like the new Waikato expressway which on opening had cops doing speed checks hiding on the overpasses and at the end of it?

Pull the other one. I know you are just doing your job, but the direction from above sucks.


Hey MR or FF remember the cop, was he waving at you?

[idb]

Harden up ya big woose!

Ferks sake, getting your knickers in a twist over a $80 ticket, sheesh!

Like it or lump it, the speed limit IS 100kph - and I doubt your speedo is accurate enough to back up you were only doing 105kph.

BTW, If you were riding along thinking you were 'only' doing an indicated 110kph imagine what you would really be doing??

You're right, it is 100kmh but what pisses people off is that sometimes it just doesn't matter if it's being exceeded.
On the other hand a large portion of the driving public in this country has no idea on how to judge what is an appropriate speed.

My eyes were really opened in Europe.
In the two months I spent travelling around I only saw one car pulled over.....and I don't know what that was for.
I saw bugger all traffic cops but people seemed to drive at whatever speeds they wanted.

But, and here's the other side of the coin, drivers moved aside when you filtered or came up behind them in their lane, they slowed down when it rained or traffic was heavy and they indicated.
There's so much traffic and often so little road marking that consideration and courtesy is the only way the traffic system could work.

I don't know why NZ drivers can't be more like that, is it something in our national psyche, is it our roads, is it because we get treated like children by the enforcement agencies, lack of breast feeding?

[tide]

Explain why then:

1. Raising the speed limit in the states resulted in a drop in accidents
2. Why there are few fatalities on the Autobahn
3. Why here in the UK 100MPH on the motorway is the norm


Who chose 100kmh? A nice round number but was there any study done to find out if this was the safest speed? I mean the newer vehicles in the fleet can do that easily, your old 1970s car is really struggling with its drum brakes and little wheel but thats when they set the limit?!

mmm

1. can't answer that one.
2. have you seen the infrastructure that goes into the German autobahn the road surface is better than some race tracks... and not all of it is open speed by the way. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autobahn makes for an interesting read.
3. better road conditions...

Agreed... 100kph is slow, but be honest the road surface and conditions in NZ are crap...

[sAsLEX]

3. better road conditions...

Agreed... 100kph is slow, but be honest the road surface and conditions in NZ are crap...

Maybe the M roads. On to an A or B road?! They suck as much as our goat tracks, its just that they drive better over here, tend to keep a newer fleet.

[Edbear]

... Any speed is 'speeding' if the conditions are inappropriate for that speed. ...Stupidity is probably THE major factor, but that is not a category for the statisticians.

Perzackly! Up this way, driving the roads of Rodney District, outright speed is never a problem as too many drivers seem incapable of reaching the open road limit! Many travel at 15-20km/h under the speed limit yet do not know how to turn a corner and brake and slow for corners that would be perfectly safe at 20-30km/h above the limit.

These drivers weave over the road, and simply are incompetent! Add the many who are physically behind the wheel but their mind is anywhere but - they are engaged in animated conversation either with their passengers or on their cellphones, talking or texting while weaving across the centre line... All at speeds around 80km/h!

Until four weeks ago when I quit my job, I was on the roads daily, so saw the whole cross-section of society on all types of roads in all types of conditions. It was rare to see a speeding driver.

Okay, the limit is 100km/h, one hasn't got a leg to stand on if one is exceeding the limit and gets pinged. Sure, my car and bike are more than capable of cruising at speeds well above, and my experience and driving record show that I am more than capable of driving and riding at those speeds, however, it is plain that the majority, (well, seems like the majority), of other road users are unsafe at any speed and I wonder that the road toll is actually as low as it is! Therefore I accept the limit and generally stick to, or close to, it. I don't have a radar detector and don't feel the need for one.

I do wish there was some way for the HP to be able to target and ticket incompetence. Much harder to spot than speeding, though.

[scumdog]

I don't know why NZ drivers can't be more like that, is it something in our national psyche, is it our roads, is it because we get treated like children by the enforcement agencies, lack of breast feeding?

When the Govt allows licences to be handed out like Toffee-pops (and to those as young as 15) and does not have serious consequences for bad driving we are going to have to put up with the standard of driving we have in NZ.
That and the attitude that people have that having a licence is a 'right' and they 'own' the section of road they happen to be on and the 'me first' attitude is what is the problem.

How to change it?

Pffft! Would be a wise man to give a workable answer - and it's unlikley to be anybody on KB.

[idb]

Agreed... 100kph is slow, but be honest the road surface and conditions in NZ are crap...

So folk should drive accordingly....but often they dont.

[Edbear]

When the Govt allows licences to be handed out like Toffee-pops (and to those as young as 15) and does not have serious consequences for bad driving we are going to have to put up with the standard of driving we have in NZ.
That and the attitude that people have that having a licence is a 'right' and they 'own' the section of road they happen to be on and the 'me first' attitude is what is the problem.

How to change it?

Pffft! Would be a wise man to give a workable answer - and it's unlikley to be anybody on KB.

I believe the answer lies in your summation of the problem...

[Grahameeboy]

When the Govt allows licences to be handed out like Toffee-pops (and to those as young as 15) and does not have serious consequences for bad driving we are going to have to put up with the standard of driving we have in NZ.
That and the attitude that people have that having a licence is a 'right' and they 'own' the section of road they happen to be on and the 'me first' attitude is what is the problem.

How to change it?

Pffft! Would be a wise man to give a workable answer - and it's unlikley to be anybody on KB.

Agree with you SD........sadly it is a Kiwiattitude on the road. That 'Carefree' attitude becomes a menace on the roads because they actually don't care if the cut someone up / pull out in front of someone etc.......well "she'll be right" wont she.

I remember years ago a guy did a bad u-turn in front of me...I just tooted my horn...head out of window "get a life, it's a Sunday"....says it all eh.

Kiwi's actually need to 'Soften up' not 'Hardenup' when it comes to attitude.

[Toaster]

Harden up ya big woose!

Ferks sake, getting your knickers in a twist over a $80 ticket, sheesh!

Like it or lump it, the speed limit IS 100kph - and I doubt your speedo is accurate enough to back up you were only doing 105kph.

BTW, If you were riding along thinking you were 'only' doing an indicated 110kph imagine what you would really be doing??

I agree with Scumdog on all points. If you are speeding, the only person you need to get angry at is yourself. The cop was doing the job they are paid to do. Speedos are often a little out, so you will likely find the calibrated patrol cars, lasers and radars will trump your evidence in court any day.

My recommendation Sanx - suck it in bro and take it. Worse shit happens and I am glad it wasn't them having to pick you up off the road after a crash. We want you around a lot longer mate.