Respect the Cops? WHY!

[James Deuce]

400 odd at least die on the roads every year, thoudsands seriously injured and hospitalised, on tax payer ACC... but hey, thats OK.

You can't fix that without driver training. Ticketing people for speeding is literally the ambulance at the bottom of the hill.

The biggest dangers for motorcyclists are:

1. Riding in groups - So we should train motorcyclists extensively in group riding.

2. Riding by themselves - Usually single vehicle cornering accidents - so we should train motorcyclists extensively on how to read and ride corners correctly.

3. Intersections - We should train all road users to treat Intersections as war zones where everyone could be killed at a moments notice. That includes side roads intersecting with major highways and motorway on-ramps. Snakes should target Intersections, indication, and WoF compliance (ignoring whether or not the window ticket says the car/bike/truck has a WoF) ahead of speed, as this is where and how the majority of injury accidents take place.

It isn't OK that 400 die, as many of us have said, over, and over, and over. However the BIGGEST economic cost is generated by MVA injuries, and motorcyclists are represented higher in there because other road users in NZ do not value the lives of the people they share the road with.

The biggest educational challenge facing NZ is teaching other people to stop using their vehicles as weapons.

But none of that means anything to "the powers that be" because they are utterly convinced that speed and drink driving are the biggest contributors to economic costs of MVAs. They're not, it's just that the metrics for measuring those causes are very easy to define and require NO EFFORT to enforce.

[Edbear]

and the bosses DEMAND 1 ticket per hour.

Why? I try to think that people have a reason for what they say and think, and I'm certain that everyone here will insist they have valid reasons for their particular views. So, why have the "powers that be" decided to insist on ticketing? Do they genuinely believe that the warnings are not getting the results and that actual ticketing is the only way to get the message across?

I know this theory will not be popular with the "revenue gathering" claims but maybe it has some relevance?

[Edbear]

You can't fix that without driver training. Ticketing people for speeding is literally the ambulance at the bottom of the hill.

A valid post, Jim2, but the fact is that driver training costs, big time and someone has to pay for it and do it. Need trainers, for example. Another problem is that many youngsters are getting training and are doing well, but it's the older drivers, in their 20's and 30's who are causing much of the mayhem!

I drive every day and believe me, the worst drivers, apart from the elderly, are white or Asian males in their 20's and 30's. I see this every day and it's not being prejudiced to say this. Close second are young women on cellphones!

[Ralph]

O.k. the cops get a lot of shit from the public and sometimes they deserve it!

But i've meet more good cops than bad ones but they've all had one thing in
common (the one's I've meet) and thats how they speak down to the public and think they're above the law and show very little respect to the public if any, thats why I don't respect them.

As for giving out more tickets for 0-10km over the limit which they've never done before, course it's all about the money!
They aren't making what they used to from drink drivers and serious speeding.

It just ticks me off that they're suppose to set an example but then then you
see them go around a round about not indicating and talking on a cell phone!!

[James Deuce]

A valid post, Jim2, but the fact is that driver training costs, big time and someone has to pay for it and do it. Need trainers, for example. Another problem is that many youngsters are getting training and are doing well, but it's the older drivers, in their 20's and 30's who are causing much of the mayhem!

I drive every day and believe me, the worst drivers, apart from the elderly, are white or Asian males in their 20's and 30's. I see this every day and it's not being prejudiced to say this. Close second are young women on cellphones!

I've always said getting a license in NZ is too cheap. Like most things that are free, people don't value it enough.

There's always things to put in the way, but it needs to happen, and people need to be taught how to Drive/Ride, NOT how to pass a license exam.

[candor]

I have seen treasury documents and reports from economists that say a ticket an hour or more is the 'break even' mark to pay each road police persons wage and gas and expenses.

If Government was remotely interested in reducing speed or actually believed it would make any difference to the toll they would use the fines money pinched in a year to install speed limiters in all vehicles. That only costs a couple of hundred.

They intend meeting their targets to lower the toll by soon getting 15 year olds off the road. An excellent source tells me an announcement is coming to raise the age to 16. This should knock a few off the toll and the savings will be attributed to speed enforcement.

