Ben wrote:I am one of those people fined recently on the freeway when the speed limit was temporarily reduced to 80 because it had rained earlier in the day (I did not see this) I was doing 88. I had taken my housemate from Wales to Hahndorf to show him around. Lovely way to ruin the day. This subsequently led to me losing my licence for 3 months as a couple of months earlier I received 3 fines on the same road within a week, where the limit had recently been permanently reduced from 60 to 50. My speed was 57, 58 and 61. Not only did I lose my licence but it cost me over $1,200 in fines. If these cameras are not blatantly revenue raising then I don't know what is. They are put in areas where speed limits have been changed to purposely catch motorists out, not to improve safety. It really is unfair but what can you do? Yet I constantly am out and about seeing someone zoom past me doing at least 100 in a 60 zone yet they won't get fined because they aren't doing it in an area that is easy to catch people out. The government is more hell bent on catching a lot of people out doing 10 kms over the limit then catching a smaller number of drivers who are actually speeding in a dangerous manner.
Warning - I'm having a soapbox moment
I'm very sympathetic with your view. Just to be clear, I have been driving for well over 20 years and have not had a single speeding ticket (touch wood). That said, it's been luck - not because I speed but because of poor signage.
I agree that the focus is far too much on catching people out for easily monitored minor speed breaches rather than trying to encourage good driving. The fact you got fined three times in a short period is indicative of the stupidity of this 'remote' approach to enforcement. We all know areas where there's no signage indicating 40 or 50km/hr or it's sparse (ie one sign at each end of the road, bad luck if you turn onto it part way along), roadwork signs left out permanently (with no end - eg you pass a 25 sign and there's no end roadwork sign ahead) and signage that is blocked if a bus or truck happens to be next to you.
I rarely drive these days since I live and work in the CBD but virtually without fail even on short trips I STILL see:
- people blatantly using their mobiles while driving (and often their car meandering across the lane)
- people who fail to indicate / pull out recklessly instead of giving way for 5 seconds / cut people off or block them for no purpose (eg you indicate and someone accelerates just to block you in)
- driving through red lights way after it could even be called marginal (eg the lights have already gone green for traffic passing in a different direction)
- cars belching burning oil / overly tinted windows / obviously bald tyres
- cars driving erratically (to the point where they must be either having a medical emergency or are on drugs)
- cars driving without numberplates on either front OR back (and no trade plates, either)
It is incredibly frustrating to see these things unpoliced and many of them are incredibly dangerous. We all know that people suddenly 'drive properly' when they are in the vicinity of a police vehicle. Frequent and more visible patrols combined with remote enforcement in known accident zones is clearly the most legitimate way to enhance road safety.
I would suggest being pulled over at the time an offence occurs and physically speaking to a police officer has an enormous and longlasting deterrent versus a letter in the mail with a fine and loss of points 2 weeks later. I would also suggest whatever the transport department is called these days needs to spend some time checking their signage positioning and frequency.
/rant off
