Dj_Jestar said:
corrected
Don't be daft, you did nothing of the sort merely did what you always do and dismiss any relevant analogies which prove your ridiculous OMG EVERYTHING IS BLACK AND WHITE speeding opinions to be off the mark.
Don't speed, don't get fined.
Thank you once again Captain Obvious.
It's a limit (and law,) not a guide that you see in those red circles. Either you obey them and don't get fined, or break them and run the risk of being nabbed.
simple.. yet to some, just impossible to understand.
It's far from simple - it's infact more complex than I suspect you'll ever understand unless you lose your ridiculous notion that becuase something happens to be 'law' it should never be questioned and never be criticised.
The speed limits in this country are an absolute farce. There are numerous examples of utterly ridiculous speed limits, some of which are dangerously high, others which are so pathetically low that normally quite sensible drivers are either frustrated or run the risk of being fined as a result.
I suspect I'll be wasting my time with the rest of this post becuase I doubt you are ever likely to get past your ridiculous OMG ITS THE LAW attitude, but I'll give it a go anyway with numerous examples of why our speed limits are pathetic, and why the government are riduclously doing nothing about it becuase it's a nice little earner.
It appears to be the accepted convention these days that speed is the root of all evil. If somebody rounds a blind corner with dodgy camber at 65mph and crashes, it's obviously becuase he was doing 65 in a 60 and not becuase the road was in hopeless need of revision, and clearly, the best response to such accidents is the adoption of a blanket 50mph speed limit and not sorting the road out. It is this ridiculous culture that going slow sorts everything that is leading government policy and brainwashing people like yourselves. There is little emphasis on education these days - it seems the universal answer to people who can't drive is simply to whack as low a speed limit on as possible and fine everyone who thinks 'er 40? in the middle of nowhere? I think not'.
Some examples of roads where the speed limits are utterly ridiculous.
Firstly, virtually every school in the UK. It is perfectly legal to drive past a junior school at 15:30 in the afternoon, with cars parked on either side, at 30mph. Why is this? That's clearly too fast for the conditions, yet it's legal.
Explain this, please?
Secondly, nonsensical 40 and 50mph speed limits are popping up on previously NSL sections of rural road at an alarming rate. Perhaps the most ridiculous example is the A35 between Dorchester and Ringwood - it's a normal, NSL, 60mph road. Except for one 3 mile stretch, with minimal housing on it and minimal junctions (Certainly no more than your average 60mph road), which is now a 40 limit. So, you drive along this perfectly surfaced, well maintained rural road at just 40mph, feeling like a prune, passing the odd side ride which, although barely wide enough for one car, has a destriction sign signifying it's totally legal to pull off the nice, smooth 40mph road, and then do 60. Bizarre. Totally pointless, serves no purpose, yet you'd just LOVE to jump up on your soapbox and condemn anyone nicked for doing 45mph along it.
Explain this, please?
Thirdly, there is a road in Plympton, Plymouth, which leads out of town. It is a long, arrow straight road. There are no houses on it. It is clear and in good condition. It leads to nowhere but a country lane. It has a 30mph limit. Eventually, though, the road becomes twisty, the surface degrades and the road narrows. And the speed limit doubles to 60mph. If you did 59mph along the narrow twisty bit with poor visability, you'd be fine and legal. If you did the same speed on the nice, long, straight, safe bit, you'd be looking at a driving ban.
Explain this, please?
There are simply hundreds, nay thousands, more examples of roads like these with completely inappropriate speed limits all over the country and you know the worst thing? Almost all of them are plagued with GATSO speed cameras ready to fine those master criminals who are doing 50mph on a perfectly safe road. And I'm sure you are standing by, ready to condemn them for their reckless actions and praise the safety camera partnerships, right?
And last, the A303. Ever driven on the A303? Lucky you - again, it's nothing out of the oridinary. Just another rural A road. Only this one is pretty much a blanket 50mph limit right the way from Yeovil all the way to Honiton, again for no apparent reason. Only this one is worse - this one is infested with ridiculously dangerously sited GATSO cameras. I'll give you an example. The road is mostly single carriageway so as you can imagine on this type of road, you often get stuck behind slow moving traffic. At one point, the road goes up a hill and there is a crawler lane for slow traffic and an outside lane for everyone else to get past. It isn't very long but it's sufficient to rid yourself of the menace that is Bob in his truck and Ethel in her Rove 214. Only 3/4 of the way up the hill, 500 yards before the road becomes single carriageway again, is a GATSO camera. And lots of tyre marks. Basically, people pull out to overtake (In safety), aim to complete the manevour in enough time to come back in before the road returns to one lane, and suddenly find a GATSO, so have to abort.
Great. What does it acheive? Nothing. Why is the road a 50 limit? Why must we nick people doing 60 up a 2 lane section of road who are simply passing slower traffic? I bet you love it though becuase OH MY GOD! THE LAW SAYS 50! BURN EVERYONE WHO IS GOING 55!.
Then we've got the seperate issue. Most people in positions of authority think, like yourself, that speeding is terrible. They, like yourself, seem unable to comprehend simple facts like the fact that actually, less than 10% of accidents are caused by speeding. Speeding is easy to target, easy to profit from, and most people who are caught are law abiding motorists who are far more likely to hand over their money than Kev the ***** who's just pinched an Astra. And the best thing? YOU CAN AUTOMATE IT!
Fantastic - no need for so many traffic cops now, GATSO's can do their work for them.
Traffic cops are great. They use descretion, most of them know what they are talking about, and they can asses when a fine is the best course of action. If you are one of those master criminals doing 60 up the outside lane of the A303 mentioned a second ago, Mr Plod will probably ignore you. He can see you've not really caused any problems. Yet if you are doing dangerous overtakes, etc etc, but perhaps not even speeding, he can pull you over and give you a good talking to.
A GATSO cannot do that.
The entire speeding/GATSO culture in this country is ridiculous and you know what? It's people like yourself, with your blinkered, simplstic views, that are making it worse becuase you are the sort of people who tend to get surveyed when the government wants to justify what it's doing.
Seriously, WAKE UP.
Oh, and for context, I dont whinge when I get caught. I am perfectly aware that if I break the posted speed limit, I run the risk of being fined. I have 3 points to prove this but not many people know that becuase there was no OMG DAMN CAMERAS thread on this forum when it happened - I knew the consequences of my actions, and accepted them without issue.
I also think that if you get nicked by a GATSO you really should have been paying attention.
However this DOESNT mean I cannot completely disagree with the whole anti-speed pro-camera culture.
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