If you Think and Drive, You're a Bloody Idiot!

[Fulvio]

What's the world coming to? Check out this latest bit of Gestapo tactics:

http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/police-camera-blitz-to-nab-drivers-from-700-metres-away-20140415-36o7f.html

Fined for 'looking distracted'?

"But Your Worship, I was merely thinking about my new Theory of Relativity that will prove Einstein wrong and usher in a new and glorious future for all mankind!"

"I find the charge proven! $488, plus $11,467 costs, and 4 demerit points. Pay the clerk. NEXT!"

Bah, Humbug. I'd move, if I could find a non-Police state to move to.

[Steveqld]

And I have no doubt that after Easter the outcomes will be assessed and found to be an outstanding success.

They lowered the traffic camera speed thresholds in Qld 3 times in the last 12 months "to bring us in line with other states".  There has been a big decrease in road fatalities in that time and the QPS credits this to the lower threshold.  In reality I think it does have more to do with Queensland's financial position.

Our Transport Dept puts out a weekly road toll report and that used to detail the primary cause of the accident.  Guess what, they changed the format so now you can't do that and that confuses the true cause of the fatalities and now you can only check speed/drink driving/fatigue matters.

You can also read them how you like.  The percentage of fatalities due to speed has actually risen in that period from 17.3% to 23.3% so factors other than speed must be having a greater impact.  Alternatively in the YTD we've only had 7 speed related fatalities which extrapolated to an annual figure is about 25 and that compares very well to the 6 year average of 62.

Mind you "speed related" doesn't mean someone was speeding, it just means the investigator thought the speed was too great for the conditions.  You could be cornering at 30kph but if it is a poor road with potholes and gravel then it will be attributed in part to excess speed.

I have no doubts the camera trial will be judged a success and the rest of the States will have their own in the next couple of years.

[Fulvio]

And I have no doubt that after Easter the outcomes will be assessed and found to be an outstanding success.

No doubt whatsoever. But at what cost to the community?

Speaking from personal experience, back in my youth, I did a LOT of miles, in shitty old cars. Got busted a couple of times, doing really really silly things. 100MpH+ sort of things. Lost my licence, walked for a bit, got back on the road, motored on. I even had a couple of minor bingles, mostly not my fault.

Fast forward through to the modern tax-cam state.

I've got a new car, with less than 30,000 km on it, and its 5-year warranty about to expire. I rarely leave the house, and when I do, there is a very real risk of getting flashed, and not by a buxom blonde either. Driving is now a chore, not at all fun, and it feels like I'm being stalked by hungry lions every time I get in the car.

We have twice as many people, and a quarter of the road toll, but they still keep tightening the screws continuously, as if its even possible to reduce it to zero. Well, maybe it is.. just stop people driving entirely. But then they'd have to find another way into our wallets.

Call me old-fashioned, but I think our police should be, you know, policing. Catching crims, saving lives, protecting people, that sort of mundane stuff. Not stuffing the coffers for the bastard pollies to stick their snouts in.

[Steveqld]

It is merely a coincidence that any measure that will "reduce the road toll" will also result in greater state revenue.

I kept one of the Qld Transport reports from last year and speeding was only 16th on the list of factors associated with road fatalities.  Still it is the easiest to police and one of the easiest to prove.  Invariably it is the one most often dragged out.

We have something in common.  I was done up around Albury/Wodonga for 100mph on my m/cycle back in 1974 and I think the fine was about $200 back then - a small fortune.

Such is life.

[Fulvio]

We have something in common.  I was done up around Albury/Wodonga for 100mph on my m/cycle back in 1974 and I think the fine was about $200 back then - a small fortune.

Such is life.

Heh, I have no problem with a fair cop. If I'm at double the limit, I'm knowingly taking a risk, and if I get caught, I'm fine with that. I've done 210km/h on the bike on the Tullamarine Fwy without incident, and I hit 190 in the wee hours when I saw a police car do a U-turn in my mirrors. I also got nailed allegedly doing 100 in a 60 zone. I had no idea, so went back the next day and did it again... it was actually 150. The cop was an idiot though, and the judge more or less let me off after I got him to admit to going over a blind crest in a shopping centre at 120 on the wrong side of a divided road in peak hour traffic. Amazing he didn't kill anyone.

No, my problem is the 'nickle and diming' that generates the profits and does squat for road safety, while increasing stress levels across the board. I've had love letters in the mail for being doing 63k and most recently 74 at 6am on a wide, empty, well lit road. These are not fair cops. All they are is money grabs.

