Additional Tax Contribution: Mobile Speed Cameras

[elephino]

1 marked police car does more to reduce people's road speed (whether they're speeding or not) than 10 speed cameras and it also increases their attention.

The mobile speed cameras are there to raise revenue, not to stop speeders. There are a few issues with speed cameras. At the top of the list is that it doesn't change the driver's attitude. Receiving a letter 2-3 weeks later doesn't fix the problem. If a cop pulls over a driver for speeding their attitude changes straight away (yes, they may speed again later but the likelihood is reduced and they won't for a while). It's like training a dog (or a child) where there's no point punishing it for something it did last week, it just won't understand.

As for the faster you go the more likely you are to crash - that's from a really, really bad study done in SA (where govts get the 5km/h over the limit, twice as likely to crash) that is neither accurate or statistically valid. For instance, from its conclusions, if you're 5km/h under the speed limit, you'll never crash. There is no proof of this at all, in fact if it were true then there'd be a lot more crashes 110km/h roads.

Appropriate speed limits have been an issue for a while. I'm not even talking about raising the dual carriage way limit to 130km/h in certain circumstances. What I am talking about is that there are areas where roads have improved but speed limits haven't gone up to match (e.g. Lane Cove Rd - but in this case it's to slow traffic so that they go into the tunnel). The RTA don't even use their own guidelines anymore as there are a number of roads which are currently under the correct speed limit (e.g. Mowbray Rd, Artarmon which is a major thoroghfare and therefore should be 60km/h not 50km/h, and a couple of country towns on the Hume Hwy which are 50km/h). I only know of one road to go up - Homebush Bay Drive from 70km/h to 80km/h.

[DubSteve]

Pitty posts in the general section dont go towards your post count.

Bugger, **** me then ohwell more useless contributions

[Rocket36]

Predictable rubbish from the bionic man here...seriously is it especially tiring being so perfect all the time?

What? Obeying laws is rubbish now is it? Please refer to anywhere I have ever claimed to be either "bionic" or "perfect".

If obeying laws is rubbish, then why are there any laws at all?

[Speed]

What? Obeying laws is rubbish now is it? Please refer to anywhere I have ever claimed to be either "bionic" or "perfect".

If obeying laws is rubbish, then why are there any laws at all?

Rocket, have you ever travelled more than 4kms over the speed limit?
If yes then no your not perfect (who is) and at the same time (using your rationale) your knowingly disobeying the law.
If no then yes you are perfect, well at least with regard to never speeding.

I'm personally not out to speed but sometimes people make genuine mistakes and I don't believe that they should be crucified for it.
Unfortunately there are grey areas in life.

[james_c]

I personally never worry about speed camera's because I drive to the speed limit. I concentrate on driving safetly and being aware of my
surroundings. Maybe its difficult for new drivers but as an experienced driver you get to know your car. You know by the sound of the engine and the gear you are in what speed you are genearlly doing.

wow.... you must be a very experienced driver to be able to tell what speed you are doing even at a tolerance of 4km/h!!

Obviously the standard of driving skills in Australia is relatively poor to many European countries and a higher standard of driver education is needed. Following the methods of Germany, Sweden and Finland would be the best place to start. Yes in Germany they have no limit on the Autobahn, but thats because they are taught how to drive properly. But the majority of the German Roads do have speed limits and surely the majority of the drivers there stick to them.

i agree whole-heartedly. this is one of the reason why i started this thread. i believe that one of the answer to safer roads is by better driver education. what we have in place at the moment is a joke. start with re-training existing driving instructors (i've seen many stupid decisions made by th insructors on the road), we should abolish parents-taught learner driver programs (i believe its just passing on bad habits and mis-informed advice), introduce driving lessons (practical/theory) in high schools and emphasize on driving behaviours and ettiquitte, introduce advance driver training, etc.

