Jonto

Read and weep !

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/4053607.stm

Jay_bee

iTrader: (1)

I dont agree with breaking the law etc but we have to get them out at election time... higher fines, more points more bullsh*t for the motorist!!

Its interesting to see the Lib dems essentially agreeing with that type of policy but this is what the conservatives are saying...

"The Conservatives have pledged to review all speed limits, assess the effectiveness of all speed cameras and make speed limit signs much clearer.

They have also promised to concentrate on criminals in cars rather than on cameras and to clamp down on uninsured drivers and anti-social behaviour."

Reckon I know who I might be voting for!!!

j

SirFozzalot

Time for a change I reckon!

Andy Tang

iTrader: (3)

hmmm.. bigger fines, more points being dished out.. what do you think will happen?

Safer roads, less accidents... or

more uninsured, untaxed and un-MOT'd cars on the road???

Senior_AP

I hate them to, the cabinet looks like a TV advert for positive discrimination. All they need is a Klingon and they'll have the complete set.

However, the "sliding" scale is better. 34mph in a 30 is not worthy of 3 points, however doing 45 or so is dangerous. My problem is silly, minimal speeding fines.

davegtt

but too be fair you know the consequences if caught speeding, theres 1 simple way to avoid being caught speeding and thats dont speed. cant see the problem to be honest, it wont effect the people who dont break the law.... if your doing 40-50 mph in a 30 zone then you asking for trouble. Ive done it but if I was caught I couldnt complain, its a 30 zone for a reason

Senior_AP

As per my post above - here here!!!

Tiggs

and most ppl agree with you......"car" people seem to have a problem with keeping within whats allowed whether its number plate spacing, emmisions or speed.

milo

some sense at last! this is of no concern to people who don't speed.

i dont know why people complain at the punishment for 40mph+ in a 30 zone. are some of you guys actually openly admitting that you drive 30-50% OVER the speed limit in built up areas for this to be of concern to you?!

i mean, its not like a couple of mph over for a few moments due to concentrating on the road instead of the speedo... 50% over is major stuff.

MattW

Ah but there lies the problem, what if it were:

31-33 2 points
34-36 3 points
36-39 4 points


and so on!

From the Witshire site, they DO plan to lower the threshold until you will get a fine at 31 in a 30

Prosecution Thresholds
A gradual reduction in the threshold at which a prosecution is triggered will send a message to motorists that speeding will not be tolerated and ultimately encourage greater compliance with speed limits. Decisions on prosecution thresholds will be proportionate to information based on the individual characteristics of a site including the number of casualties, the speed limit and the volume of traffic. Such guidance however, will not and cannot replace police officers' discretion to issue a summons or a fixed penalty notice in respect of offences committed at lower speeds. Moreover, in particular circumstances, driving at speeds lower than the legal limit may result in prosecution for other offences, for example dangerous driving or driving without due care and attention, when the speed is inappropriate and inherently unsafe.

SiPie

Don't give 2 ***** about th epresent government but I really can't see what the problem is with that link .....

30's and 20 limits are there for a reason...... in most cases anyway

MattW

I agree however in some cases this is not so.

In Swindon, there is a big long road with houses both sides.(if you know it I'm talking about Pinehurst.) It is perceived there is speeding\fatality problem there. Recently a driver died when he hit a tree too fast but that's another story.

Anyway the road is a 30. At 5-6 points along its route is traffic calming. What they have done is put all the bus stops at the points of the calming, so the buses block both directions of traffic, causing queues. Everyone therefore once through a calmed bit, speed like **** to the next one so they can get through it before a bus\traffic which have right of way arrive at it.

So they now plan to drop the limit to 20, but it would be fine at 30 if actually everyone did 30, take away the traffic calming and people actually might stick to the limit.

All the non residential dual carriageways have now been dropped toa 40 from NSL, I can't understand why as there have been no accidents i'm aware of.

Andy Tang

iTrader: (3)

I agree the limits are normally there for a reason, but there will always be people that speed.

Even if they get banned through point accumlation, what measures are in place to actually stop these people from driving (other than to break their legs, crush their car, etc)?

There are already a high number of uninsured drivers. Surely this measure will only increase the number!

milo

so what are you saying - "dont make punishments for crimes too harsh, as it may encourage people to commit other crimes instead"?

Jay_bee

iTrader: (1)

Just to re-iterate....

I dont agree with breaking the law etc

I just dont see why they are hammering the motorist instead of the real criminals, my girlfriend has just been done for speeding in Scotland.. and the ******* I saw that we committing criminal acts as opposed to civil matters were getting less punishment than motorists that were there... community service!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and a crappy fine to be paid a 5 per month!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh and the quote from the item by the conservatives....

"They have also promised to concentrate on criminals in cars rather than on cameras and to clamp down on uninsured drivers and anti-social behaviour."

SiPie

Agree totally Andy...

Hence why the dippit Gov needs to introduce Fingerprint, Photo ID, Iris scan recognition, DNA profile, PIN number petrol/diesel license cards for all petrol purchases. The cards are only valid if you have your MOT, license and insurance valid etc etc etc etc etc

And before you start your arguments for Mr Non-driver wanting juice for his petrol lawnmower, he can just trim his grass with scissors

Andy Tang

iTrader: (3)

Not at all!

It seems that they haven't considered the knock on effect it will have.

RB170

Is it true that the conservatives say that they will get rid of every single speed camera if they get into power?

