Traffic lights and the attitude of the Police

[swbarnett]

I don't really care if individuals speed... but I do care when others have to pay for the mess when they crash or when they hurt other people/property.

So let people speed and throw the book at them when and if they do cause an accident.

And speeding WILL make you safer around them??????

Well....

I was travelling between Taupo and Turangi in the cage at about 130km/h and came up behind another car travelling at about 120km/h. We then both came up behind a caravan travelling at about 90km/h. The car in front of me passed the caravan on a blind corner. I bided my time and waited for a long straight, passed safely and proceeded at about 130km/h as before. Five minutes later I came up behind the same car doing about 120km/h. The moral of this story is that, because I was travelling a bit faster when the road was clear I had less incentive to pass slower vehicles dangerously. Now you tell me who the safer driver was?

[Toaster]

So let people speed and throw the book at them when and if they do cause an accident.

No such thing as an accident - it is caused by something or someone. And why let innocent people suffer just because someone wants the freeedom to be a fuckwit? No thanks... I have been the victim of that and the cost to me was very high physically, financially etc etc, but I survived. How about thinking about the community you share the roads with rather than yourself all the time.

[swbarnett]

No such thing as an accident - it is caused by something or someone. And why let innocent people suffer just because someone wants the freeedom to be a fuckwit? No thanks... I have been the victim of that and the cost to me was very high physically, financially etc etc, but I survived. How about thinking about the community you share the roads with rather than yourself all the time.

"Avoidable collision" if you like. Same thing.

Why do we treat traffic matters differently to the rest of our laws? It is a basic human right (probably the only one we really have) to do whatever I damn well please until that action leads directly to harm to others. Why should the fact that I have a road under me at the time make any difference? Ever seen "Minority Report"? Nothing is certain. If I cock up and harm someone by my actions I'll take what's handed to me. Until then, leave me alone.

[ZeroIndex]

I was travelling between Taupo and Turangi in the cage at about 130km/h and came up behind another car travelling at about 120km/h. We then both came up behind a caravan travelling at about 90km/h. The car in front of me passed the caravan on a blind corner. I bided my time and waited for a long straight, passed safely and proceeded at about 130km/h as before. Five minutes later I came up behind the same car doing about 120km/h. The moral of this story is that, because I was travelling a bit faster when the road was clear I had less incentive to pass slower vehicles dangerously. Now you tell me who the safer driver was?

You have a really good point there...

[Toaster]

"Avoidable collision" if you like. Same thing.

Why do we treat traffic matters differently to the rest of our laws? It is a basic human right (probably the only one we really have) to do whatever I damn well please until that action leads directly to harm to others. Why should the fact that I have a road under me at the time make any difference? Ever seen "Minority Report"? Nothing is certain. If I cock up and harm someone by my actions I'll take what's handed to me. Until then, leave me alone.

Well, if you want to live in a world where people are left to drive or ride however they please, good luck to you but I don't think you'd last long.

I like my right to be able to get where I want to go with a reasonable chance of not getting killed on the way there, because the roads are being policed.

[rwh]

No such thing as an accident - it is caused by something or someone.

According to my dictionary:

accident: 1. an unfortunate incident that happens unexpectedly and unintentionally. 2. something that happens by chance or without apparent cause (3 is not relevant)

I believe sense 1 is what is commonly meant in the traffic sense, not 2. So unless you're claiming that every crash is deliberate, you're talking rubbish. I get really annoyed by people who twist the language around to suit their own purposes. I realise you're not the first to make this claim.


Oh, and by the way, I don't care that the perpetrator may have been deliberately driving at 130km/h, or even if they deliberately got stoned and deliberately tried to lanesplit in a Kenworth, hoping people would get out of the way - if they didn't deliberately try to hit something, it's an accident.

Richard

[Toaster]

According to my dictionary:

accident: 1. an unfortunate incident that happens unexpectedly and unintentionally. 2. something that happens by chance or without apparent cause (3 is not relevant)

I believe sense 1 is what is commonly meant in the traffic sense, not 2. So unless you're claiming that every crash is deliberate, you're talking rubbish. I get really annoyed by people who twist the language around to suit their own purposes. I realise you're not the first to make this claim.


Oh, and by the way, I don't care that the perpetrator may have been deliberately driving at 130km/h, or even if they deliberately got stoned and deliberately tried to lanesplit in a Kenworth, hoping people would get out of the way - if they didn't deliberately try to hit something, it's an accident.