You know that we could easily get rid of speed cameras. If the majority of us just stuck to the speed limit, the revenue would dry up and speed camera viability would come under question as it would start costing money. The government may just then turn their attention to other forms of safety, maybe even put more police on the road to try and raise revenue by fining the unsafe cars on the road. This is something in our hands that we can do now instead of whinging about a tax that we charge to ourselves. Vote with your feet and don't put the pedal to the metal!

yes, but how do we determine what the real speed limit should be?? you do know what will happen when the revenue starts to slow down, they will decrease the speed again to make sure that we are again over this so called limit. suburban streets used to be 60km/h when cars were less safer (less efficient brakes, no crumple-zone technology, no air-bags, etc); now that we have advanced technologically with our automobile, we have decreased this so called limit!?! when the fines starts to slow down, they will reduce the limit again. did i hear someone say 40km/h for all suburban areas??
school zones are another farce. don't get me wrong, i do care about the little ones. With some common-sense, i usually did slow down considerably when i see school children around prior to the 40km/h school zone, i didn't need signs to tell me to do so. Want to have safer roads for kids?? how about fences along footpaths and foot bridges?? and... maybe actually teaching children how to cross properly like i did when i was a kid. school zones were a quick fix with the plus side of revenue raising and to increase the congestion so that we use the toll roads.

btw, i'm not always this negative, but these issues just really gets to me.

[Rocket36]

Rocket, have you ever travelled more than 4kms over the speed limit?
If yes then no your not perfect (who is) and at the same time (using your rationale) your knowingly disobeying the law.
If no then yes you are perfect, well at least with regard to never speeding.

I'm personally not out to speed but sometimes people make genuine mistakes and I don't believe that they should be crucified for it.
Unfortunately there are grey areas in life.

I can quite confidently say that I never speed. I am even one of the few (based on my daily experiences) that slows to 40kph for the school and roadwork zones on my way to work. People even have the nerve to get pissed off because I obey the posted speed limit. There is no chance of so called "accidentally" going faster than the posted speed limit because I can simply set my cruise control to the posted speed limit and adjust it when the speed limits change. And since the second I get in my car, the phone goes off and I concentrate on simply driving, I never have cause for concern that I might have "missed" a speed limit sign. If you're paying attention to driving, nor should you.

This DOES NOT make me perfect. It simply means I am obeying the law and concentrating while driving on, guess what, DRIVING!

[Speed]

I can quite confidently say that I never speed. I am even one of the few (based on my daily experiences) that slows to 40kph for the school and roadwork zones on my way to work. People even have the nerve to get pissed off because I obey the posted speed limit. There is no chance of so called "accidentally" going faster than the posted speed limit because I can simply set my cruise control to the posted speed limit and adjust it when the speed limits change. And since the second I get in my car, the phone goes off and I concentrate on simply driving, I never have cause for concern that I might have "missed" a speed limit sign. If you're paying attention to driving, nor should you.

This DOES NOT make me perfect. It simply means I am obeying the law and concentrating while driving on, guess what, DRIVING!

My question was "have you EVER travelled 4Kms over the speed limit"
If not your car what about your bike???

What about people that don't have cruise control or worse, a speedo thats in MPH!
Should classic, vintage and veteran car drivers now go below the speed limit to be sure there not going to get stung?
Is zero tolerance really a good thing? I think not but I'm far from perfect.

[Preen59]

Rocket, Dude, really? I know you're a stickler but to say you've NEVER done it is complete BS.

[Blitzen]

I can quite confidently say that I never speed. I am even one of the few (based on my daily experiences) that slows to 40kph for the school and roadwork zones on my way to work. People even have the nerve to get pissed off because I obey the posted speed limit. There is no chance of so called "accidentally" going faster than the posted speed limit because I can simply set my cruise control to the posted speed limit and adjust it when the speed limits change. And since the second I get in my car, the phone goes off and I concentrate on simply driving, I never have cause for concern that I might have "missed" a speed limit sign. If you're paying attention to driving, nor should you.

This DOES NOT make me perfect. It simply means I am obeying the law and concentrating while driving on, guess what, DRIVING!

Sorry, but I have to call shenanigans on this... How can someone who's head is so clearly up his see the road signs??

[Jace]

All I know is that 60km/h is 37miles/h... or something along those lines.

Seriously? Worry less.