Has the current propaganda focus on speed and road safety affected how you ride?

[Mom]

Your poll options are flawed. We all must subscribe to the doctrine. Speed kills!

I took my life into my own hands the other day...

I overtook a car that was pootling along at 70kph. It took me several minutes to get up the courage to overtake, I thought I went faster than the 100kph allowed, but obviously I didnt as I am still alive to tell the story.

[Mom]

As a result, I'm not prepared to spend very much to save a smoker.

Sanctimonious Arseholes are at top of my not prepared to save list.

Smokers I will save as they just need to understand how easy it is to stop. It is impossible to save S.As. They will always be Sanctimonious Arseholes.

[ynot slow]

Biggest piss off is still the poeple who persist in travelling at 100km(no account for speedo error)and get to passing lane and speed up as cars pass,also the amount of cars who hit passing lanes and all think woohoo we can pass,and the lane runs out,what happened to the mantra make sure you have enough clear road before passing.

Several times on Wednesday 2 of us both 2 up were enjoying the road from Waitara to Te Kuiti,and never saw a cop,but road works on southern Mt Messenger meant traffic was stop and go to summitt and a couple of trucks at the front,was ok for us 15-20 cars back,but at a rest area both of us pulled over to let the traffic pass,we both commented on watching the cars in front and rear attempt dodgy passes,and we were buggered if we'd be piggy in the middle,so a picture stop at Tongaparutu and Mokau enabled a pleasant ride on.Whitebait was nice too.

[cheshirecat]

Crossing the centre line isn't an offence, neither is crossing a yellow (no passing)line unless your actually passing. The lines are there to mark the theoretical centre of the road & thats all.

I believe it comes under 'failure to keep left' The smokey bears have ticketed some for it.

[jafar]

I believe it comes under 'failure to keep left' The smokey bears have ticketed some for it.

Be interesting to see if the tickets were challenged as you are allowed to cross the centre line. I'm thinking clipping it with your wheels not right into the oncoming lane.

[FJRider]

Crossing the centre line isn't an offence, neither is crossing a yellow (no passing)line unless your actually passing. The lines are there to mark the theoretical centre of the road & thats all.

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm ...

A few may dissagree .....

http://www.police.govt.nz/news/release/22392.html

[jafar]

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmm ...

A few may dissagree .....

http://www.police.govt.nz/news/release/22392.html

Think about it , if there was a law saying you couldn't cross the white line how would you pass another vehicle if there was a white line??? the people in that article were being done for failing to keep left, not for crossing the white line.

[FJRider]

Whats to think about ...

http://www.northernadvocate.co.nz/lo...rners/3752836/

[swbarnett]

You could easily pose the same cost question for that as well. I guess the difference I consider is that smoking is self-inflicted - and that most smokers should know there is a 50% chance harm will come to themselves by engaging in the activity. As a result, I'm not prepared to spend very much to save a smoker.

Yes, you're right. Bad example. The point still stands though - if we spent $1m on every preventable death the economy would suffer.

But lets not distract from the initial question, which was how many deaths per 1000 km's is acceptable, and I personally prefer a financial measure like I had given.

For me it's not a matter of an actual dollar amount, rather a financial trend line i.e. the point where increase in cost to save another life is too high. This is illustrated by the graph below*. The red line is a measure of the number of lives saved each year (per 1000km if you like) as a direct result of money spent on road safety and the blue line is a measure of the cost of saving one life in each successive year. As the road toll drops the cost of saving one more life in the following year will start to climb exponentially as the law of diminishing returns comes in to play. The question then becomes "What percentage increase in the road safety budget is acceptable to save one more life?". My answer to this is that we are already at the point where any more money thrown at the problem is only reducing our ability to live our lives for no good return.

*Don't worry about the lack of actual numbers. It's the trend I'm trying to illustrate.

[p.dath]

Crossing the centre line isn't an offence, neither is crossing a yellow (no passing)line unless your actually passing. The lines are there to mark the theoretical centre of the road & thats all.

Let me direct you to the "Land Transport (Offences and Penalties) Regulations 1999":
http://interim.legislation.govt.nz/r...html#dlm280560

Refer to 2.3(1)(b), "Use of lane to right of centre line unless passing". Maximum fine $1,000. Minimum fine $150.

[p.dath]

Sanctimonious Arseholes are at top of my not prepared to save list.

Smokers I will save as they just need to understand how easy it is to stop. It is impossible to save S.As. They will always be Sanctimonious Arseholes.

I obviously touched a raw nerve. People have different view points, and I respect that you obviously have a desire to spend a lot more than I on saving a smokers life by helping them give up the habit (the original amount proposed was $1m/smoker - too rich for my blood with the number of smokers we have).

I don't know any smokers that have tried to give up that would describe the process as easy. Perhaps they don't know any easy way of doing it.

But I detract from the original question, how many deaths for 1,000 km/s are acceptable.

[Scuba_Steve]

Let me direct you to the "Land Transport (Offences and Penalties) Regulations 1999":
http://interim.legislation.govt.nz/r...html#dlm280560

Refer to 2.3(1)(b), "Use of lane to right of centre line unless passing". Maximum fine $1,000. Minimum fine $150.

I would like to see 2.1(2) & 2.1(1)(c)(i) enforced, hell theres moneyz to be made so get to it little P.I.G.ys enforce a justified traffic law for once

[scumdog]

, I'm not prepared to spend very much to save a smoker.

Using a road is more a necessity, and the chance of being killed by it is not 50%, like smoking.

I tend to agree to some extent.

Smokers KNOW what they're doing is harmful (not just potentially).

Road users don't EXPECT their travels to result in harm to themselves..

[scumdog]

I would like to see 2.1(2) & 2.1(1)(c)(i) enforced, hell theres moneyz to be made so get to it little P.I.G.ys enforce a justified traffic law for once

It is ferkin' enforced.

And I love the look on the offending dick-wads face when I remind them it's not JUST $150 for the ticket - there's demerits that go with it

Them...

[Scuba_Steve]

It is ferkin' enforced.

And I love the look on the offending dick-wads face when I remind them it's not JUST $150 for the ticket - there's demerits that go with it

Them...

Well maybee you could come up the North Island sometime & teach our cops about it.