I've become one of 'those' statistics

[El_Freddo]

Good read subybrumby!

That camera that got my look-a-like plate is near a million bucks a year.

I've been told that we're too complacent with the way our government baby's us... Someplace in Europe the locals get jack of a speeding camera and it ends up with a burning rubber tyre over it. Do this two or three times and the camera doesn't get replaced due to the cost of a new camera and the instillation.

I'm not suggesting that's what we go out and do, but if it does start happening, I know who will be popular, and it won't be the pollies or the police!

I think 35 40 years ago with 12 million population we had much bigger death toll than we do today

Well you think about it Jonno - more cars on the roads these days and less deaths than what there used to be back then, we're clearly doing something right. BUT, there's always a but - these figures are statistics and statistics are used to tell YOUR story, not necessarily the reality of the matter. Imagine comparing a ratio of deaths per registered vehicle for that year back then and for now. Today's figure will be astronomically less than back then!
But the likes of the TAC don't want to be telling you that now do they?

Cheers

Bennie

[subybrumby]

No worries mate...Look there are so many aspects to this that it would drive you nuts. Early radar guns as I recall, worked on the doppler effect which measures the change in frequency as a car moves along the highway. We used to have a tuning fork that had the speed stamped on it. So if you struck the 60k fork on your boot and held it up to the front of the gun, that frequency would give you a reading of 60 or maybe 61kph and the gun was considered working ie tested and ready for use.. If a car was coming toward you and a truck was behind it coming the same way, it would tend to read the larger object, which was the truck regardless of which was the fastest.. Best results therefore were if you detected a car on its own somewhere. We took a portable cassette player out with us one day and held it up to the radar gun while Pink Floyds opening of the song Echoes played and were getting readings of around 140kph from the opening chimes of the song.

When I was in training in 1975, a car slowed at a stop sign on the bottom of a hill but then went through. When pulled over the father driving said his little girl, who was laying on the back seat was sick and he felt if he had stopped suddenly, she would have rolled onto the floor. I thought that was fair enough but the Sergeant instructed me to book him. So what is right and what is wrong. What would a traffic infringement camera on that sign have seen. I just think that we are taking the human element out of these situations and people are getting booked left right and centre without anyone weighing up the circumstances of each case.

A couple of years ago, I was following a car being driven erratically weaving over the road but on the 60k speed limit on a four lane divided road near home. I shot around him to get him behind me thinking that would be best (to get the trouble behind me) when a speed camera got me passing him even though my intention was to come back to the speed limit after I got the "drunk??" driver behind me. Is that right or wrong given that the speed camera takes a snapshot of a moment in time without any consideration to the circumstances?

Look, if you followed me around all day you could probably write traffic tickets one after the other for every unintentional indiscretion I make...I just think police need to weigh all the circumstances and apply discretion as we did in the past as to whether an infringement is justified in any case. Or are tickets just being issued on every case to fill quotas and or government coffers.

Anyway, that's my last word on this..I'll pay the $200 bucks and be more careful, but there is no doubt that they are on a blitz up here and lookout.

[subybrumby]

Thanks Benny, just read your post..cheers mate...I'm trying to look at it from both sides sort of having been on the other side and now this side.

[El_Freddo]

Yeah, unfortunately police aren't there to actually look after the general safety and order of the public that is effectively paying their wages - they're now expected to make money due to a hungry government.

But as one person, what am I to do about this? We all know it's only going to get worse. As it is in one trip down the western ring road (freeway) you can loose your licence - that's over 12 points in about 30/40km! There are fixed cameras, distance/time cameras and electronic speed signs that can change at the drop of a hat as well as multiple fixed speed sign changes as well. It's one crazy freeway to avoid!

Cheers

Bennie

[subybrumby]

I was'nt going to say anymore but an observation,...From my house to Toowoomba is about 10klm and there are about 8 different speed zones along the way. Secondly, a few years ago I drove a 40' denning bus (like McCafferty's) full of kids up to the Big Pineapple near Nambour as part of my job at the time. There are sections along the way near the sunshine coast going in and out of roundabouts that it is physically impossible to read all of the signs (advisory and regulatory)on the highway and drive a vehicle like that at the same time.

[steptoe]

Funny you mention sign reading. Before I got my licence I did see all the advisory signs at the roadside, however, once I got my licence I read the road and conditions and not all road signs (swear there are more and more of 'em too).

Gotta ask how qualified the road sign adjudicators are....do they even drive, and how well? We just don;t know.

I know a top qualified and regarded town planner who never drove anything more than a bicycle, got near written off by a bus, quite severe brain injured, now able to lead his own life, wipe his own arse again after many years.

I used to wonder just how he could do his job well, with his qualifiactions without the experience as a motorist!