[Fulvio]

Fined for 'looking distracted'?

I wonder how much of a fine this bloke got for being distracted? Probably texting while driving or something... :dodgy:

[Steveqld]

Obviously the truck was reversing....:winkextra:

[JeffH]

Police set an example https://www.google.com.au/search?q=police+crash+image&cr=countryAU&client=firefox-a&hs=c6X&sa=X&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&channel=sb&tbs=ctr:countryAU&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&ei=ArFNU6-WN4z8lAWvjYG4Dg&ved=0CCcQsAQ&biw=1680&bih=992

[Goldseeker]

How many of those smashed up police cars were caused by other drivers not giving way to the police in the first place.   I have witnessed, as well as the wife, in the last couple of days, emergency vehicles with lights and sirens going full bore being held up by idiotic drivers not giving way to them.   Some of those drivers had earphones on etc.

It is very simple folks.   If you don't want to make a donation to internal revenue then obey the road rules.   If you don't want to obey the road rules then hand your licence in and use public transport.

Simple!

[ausjack]

mm I agree and disagree sorry GS as sometime the signs are hidden behind trees or the like and the coppers know and play on this and don't get me started on road works being used as speed traps so sometimes you can get trapped and be innocent so be careful this holidays one and all as they will be out there just lookin to make money and then there's the demerit points eek

:scratch_one-s_head: Hummm as I have all my points does anyone want to buy some..three bits of silver and ye gets a point :pirate: :laugh2:

[nealeffendi]

It is merely a coincidence that any measure that will "reduce the road toll" will also result in greater state revenue.

I kept one of the Qld Transport reports from last year and speeding was only 16th on the list of factors associated with road fatalities.  Still it is the easiest to police and one of the easiest to prove.  Invariably it is the one most often dragged out.

We have something in common.  I was done up around Albury/Wodonga for 100mph on my m/cycle back in 1974 and I think the fine was about $200 back then - a small fortune.

Such is life.

There is an easy solution open to politicians who claim that speed cameras and any other traffic fine is totally about safety and not about the money raised. Have zero dollars raised go to any government budget.
How about every cent from fines going direct to UNICEF or similar international charity? I'm sure the politicians can agree to that.:police_car::dodgy:

[Goldseeker]

mm I agree and disagree sorry GS as sometime the signs are hidden behind trees or the like and the coppers know and play on this and don't get me started on road works being used as speed traps so sometimes you can get trapped and be innocent so be careful this holidays one and all as they will be out there just lookin to make money and then there's the demerit points eek

:scratch_one-s_head: Hummm as I have all my points does anyone want to buy some..three bits of silver and ye gets a point :pirate: :laugh2:

If road signs, regardless of the type, are blocked out by trees etc, do as I do and report it to the RTA or the police.

Bingo , fixed in no time.

[Goose]

If the signs are MPH (KPH) signs, don't report them. Then anyone who gets a ticket for speeding and takes a pic of the hidden sign, they could use that pic as a 'crutch' to get out of the fine.

[ausjack]

mm I agree and disagree sorry GS as sometime the signs are hidden behind trees or the like and the coppers know and play on this and don't get me started on road works being used as speed traps so sometimes you can get trapped and be innocent so be careful this holidays one and all as they will be out there just lookin to make money and then there's the demerit points eek

:scratch_one-s_head: Hummm as I have all my points does anyone want to buy some..three bits of silver and ye gets a point :pirate: :laugh2:

If road signs, regardless of the type, are blocked out by trees etc, do as I do and report it to the RTA or the police.

Bingo , fixed in no time.

:laugh2: you need to get out of the city and look around as you can tell them all about the problems and no one will do anything as it's making them money and especially the copper, you think they will through away money, don't think so :winkextra: It might be different down there in mexico but not here in the greatest state in the country :mocking: Just wait til the super councils start then you'll see nothing done in NSW, just hope the other states aren't doing what they are here as it's stuffin the state big time, nothing gets done in the small places and the bigger town/cities get all the funding and here is a prime example, very sad
tell ya another story about how slack the pigs are here, when I was on council the little bastards that go to the skate park had killed a cat and set it on fire and theres other things and been and seen the pigs and they couldn't give a rats and same as finding wallets and things, they didn't care so we would take them to the owner if there was any ID in them, so they wonder why people hate them.
Actually it was the other way around sorry as they set the cat on fire and then it died as you could see where it had run and burt the grass, very sad even though I don't really like cats there's no ned for that, if ya gonna kill something do it quick