ricardo

In Southampton Evening Echo:
http://www.thisissouthampton.co.uk/h...NEWS_NEWS0.htm

One quote is:

Roger Vincent of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents said: "We must await the outcome of the police investigation. But as a general rule we would not advise people to put up fake speed cameras as they may have the potential to distract drivers."

Petem95

But obviously the real camera's are ok, as even tho they distract drivers they bring in easy revenue

No way Labour are going to back-track on speed camera's as they need every penny they can get at the moment

Iwan

If you believe what's in the newspaper story there were no skidmarks indicating the girl driving had braked for the camera. And a witness was quoted as saying the driver swerved to avoid a rabbit.

Hope the rabbit's ok, i'm sure the girls friend doesn't mind being dead.

Tiggs

if you are distracted by a camera you shuldnt be allowed to drive anyway.

Diesel

Flowchart: Spotting the camera to the left/in the layby/is that a talivan on the bridge?, staring at the speedo, braking just in case; is that REALLY a Talivan or a council van, checking the speedo again - ohh I wasnt really speeding anyway; checking mirror for anything about to run into the back of you - BANG. OUCH! Sorry I got 'distracted' but I already had 9 points and was paranoiod about my livelyhood. She'll get better soon...

Could happen you know - best to look straight ahead I found... But then that is less lucrative or supercilious...

pslewis

Flowchart of a skilled driver:-

Glance at speedo, speed limit reached, drop off a little and maintain speed, no worry about clean licence, no accident, no panic.

Flowchart of a pratt driver:-

Look at speedo, over limit, who cares, what about police, what about cameras, was that a bleep from my Road Angel, oh my god it was, **** where is the camera, speed still way over the top, don't give a toss, was that a child, it was a big bump, oh great now the camera has flashed me, I will now be banned because I have been a dick all my driving life

Simple really??

Pete

Hanslow

Flowchart of a skilled driver:-

Be observant and drive within the speed limit, reacting to hazards as necessary.

Flowchart of an unskilled driver:-

Concentrate too much on everything but your surroundings.

All IMHO of course

Diesel

Lewis presents UK general public as 'skilled drivers'...lets see the flipchart & presentation then?

Diesel

Hanslow, I have no idea how you equate being 'skilled' as driving within the least common denominator speed limit (one set in the 60's probably). That simplistic association implies a mentality based on ignorance of true driving skill.

pslewis

As many on here keep complaining about ............ MANY Speed Limits have been set in the last few years!!!!!! SO they are MODERN limits for MODERN cars!

And, yes, a Skilled Driver CAN maintain a LEGAL speed

Dicks CANNOT maintain a speed (it would seem) without a device to warn of cameras/traps

Pete

Hanslow

That skill is that you don't end up with fines / points / banning.

I don't agree with all speed limits, but that doesn't mean I don't adhere to them. I value my licence quite highly. It's a privilege, not a right.

MattW

Disagree.

Be observant and drive within a safe speed, reacting to hazards as necessary.

30mph past a school at 8:30am is dangerous, 90mph on an empty motorway is not. One is legal one isn't.

Hanslow

Well I suppose it's a skill not getting caught breaking the speed limit, but it's your licence, not mine

Within the speed limit doesn't mean at the speed limit so would cater for your school scenario.

I know I probably come across a bit high-horse, but I would be really interested to see how many speed (s)cameras and the like are still around if people didn't break the speed limit for 6 months. Think of the money that would no longer be rolling in to fund the cameras..... Would be interesting to see what would happen with the sudden drop in funds....

STi wanna Subaru

iTrader: (1)

Simple enough that you got convicted of breaking the speed limit Pete?

pslewis

Once, yes 10 years ago ............. but, unlike many on here I don't blub and cry about it!

Pete

ScoobyDoo555

hmmm. Too true Pete. Perhaps one of those devices may have warned you of your self-confessed voyage into the realm of "Larry Lead Foot"... Even though you DIDN'T get caught. I do recollect the topic posted on this very BBS, but I've got too much of a life to go looking for it

In all fairness, you ARE right. There are a LOT of "drivers" who cannot adhere to speed limits for any time in their driving career. However, I'm pretty sure we've all played a bit.

However, back to this topic - there's a straight bit of road (national speed limit) outside of my countryside town. One of the residents (over the 1/2 mile stretch, you're looking at maybe 2 houses) has erected a cardboard traffic cop with a speed gun. The amount of people who've been caught out by this "deterent" (sp?) is ridiculous.

It's not so much that those drivers who are distracted by it shouldn't be driving - how many people have been shat up by a cat or other animal running into the road.
Whilst there is an arguement that the driver should be aware of the surroundings at all times, there are cases (such as human nature), when your guard can be dropped slightly eg, long straight roads with little distractions - such as my example......

I'm too distracted to finish this now - my phone's going off whilst I'm typing this on my PDA, with the PS2 install running in the background, and I've got to navigate this residential area whilst driving p1ssed

Dan

STi wanna Subaru

iTrader: (1)

But I thought it was "simple" ? So what happened 10 years ago Pete? Don't tell me you had some floozy in the car at the time and she 'distracted' you?

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

Funny that, a few roads with no accident history previously known, one 50mph the other 70mph. Both dual carriageway, no entrances, no blackspots.

Then one day they reduced the speed limit, 40mph on one road, then 50mph on the other. With the usual speed enforcement tools springing up all over the place.

Going by PS Lewis's logic MODERN cars must be more dangerous

thundertiger

nah he was taking vitamins and pressing the throttle with a cane, whilst under the influence of sleeping tablets at my guess...

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

Oh, for the record I speed all the time. With the only exception of when I'm in view of some sort of speed limit enforcemnet device.

0 points from day one of issue

Regacy

No idea if the fake camera was a factor in the accident.....
But you wouldn't want to be the fella who put it up would you.
Having that on your mind must be troubling, would be for me anyway.
R

pslewis

The principle IS simple!!

If I wandered a little, once in over 60 years of driving, I consider that to be as close to perfect skillful driving as its ever likely to get

Certainly more skillful than some morons on here with 'joined-up' speeding points!! and, WORSE, still not being able to drive any better!

Those people need to be removed from the roads forthwith!

Pete