Ok if they do what will their alternative be?
You can't just get rid of that much revenue without some kind of come back

VTEC to Turbo

I don't think that anyone can condone speeding in access (40 in a 30 is just wrong). But the fact that you can get a letter through the post for say, going 2mph over the limit and get points on your licence is just rediculous.

I am a very observant driver and like to watch people walking on pavements and what is happening around me rather than checking my limit every hundred yards or so.

If I got caught going over the limit, yes I would complain! Me speeding (32 in a 30) is a lot safer than a bad driver going 25 in a 30 not paying attention to driving conditions and the environment around them - it is this Nanny State we live in that make it the norm to criminalise normal law abiding people.

Drink drivers should be banned for life - zero tolerance! This shouldn't even be talked about in the same issue of speed limits!

It has been proven that speedos with age get less accurate and are not 100% accurate when a car leaves the factory in the first place. So you may think you are abiding by the law but infact you are not!!!

A few words from the Association of British Drivers - Speed cameras 'cause road deaths'.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3293611.stm

All I can say is get this government out so that we can be 'governed' with a little common sense for once instead of been 'spoon feed' in every area of life, 10 years has been long enough.....

scoobynutta555

Many of the speed limits around here have been lowered. Getting caught on the new lower levels makes the *offence* seem all that greater.

Quite amazed at how widescale this practice is. There's also a mushrooming of road furniture all over the place brainwashing speed kills to all and sundry. I drive at a pace that's well within my limits and the conditions of the road. I however, find myself looking out for cameras more and more than looking out for pedestrians and other motorists.

Obviously batting around like a loon through the town centre is not good driving. But worrying there's a laser van or a camera around the next corner and having to keep a constant look on the speedo cant be good for safe driving.

I have also read today that the Association of British Drivers also criticise the new plans.

On the whole I feel driving is no longer a fun experience on these nanny state roads, and alas my P1 is up for sale as I no longer think it's worth having a car like this these days.

And what about the toe-rag driving around with no tax, insurance, mot etc etc, not much will change I suspect, even though it is touched upon by Darling. Notwithstanding the fact that drivers like these are many more times likely to have an accident.

As a previous Labour voter, I can see myself voting against the party solely on this issue, and I suspect i won't be alone.

Leslie

They have certainly got it in for the motorist, traditionally Labour have always hated the thought of the electorate being able to have the freedom of a car. Ok for themselves of course, chauffeur driven for ministers, incredible mileage allowances for MPs. And if you are in a queue, then its alright for them to use a bus lane of course-but don't you try it!

On the face of it graduated speeding penalties sound ok, but if it is used for an excuse to get you for miniscule amounts over the limit, then it is no less than a new stealth tax. It is just human error to go a couple of mph over the limit and ridiculous to get a penalty for that.

Deliberate speeding in constricted areas is another kettle of fish and if you are caught for 40+ in a 30 zone etc. that is down to you and you cannot complain if you are penalised for that. IMO most of these 20 mph zones are quite unnecessary and just another way to get your cash.

Three figure speeds on the open road are pushing it too far also I believe these days and it is an absolute gift to the authorities. Those who show off by mentioning as an aside that they were doing 140 mph or so really are doing motoring in general no favours at all-especially when they hit someone else. Save it for a track day-probably cheaper in the long run anyway and you keep your licence.

Les

jk100

I don't think anyone here has a problem with the enforcement of speed limits in the right place. However, from my driving experience, the Police and their Safety Camera Partnerships concentrate on targetting the motorist in relatively "safe" patches of road, ironically because it is safer for them to set up their equipment there. I don't think anyone will disagree that it is often safe to 45 mph just before the de-restriction signs coming out of villages where the road is clear and the field of vision good, but often 30mph is too fast in the centre of a village. So the reality is that we'll get 6 points for that, whilst we've been driving responsibly where it really matters.

Jay_bee

iTrader: (1)

Spot on mate!

SiPie

As a life-long Liverpool supporter I became an Everton Fan when Liverpool bought Harry Kewell .... as I didn't like him.

Yours sincerely

Scoobynutta555 (aged 3 3/4)

RB170

Clamp down on dangerous and poor driving by all means but it's the fact that speeding is portrayed as the be all and end all of it that annoys most of us.

20 mph in residential areas is fine by me as long as speed camera's are not the sole means of enforcing these limits. More police is whats required not more policy or scamera's

SiPie

This is so true.....

On my daily commute I pass 4 speed cameras on th eusual bypass section, then park near a local primary school (in a residential area) where idiots almost take off over the relatively low speed bumps

A couple of traffic cops would be perfect to properly police speeding around these areas... but have I ever seen one .... errr no

scoobynutta555

Guess you don't see the sun up there that much.

VTEC to Turbo

This is exactly the situation my dad got criminalised in - he has been driving for hundreds of years (well 30+ anyway) with not so much as a parking ticket - literaly no offence and I might add not one driving accident (apart from a tyre blow out on the motorway - which he controlled and was the only car involved!)

Now he is a criminal because this government throw up carmears everwhere they can (stealth taxing, nothing more nothing less).

WR1 Ant

I can think of a reason "To gain more revenue from speeding fines" as people are more likely to slip over the lowered speed limit on a good road with a redicously low speedlimit for the type of road that it is. At a 60 limit not many will break the limit but with a 40 limit most are likely to break that limit on a dual carriageway.

RB170

The thing that bothers me now is I eckon that we're too far down the line to just get rid of these camera's. There is no way that any government could just wright off the revenue generated. A replacement means of revenue will be introduced.

I fear that I will have to emmigrate