Bad driving

[Ricardus]

I think speed cameras are every motorists pet hate, and not just the maniacs trying to do 150mph past the primary school (who are probably running false plates, or just havent registered the car to themselves after buying it).

There's a road near me that goes past a primary school. The road dips, is semi-shaded by tall trees and theres only a couple of feet of pavement between the school gate and the road. Years ago a child was killed there, and for years the coppers used to sit in the dip with a ray gun. No complaints from me - speeding past a school you deserve an SP30. Between that and the publicity surrounding the death everyone drives slow past the school.

Then they put up a Gatso camera on that bit of road.

It's quarter of a mile past the school, where theres an open field one side, 12 feet of grass verge backing onto an unbroken 6' high fence on the other, and just where the road starts to go up a hill.
In other words, nowhere near there would be any danger of pedestrians stumbling into the road but exactly where motorists would relax and in fact let their speed pick up to climb the hill.

 

[Ricardus]

UK roads are statistically amongst the safest in the world. The fatality rate per 100,000 inhabitants being over 3 times lower than the USA.

My theory is that driving on American roads is just too boring and people stop paying attention. 55mph on a long, straight road in a car with US spec extra-wallowy suspension...zzzzz...

I've done the A140 between Norwich and Ipswich a good few times which is single track and limited to 50mph almost all the way. All it takes is someone going slow and your overtake options are limited because hey - 50mph limit for safety! Result - it's so bloody mind numbing pootling up the road trapped behind a train of slow moving vehicles your attention starts to wander from the road/car in front.

 

[Big Tone]

UK roads are statistically amongst the safest in the world. The fatality rate per 100,000 inhabitants being over 3 times lower than the USA.

My theory is that driving on American roads is just too boring and people stop paying attention. 55mph on a long, straight road in a car with US spec extra-wallowy suspension...zzzzz...

I've done the A140 between Norwich and Ipswich a good few times which is single track and limited to 50mph almost all the way. All it takes is someone going slow and your overtake options are limited because hey - 50mph limit for safety! Result - it's so bloody mind numbing pootling up the road trapped behind a train of slow moving vehicles your attention starts to wander from the road/car in front.

When I lived there the limit was not enforced by dumb cameras and they didn't carpet the Nation. (And no one ever drove at just 55)

By the same token, there was more discretion by the Traffic Pol; so if you were indeed doing something stupid you could get your ear tweaked. (Quite rightly).

As of 2014, you still cannot automate safety like a real human with experience and consideration for conditions. But they use 'a blunt instrument' because:

A) It's all they've got and
B) It makes money.

This, to my mind, is part of what's going wrong and in years to come the morons who constantly extol the virtues of a simple and single measurement of just ONE aspect of a moving vehicle will look like the stupid supporters of an antediluvian crude and disproportionate NON cure it is!

The proponents of enforcing speed to make everyone owning a car go at a slower pace than a cyclist will then just backtrack or disappear like a fart in the wind.

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[Big Tone]

Er.. I think I just 'went off one one'.

Ah, what the hec. I'm not the first and won't be the last

 

[JBR]

I think everyone is aware that speed cameras are a money-making scam. Nothing to do with safety.

Since the government restricted payments to councils, they are doing everything they can think of to screw more money out of us. Why? Because they feel that some of their expenditure is absolutely essential: like council junkets to promote twin-towning, councillors' expenses, equality and diversity officers...

 

[Big Tone]

I think everyone is aware that speed cameras are a money-making scam. Nothing to do with safety..

Sadly not JBR. Even when hypocrites, like Meredith Hughes, et all, get caught out along with MP scandals there is an elephant in the room no - one dare ever talk about except on forums where you can speak you mind. (So far, with some exceptions, without reprisal)....

 

[Daz66]

Going home last night I was driving around a right hand blind bend with double solid white lines, at the apex I was rather horrified to see a van halfway on MY side of the road straddling the white lines whilst overtaking a cyclist.................. what a TW@!!! He was only 50 yards from a roundabout and would have to have waited maybe 30 seconds longer.

Then this morning as I approached a pedestrian controlled set of lights the same thing happened AGAIN, even looked like the same van!!!!

Why cannot people wait behind a cyclist until it is SAFE for everyone to overtake, i.e. when there is room to see if something is coming the other way and there is enough room for EVERYBODY to move safely. Sure it will add 30 seconds or so onto your journey and if there are lots of cyclists it may mean minutes but its better than putting everyone at risk of serious injury and possibly death...................

 

[JBR]

Going home last night I was driving around a right hand blind bend with double solid white lines, at the apex I was rather horrified to see a van halfway on MY side of the road straddling the white lines whilst overtaking a cyclist.................. what a TW@!!! He was only 50 yards from a roundabout and would have to have waited maybe 30 seconds longer.

Then this morning as I approached a pedestrian controlled set of lights the same thing happened AGAIN, even looked like the same van!!!!

Why cannot people wait behind a cyclist until it is SAFE for everyone to overtake, i.e. when there is room to see if something is coming the other way and there is enough room for EVERYBODY to move safely. Sure it will add 30 seconds or so onto your journey and if there are lots of cyclists it may mean minutes but its better than putting everyone at risk of serious injury and possibly death...................

I think I can answer your question.

The reason for this situations is that we don't do common sense any more. It has been replaced by rules and regulations set up by the nanny state.

The problem is that the nanny state fails to understand that rules and regulations cannot effectively replace common sense. If you don't have it (like your white van man) all the rules and regulations in the world won't help.

On the other hand, whilst I deplore the use of speed cameras as a means to generate money for councils, I am all in favour of the expansion of our CCTV systems if they are used for the correct purposes: for example, witnessing and collecting evidence for such things as driving through red traffic lights (except for cyclists, of course, who are apparently exempt!), dangerous driving, and criminal activities.

 

[Daz66]

Common sense and common decency have gone out the window, we live in a me me me society where the only person that matters is the self.

People park anywhere they want so they don't have to walk to far, they barge in front of others as they perceive their time is more precious or worth more than others and they say things that are offensive regardless of who is listening.

Too many people have the attitude of doing what they want regardless of others or consequences because they have an over inflated sense of entitlement.

Unfortunately driving seems to bring all these bad attributes to the fore and can/will lead to serious consequences for somebody and if it happens to them then its never ever their fault

 

[conny]

Hey Big Tone! Your link don't work mate.

As I can't get on yer webby $hite thingy I'm not leaving you any feed back stuff.
Go out and buy your own grub.

 

[Big Tone]

Hey Big Tone! Your link don't work mate.

As I can't get on yer webby $hite thingy I'm not leaving you any feed back stuff.
Go out and buy your own grub.

I know chuck. It was my attempt at making a point at how they direct you/us to a waste of time.

But when it comes to you, (clears throat and thinks of an 80s song)... "You're my favourite waste of time".

Gunna have to look up that song now....

X @ Conny