Richard

Legal definition thank you - remember it is the law we are debating, not your personal dictionary or opinion of what you think a crash is or isn't. Deliberate doesn't even come into it fella so slow your horse down before you bolt like that and spout dribble. You are miles off the mark there.

[scumdog]

So let people speed and throw the book at them when and if they do cause an accident.


I was travelling a bit faster when the road was clear I had less incentive to pass slower vehicles dangerously. Now you tell me who the safer driver was?

Lemme guess, one of the cars that was speeding??

If the other guy was doing 130kph would he have been safer? Or if you were doing 120kph would you have been even more safer?

And I'm not sure on your Irish logic:"I was travelling a bit faster when the road was clear I had less incentive to pass slower vehicles dangerously"

WTF Often people travelling 20+km over the limit do so because they're in a hurry - passing everything wherever they can. "I was speeding becuase I'm late for (Insert doctor/lawyer/plane/pick up the kids whatever here)".

[scumdog]

Oh, and by the way, I don't care that the perpetrator may have been deliberately driving at 130km/h, or even if they deliberately got stoned and deliberately tried to lanesplit in a Kenworth, hoping people would get out of the way - if they didn't deliberately try to hit something, it's an accident.

Richard

Two words: bol locks.

[avgas]

I think the police need to remember who they work for.

Jesus? Bill Gates? Your aunt?

[ZeroIndex]

Lemme guess, one of the cars that was speeding??

If the other guy was doing 130kph would he have been safer? Or if you were doing 120kph would you have been even more safer?

And I'm not sure on your Irish logic:"I was travelling a bit faster when the road was clear I had less incentive to pass slower vehicles dangerously"

WTF Often people travelling 20+km over the limit do so because they're in a hurry - passing everything wherever they can. "I was speeding becuase I'm late for (Insert doctor/lawyer/plane/pick up the kids whatever here)".

Congrats on post 10,000... time to slightly modify your signature to "feeding trolls for 10,000 posts and counting" or something to that effect

[scumdog]

Congrats on post 10,000... time to slightly modify your signature to "feeding trolls for 10,000 posts and counting" or something to that effect

Thank yuh, thank yuh thank y'all.

To be truthful I never even noticed!!! Bugger.

[Toaster]

10,000 doughnuts please!

[swbarnett]

Lemme guess, one of the cars that was speeding??

All I was trying to point out was that just because one driver is travelling faster than the other that doesn't mean they're at greater risk of an accident.

If the other guy was doing 130kph would he have been safer?

Not necessarily, no. You can't judge safety level by speed alone.

And I'm not sure on your Irish logic:"I was travelling a bit faster when the road was clear I had less incentive to pass slower vehicles dangerously"

Travelling faster on the clear, straight roads can do wonders for removing the sense of frustration when you get held up.

WTF Often people travelling 20+km over the limit do so because they're in a hurry -

If you're in a hurry you probably shouldn't be driving at all, at any speed. Speed is just another part of driving that makes it a pleasurable activity.

Legal definition thank you -

So can you quote the legal definition so that we are all informed?

Jesus? Bill Gates? Your aunt?

Jesus: Depends on your religion.
Bill Gates: Not a kiwi.
My aunt: As all of these are kiwis, yes.

[NinjaNanna]

So let me get this straight, we are upset about people entering intersections on Orange and very early Red lights whilst the opposing traffic is still stationary.

Lets differentiate this from the Red Light Runners doing it movie style and racing through after the opposing traffic has began to move.

Ok so far so good, this is a valid and justified opinion to have.

Lets expand, whats more, we are upset that police are using their discretionary powers and overlooking this.

Once again a valid and justified position.

What I find hypocritical is that the percieved concensus on KB, is that the Police should be more discretionary with Speeding Tickets, yet the offense discribed above deserves ZERO Tolerance.

From a generic point of view both are defensible by the same age old excuse - "I'm not endangering anybody"

If this thread was related to being upset with the lack of consistency shown by the Police then all well and good - but it isn't is it.

Now before we all start going on about - do the crime do the time etc, understand that I have no beef with anybodies posts/opinion (hence no quote). Simply put this post is about two incompatible and contradicary views on Policing, it is not meant to be a comparison between speeding and red light running.

Perhaps I have provided some food for thought - or perhaps not.