speeding

[martinwhite]

I intend to put a plug for CAG on this site too -

www.pepipoo.com

If you or anyone you know has ever been stopped for speeding, then go here first before you fill in ANY of the forms. You might learn enough to keep your licence clean!!

Of course not condoning speeding, but motorists have as much as a right to be treated fairly as anyone else!!

[seylectric]

Agreed, great site.

I got a speeding ticket, 34mph in a 30 zone, empty dual carraigeway at 2 a.m. in the morning. Absolute farce, but info from pepipoo got me out of it.

[Peepo]

Im taking a look now, very interesting.

One of my pet hates is that points are only valid for 3 years, but they leave them written on your licence for an extra year, as a way of shaming you.

Ive been turned down for jobs because of the points on my licence, even though they were over 3 years old & not valid anymore. They werent yet 4 years old & so hadnt been removed yet.

People who speed oke its not right.
But I think you should be given a point for every 10 mph you are over the speed limit, rounded up to the next 10 if its over the 5.
3 points a time is crippling.

[seylectric]

The other thing is that insurance companies use it as a scam to increase your insurance premium. I think this is a disgrace because surely if you have been caught speeding you are surely more likely to be careful in future, in which case you premium should come down.

My advice is get a speed camera detector especially if you have a car that will go from 30-35 mph in the blink of an eye - and most cars will these days. The point is they are trying to catch everybody out, not just the ones who tear about like lunatics. There isn' a driver in the country who hasn't inadvertently gone over the limit at some point, but 34mph in a 30 zone for example makes little difference.

Speed doesn't kill, mistakes do. If someone runs out in front of a car it's hardly the driver's fault regardless of the speed he is doing. And according to government propaganda ads more than 50% of all motoring deaths occur on rural roads, not in towns and cities where all the speed cameras are. So cameras ARE in the wrong places then by their own admission!

[nickmack]

Originally Posted by seylectric

34mph in a 30 zone for example makes little difference.

I understand what you're getting at, but 34mph outside a school for example makes quite a bit of difference.

30mph is the supposed maximum speed, you should drive according to the conditions always.

So at 3.30pm on a weekday, outside a school, you shouldn't complain about being caught at over 30mph. The conditions are very unlikely to favour any excess speed.

I'd have much more of a problem with being caught doing 70mph on a long straight 50mph stretch of a Dual Carriageway at 2.30pm on a sunny Sunday! (Which I was by the way!)

[seylectric]

Agreed, although we might stand a fighting chance if they taught some of these kids how to cross the road safely.

I was really getting at the absurdity of the statutory limit in some places and at certain times, like the ticket I got last year at 2.30 a.m. for doing 36 on a totally empty dual-carriageway reduced to 30mph by the local council who seem to be obsessed with speeding even though it's not a particular problem in the town as far as most people can see.

[hagenuk]

Very, very few children are killed or seriously injured outside schools, the problem cannot even be measured because data does not exist, a fact that indicates it is not a major problem.

Indeed, on the Jeremy Vine programme on BBC Radio Two on November last year, Chief Constable Richard Brunstrom said: "In fact, very few people get killed or injured outside schools, which is very often the reverse of the public perception."

Speed cameras are not helping road safety, they are harming it in a big way. Road deaths were falling prior to the introduction of cameras and since speed cameras have replaced traffic police the number of killed and seriously injured on our roads has, in many areas, increased. It is estimated that 7000 more lives have been lost due to incompetent road safety policy.

[norvernrob]

IMO a Snooper or similar detector is almost essential these days. Yes I admit to often driving over the limit, however I don't go tearing around in built up areas - i drive to work at 4.30am and pass several cameras on dual carriageways, and I have seen police vans hiding behind trees with the camera at the side of the road. Quite how that is supposed to slow people down I don't know. If I was a cynical person i'd say they were there purely to make money.

I've only got a cheapish detector (£100) but it has a gps database of every fixed camera in Britain (which is constantly updated), also accident blackspots and every school. It detects radar, laser, you name it. It makes driving a lot easier and safer, as i'm not constantly looking around for sneaky cameras. Ok I could drive everywhere below the limit, but hey i'm not perfect, just like 99% of other people, And it's a bit difficult when you drive a 3.0 V6 twin turbo car.

