More lies

[codprawn]

Just try driving around Spain - Portugal - France - anywhere there aren't so called "traffic calming" measures and you will find far less road rage!!!

Stress is proven to be a major killer in this country - don't tell me driving is not stressfull these days!!!

[MeMe]

........with O.V apart from the bit about cobbled streets. There's nothing better to brighten up a rainy day than seeing some fat, leather clad, goaty beard type fall off his BMW....

On a more serious note (if that's at all possible), I have accumulated 18 points on my licence over the last few years (not all at once though!). 12 (4x3 points) of these came via camera and 6 for going just a bit too fast in a de-restricted zone (don't as how fast).

Anyway, my point is - where can I buy some decent glasses and a decent decent radar/camera detector..... No, my real point is, cameras have not in any way stopped me speeding - they never will - I just drive fast (faster) than is legal.

Now, I can hear you all saying - ooohh, what a bad man he is, a speeder, he's going to kill someone one day.

Well let me advise you that, apart from doing 126 mph a de-restricted zone in N.W at 20:15 at night on a clear road alone in the car, every other penalty point has been captured on cameras whilst pottering around town. i.e. doing 44 mph in a 30mph zone and 61 mph on a dual carridgeway in a 50mph zone (twice).

So, if you call that excess speeding, there for the grace of god go us all !!!!

In my opinion, cameras don't stop speeding, they just make you pay for it. If you want people to slow down, education is one of the keys along with speed enforcement alarms fitted in the car (like in the U.S) which bleep to remind / advise the driver he has reached a safe speed.

[Jono]

Originally Posted by MeMe

There's nothing better to brighten up a rainy day than seeing some fat, leather clad, goaty beard type fall off his BMW....

.

Fat? Check
Leather clad? Check
Goatee beard? Check
BMW? Check..............

....that's me neatly stereotyped, then?......

[MarkWildey]

Originally Posted by MeMe

i.e. doing 44 mph in a 30mph zone

I'm glad you think that doing 50% over the speed limit is pottering

Originally Posted by MeMe

So, if you call that excess speeding, there for the grace of god go us all !!!!

ah yes, my defence ma lord is that everyone else is doing it so why shouldn't I be allowed too?

Originally Posted by MeMe

In my opinion, cameras don't stop speeding, they just make you pay for it. If you want people to slow down, education is one of the keys along with speed enforcement alarms fitted in the car (like in the U.S) which bleep to remind / advise the driver he has reached a safe speed.

At last some sense.

Cheers

Mark

[MarkWildey]

Anyway enough of this rubbish I've got some dog fighting to watch.

Mark

[John Kennett]

Originally Posted by MarkWildey

Anyway enough of this rubbish I've got some dog fighting to watch.

I'll have five quid on the black and white one . . .

John

[Noddy]

I bet you are one of those that think that The Police should concentrate on the real villains and leave law abiding people like you alone?
Martyn

[DJL]

I'm pretty much with Mark on this one.

I'm very careful about sticking to speed limits on 'normal' roads, especially 30 zones. I'm sorry Meme but 44 in a 30 zone is excessive. Speeding in these areas to me is unacceptable, like drink driving and it really annoys me.

Saying that however I think speed cameras are the most stupid things ever. I have seen sooo many near miss's around London with people slowing down for speed cameras. In half the cases they were under the speed limit anyway but people seem to panic when they see a camera.

Motorways on the other hand are a different matter. I regularly exceed the speed limit like 80% of the population. I don't believe that another 10-20 mph above the 70 limit in itself dramatically increases the risk of accidents and I would like to see stats to the contrary. Sure the outcome of a crash might be worse. The accidents have to be caused by the idiots that sit 4m from your bumper while you’re doing 90, or the idiots that sit in the middle and fast lane while the slow lanes empty...etc.

Better education, more useful tests and more police – not more cameras.

[Scary Des]

Originally Posted by Noddy

I bet you are one of those that think that The Police should concentrate on the real villains and leave law abiding people like you alone?
Martyn

That is a very revealing comment Nobby are you saying that the Police shouldn’t be catching real villains Des

[Noddy]

What Im saying is that if everyone thought like "Me Me" and one or two others on here the grave yards would be even fuller with innocent drivers who did obey the law.
I wouldnt be so crass as to say the Police are above such things but if I got caught I certainly wouldnt want others to take the wrap for me allowing me to continue to break the law.
Finally,"Scary Des" just let me get this right. In your eyes a driver that kills someone else through sheer arrogance at the law is not a villain?
Martyn

[Scary Des]

Originally Posted by Noddy

Finally,"Scary Des" just let me get this right. In your eyes a driver that kills someone else through sheer arrogance at the law is not a villain?
Martyn

Not saying that what I am saying is that drivers are easy targets which the police and judiciary are taking full advantage of Bad driving should be punished but speeding is not necessarily bad driving and to say that ‘speed kills’ is ludicrous I’m not getting at the police, who in this instance are really only the tools of the politicians. I am fed up with being misled into doing something for the wrong reasons Better driver training and road design is the answer not fining people. Lets face it policemen are allowed to drive fast because they have been trained so why isn’t the same true for all of us