[James Deuce]

An excellent source tells me an announcement is coming to raise the age to 16. This should knock a few off the toll and the savings will be attributed to speed enforcement.

Bugger, because even though I support the age increase, it's not them crashing, it's the 19-24 lot.

[Highlander]

An excellent source tells me an announcement is coming to raise the age to 16.

We have teen aged kids going through the licence process, and when I rang LTSA recently to query the likely hood of driver licence age increasing, I was told they get several call each day about this, and it is just a rumour. Not even being considered.

[Ixion]

...

Property crime doesn't kill... but that is what many want to see all Police targetting ...

I must say that if there is one aspect of police attitude that infuriates me it is this decriminalisation of "property crime". "Property crime" (so called) often does kill. There have been many instances where a burglary has escalated into a bashing and death. There is probably a good deal more likelihood that a burglary will lead to injury or death than that a random motorist exceeding 100kph will.

And apart from the cases where actual homicide results, burglaries can still destroy lives in more subtle ways. I know of many cases where elderly people have had their peace of mind and confidence so devasted by burglary and home invasion that they have effectively lost the ability to continue independant living.

I do not know anyone who lies awake at night because they are afraid of speeding drivers. I do know old folk who do not sleep at night , at all, because they are too frightened to. Frightened because of experience of "property crime".

Burglary is NOT a trivial non-crime and the police attitude that people should just accept it and not complain makes me very angry.

[Guitana]

I must say that if there is one aspect of police attitude that infuriates me it is this decriminalisation of "property crime". "Property crime" (so called) often does kill. There have been many instances where a burglary has escalated into a bashing and death. There is probably a good deal more likelihood that a burglary will lead to injury or death than that a random motorist exceeding 100kph will.

And apart from the cases where actual homicide results, burglaries can still destroy lives in more subtle ways. I know of many cases where elderly people have had their peace of mind and confidence so devasted by burglary and home invasion that they have effectively lost the ability to continue independant living.

I do not know anyone who lies awake at night because they are afraid of speeding drivers. I do know old folk who do not sleep at night , at all, because they are too frightened to. Frightened because of experience of "property crime".

Burglary is NOT a trivial non-crime and the police attitude that people should just accept it and not complain makes me very angry.

Well you only have to look at the home invasion this week in Napier what the fuck was that all about???? Fucken psycho P heads at it again!!!!!!

[spudchucka]

Why? I try to think that people have a reason for what they say and think, and I'm certain that everyone here will insist they have valid reasons for their particular views. So, why have the "powers that be" decided to insist on ticketing? Do they genuinely believe that the warnings are not getting the results and that actual ticketing is the only way to get the message across?

I know this theory will not be popular with the "revenue gathering" claims but maybe it has some relevance?

Sadly there are studies that have shown that warnings have no long term affect on altering driver behaviour. The police bosses, strangely enough, can quote the results verbatim.

[spudchucka]

I have seen treasury documents and reports from economists that say a ticket an hour or more is the 'break even' mark to pay each road police persons wage and gas and expenses.

What about the tickets handed out with compliance? Fix the problem - you don't pay but the cop still gets a stat recorded against his / her name.

What about the tickets that get defended in court, adding expenses far greater than the poxy $150 or what ever the amount was for the original ticket.

[spudchucka]

Bugger, because even though I support the age increase, it's not them crashing, it's the 19-24 lot.

So now they'll be 20 - 25 before they think they are as flash as Ayrton Senna. They'll still expire in the same fashion.

[spudchucka]

"Property crime" (so called) often does kill.

400+ times each year?

Burglary is a very serious crime, its a shame the courts won't convict burglars to the ten years that they are liable for for each offence.

The most disturbing aspect of burglary is that it is a crime in which fledgling criminals learn their craft. The likes of Joseph Thompson cut his criminal teeth by committing burglaries; eventually he felt so comfortable being inside a stranger's house with the victims still present that he soon moved on to sexually assault something like 130 women.

[Grahameeboy]

Sadly there are studies that have shown that warnings have no long term affect on altering driver behaviour. The police bosses, strangely enough, can quote the results verbatim.

Must admit whilst not a hoon my 3 month LTSA Holiday makes me think about what roads to chose.

I guess with warning's they simply give a 'Phew' and no fine and no consequences.