I'm all for cameras, speed checks etc in built up areas and around schools, it's the dual carriageway cameras, the vans parked 50m past a change of speed limit etc that really p*** me off. I have 3 points, from over 2 years ago for doing 90mph on the motorway on a quiet saturday afternoon. I was caught by a policeman on a bridge with a laser gun. The fact neither I nor my 3 passengers saw him shows that he wasn't there to slow people down, he was there purely to catch people and make money. That really does get my goat

[andrew1]

I have a friend who was knocked down outside his school by a speeding driver whilst crossing a zebra crossing with his bike - he had a passion for flying and his whole life revolved around planes and his dream of joining the airforce.
He was/is a lovely lad but badly damaged by this speeding driver. He now walks around at 30 years of age using a mobile zimmer frame, cannot work as his memory lasts about 5 minutes, he walks shuffling his feet. He is the same age as my son and they grew up together for about 6 or 7 years. My son is a fit healthy active, happy and smashing lad, girlfirends, travels the world, and does all the the things a person of his age should do. His friend is a sad and frustrated young man dependant on his whole family for support 24/7. The contast is dramatic. Oh, and who was the speeding driver? ........... a police car chasing someone else!

[seylectric]

In a newspaper report earlier this year it was reported that accidents had actually INCREASED at 24% of speed camera sites in Blackpool, and the Lancashire Partnership for Road Safety (another quango run by Lancashire Coucil and Lancashire police) asked the local council, who opted for independant control a few years ago so Lancashire council have no jurisdiction as it were over what they do, to remove some of the cameras but the council refused.

Blackpool Council are absolutely obsessed with road safety and traffic calming schemes, many of these are confusing to some motorists and some are downright dangerous, with sharp-edged kerbing jutting out at crazy angles at traffic islands for example to deliberately slow drivers down, but if you don't see the kerbing and hit it, then it can be very dangerous indeed.

recently they have started a new mad scheme - they are now building what can only be classed as the OPPOSITE of lay-byes for bus stops - building a piece of tarmac from the footpath which sticks out into the road at certain bus stops, so when a bus has to stop it's impossible to overtake it if traffic is coming the other way (whereas before you could do). It's crazy, it's pointless and it's costing us a fortune.

[reeves_mortama]

I was driving through essex the other day and had to turn round so i turned onto this road to find possibly the worst form of road carming ive seen in my life a speed bump with steel gurders on both sides and u have to breath in and drive at 1mph to get though it luckly i was in a small van, else if i was in a transit id have no paint left its totally rediculous

[norvernrob]

Originally Posted by seylectric

In a newspaper report earlier this year it was reported that accidents had actually INCREASED at 24% of speed camera sites in Blackpool, and the Lancashire Partnership for Road Safety (another quango run by Lancashire Coucil and Lancashire police) asked the local council, who opted for independant control a few years ago so Lancashire council have no jurisdiction as it were over what they do, to remove some of the cameras but the council refused.

Blackpool Council are absolutely obsessed with road safety and traffic calming schemes, many of these are confusing to some motorists and some are downright dangerous, with sharp-edged kerbing jutting out at crazy angles at traffic islands for example to deliberately slow drivers down, but if you don't see the kerbing and hit it, then it can be very dangerous indeed.

recently they have started a new mad scheme - they are now building what can only be classed as the OPPOSITE of lay-byes for bus stops - building a piece of tarmac from the footpath which sticks out into the road at certain bus stops, so when a bus has to stop it's impossible to overtake it if traffic is coming the other way (whereas before you could do). It's crazy, it's pointless and it's costing us a fortune.

Funnily enough, it was one of Lancashires finest that was hiding on the bridge when I was caught. Nice saturday afternoon drive to Blackpool, hardly any traffic, no danger to anyone whatsoever, here have 3 points and a £60 fine. Thanks very much

[seylectric]

Apart from the money aspect I'm convinced it's nothing more than a cynical exercise to try and get people off the roads. Unfortunately what is happening is that you simply have people that are driving round without insurance, or with void insurance because they haven't declared their points to avoid a premium hike.

I for one will not be registering my next vehicle in my name.

[meagain]

Originally Posted by seylectric

Unfortunately what is happening is that you simply have people that are driving round without insurance, or with void insurance because they haven't declared their points to avoid a premium hike.

Better still, they turn to the "disposable car", roadworthy cars that were insurance write-offs purely because the cost of repair quoted by the authorised garage was almost or more than the value of the car. People tax them for 6 months at a time, and don't bother insuring them (the insurance would cost more than the car). When the car gets totalled, you just get another one, but that's of no comfort to any other party involved.

I wonder if the argument that to insure such a vehicle would constitute extortion has been tested in any seriousness yet ...

[hagenuk]

I would consider insurance to be more like gambling surely? You bet you are going to crash and they bet that you are not. The premium you pay is your stake and you either win or lose.

[JonCris]

Because of all the cameras vehicle ID theft is on the increase. & the easiest way is to nick your number plates. So if you find 1 or both missing don't assume it's vandals or has just dropped off. Report such a loss to the police & get a crime no. so that when that NIP, fixed penalty or non payment of the congestion charge drops on your doormat you can claim with conviction "not me gov"

PS in order to tax your motor you must have insurance & the PO can check your insurance is valid by scanning the bar on your reg docs to confirm