And as for catching real villains if you catch one speeder you might save the lives of him and who ever he hits, lets say 7 or 8 people. If you catch a major drugs dealer the lives you could save will be 10 or 100 times that. What is the better use of your time Des

[Noddy]

Des
Firstly Police are only allowed to drive fast if there is a reason for it. If we get caught speeding we face the same penalties as everyone else albeit they are enforced more rigourously as we are supposed to be setting an example.
Regarding the Drugs Dealers bit - At some time in their life a Drugs User had a choice, a dead motorist didnt?
And for the record I dont agree with speed cameras I would far rather use a speed gun in accident blackspots and speak to the driver rather than take a coward's way out and just send a ticket through the post.
Also,before anyone says it I will beat them to it - Yes I am Thames Valley, yes they have introduced a points system and yes I am just as embarassed about it as are most of my colleagues!
Martyn

[Jono]

..am I the only one here who gets that familiar waft from MeMe's post? Just trying to put my finger on it.......ah! That's it...Mackerel....

[Scary Des]

Originally Posted by Noddy

Des
Firstly Police are only allowed to drive fast if there is a reason for it

Sure you have to have a reason but given that reason it is considered safe. If you follow the governments argument speeding is never safe because ‘speed kills’ which is not true

Originally Posted by Noddy

Regarding the Drugs Dealers bit - At some time in their life a Drugs User had a choice, a dead motorist didnt?

Yes they do ‘if you go in a car you might die’ ‘if you use drug you might die’ both are decisions about taking and limiting risk. But the point remains which is the most effective use of your time, easy target with low impact, hard target with high impact

Originally Posted by Noddy

And for the record I dont agree with speed cameras.

It is remarkable how many don’t des

[osprey__viper]

Lets review. Scarey Des reckons the government are lying. MeMe is a career criminal, Mark Wildey never speeds, except when he's doin 85 on a motorway, Noddy is our own inspector morse, and as for me, well I drive an artic for a living so im public enemy number 1

Nice to see we have a broad membership at Ribnet which knows no boundery's

Martin

[MeMe]

Originally Posted by Noddy

Des
I would far rather use a speed gun in accident blackspots and speak to the driver rather than take a coward's way out and just send a ticket through the post.Martyn

.........a fair cop.

I've made myself out to be a bit of a rouge with regard this thread and too a degree I'd have to accept such a label.

However, I've just been open with my thoughts whilst others have to a degree taken a rather "better than thou" stance. Therefore, let us all perform a little experiment the next time we get in the car. Wheather you be a Judge, Police Commissioner or the pal of a road accident victim, I believe it is impossible to maintain the speed limit at all times. I've tried it and it just is impossible (for me). One either has a lapse in concentration, gets caught up in the flow of traffic or as is often the case feels badgered by a tailgating driver. It's life, there's no escaping it.

My father in law is an extremely high ranking CID officer in Manchester with a terrible reputaion for being a ba***rd howver, believe it or not, he is the most law abiding citizen I have ever me EVER. Further and beleive it or not he does do 30 in a 30 - 40 in a 40 and so on, however he was recently caught on camera going through road works doing 57 in a 40 zone - the man nearly cried when the ticket arrived - therefore, none of us are infallible.

Recently he advised me that one of his pals (non force) was stopped and booked for crossing a mini roundabout whilst turning right, allowing more than 1/3rd of his vehicle to mount the same. Now, we're talking about one of those tiny little white painted things here, not a large grassy knoll. What sence is there in that ?

As mentioned above, I feel it would be a lot better to enforce speeding in black spots with guns (radar P D not 12 guage). Now that is a fair cop and where required.

This afternoon I'll be heading to Abersoch which, is a 136 miles door to door trip driving through some of the most treacherous and most rigorously enfored "Safe Speed Limit" counties in the U.K. - Gwynedd - wish me luck

[MeMe]

Originally Posted by osprey__viper

as for me, well I drive an artic for a living so im public enemy number 1 Martin

........makes sense.

[MeMe]

Originally Posted by Jono

..am I the only one here who gets that familiar waft from MeMe's post? Just trying to put my finger on it.......ah! That's it...Mackerel....

.......MeMe ever so well However, I'm a little disappointed that, whilst you sniffed at the bait I laid with regard to the typical motorcyclist, you resisted taking a full bite

[osprey__viper]

Originally Posted by MeMe

........makes sense.

Thanks mate, that'll be two of us bang to rights!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'll let ya know next time im going to Brakes at Dukenfield, we can meet up and swap stories of daring crimes

[MarkWildey]

Martin

Actually I utmost respect for HGV drivers, they have a bl**dy hard job and are without doubt the best drivers on the road. There are always the exceptions but that is the same for everything.

Their job is only made harder by foreign drivers and fuel prices ( Now there's the start of another thread )

I'm no saint when it comes to anything but when people admit doing 50% over the limit, sharing out the points to friends and family and belive it is their god given right to do what ever speed they want because...

1) They have always
2) Because everyone else does
3) Because the road used to have a certain limit and its changed..
4) Its the camera's fault because its just a money making idea

Well if you get caught then look in a mirror and see who is to blame and not try and blame anyone else.

As a I said before no one is making you speed so why moan when you get caught.

Mark