Cops and the 4 kmh over posted speed limits

[BreakMyWindow 1874]

But how do you make a successful media campaign about stupid people for stupid people?

Setup up ads on MTV.

[BreakMyWindow 1874]

Someone has a head-on collision doing 140 on the wrong side of the road...

Speed is always a factor in a collision.

It's the oxygen thieves out there who make other foolish decisions which ultimately cost lives.

Subsidized mandatory driver education is required imo.

[westy 614]

I thought all money realised from speeding fines went to central government?

Same/same. Point is, it has a return.

PS, speed never killed no-one, it's the sudden stop at the end that gets ya

[eliongater 718]

Relevant: http://i.stuff.co.nz/national/75103863/Road-toll-heading-back-to-the-bad-old-days-despite-best-efforts-of-police

They are kinda starting to get it...

[gjm 3258]

"Road policing national manager Superintendent Steve Greally said the road toll had been on a downward trend since the 1980s, but there would always be fluctuations."

Didn't say why, though.

And under a fairly prominent heading 'SPEED KILLS' there is absolutely no mention of speed even being a contributing factor. I'd not be surprised to soon see a suggestion that speed limits be reduced over holiday periods.

Sadly, I don't see the government letting up on speeding motorists (which is fair enough as far as it goes - it is illegal) but I also don't see them making any changes to policing methods. For this government, the police is a business with a balance sheet and not the funded service it should be.

[Olaf 3317]

some years back I had safely driven my family back from a holiday in Auckland. We'd had an excellent run down, leaving a wet Auckland early - may have been ANZAC day? Got all the way to a warm, sunny and dry Porirua without incident, though on straight 3-lane piece of road I encountered an old Hilman Avenger Wagon, tail well-down (overloaded) towing a weaving trailer with bald tyres... doing 100-105. I know this, as I was following him in the second lane travelling behind him. I indicated right, moved into the 3rd (outside lane), and pased him doing 114 ( I know this, as it was police verified).

I was nabbed by a policeman with laser gun sitting at the end of the straight, and motioned to pull over. We had a cordial discussion. I offered that I had no issue about the speed he'd clocked me at, and accepted he would give me a ticket. We talked about my journey down from Auckland; he was interested in what time I'd left and did the mental calculation on how long it had taken me and satisfied himself that I'd had a reasonable trip.

I said "I have a question for you, officer. in my well-maintained Maxima, why did you choose me, driving 14km/h over the speed limit, rather than the driver next to me with the dangerously laden car weaving and towing a trailer with bald tyres, exceeding his speed limit by 25km/h?"

His was the stock answer: "you can't know how fast he was going, yours is an estimate only".

I replied "yes I do - I followed him for nearly a kilometre before deciding to pass, in order to avoid the road hazard he presented; our speeds were matched. Now, please, can you help me understand why did you choose to pull the driver presenting the lesser hazard to other road users? I'm not arguing the ticket; I'd really like to understand."

"Well, the laser gun has a narrow lens. I focus on the outside lane to catch the greatest speed"

"Ahhh, so you're focussed on the number plates of the cars in the outside lane?"

"Yes"

"and you didn't see the orange Avenger on the inside lane, because while you're hunting speeders and looking through that laser gun you're focussed on one lane only?"

"that's right."

"Well, thank you for your honesty officer, have a good one."

"you too sir, travel safely"

As I said, it was a cordial, and indeed respectful conversation.

Clearly this passive road policing by sitting "catching speeders at the end of lanes" contributes nothing to road safety. As I mentioned, I had no issue with a ticket for 14km/h over; it was what I was doing. It was the indiscriminate and non-sensical nature of the "policing" in this instance that underscored to me that they "have it wrong".

Edited December 17, 2015 by Olaf

[Jamez 2147483647]

The above storey reminds me of the time I was undertaking a car at 120km/h (they were hogging fast lane and slow lane was empty) and they were doing ~100km/h, yet they were the ones to get pulled over, probably because the cop assumed the car in the fast lane was doing the faster speed and I hit the brakes when I saw the cop which made them look even faster in a relative way.

Funnily enough this same thing has happened to a friend who was towing a trailer in the fast lane and was undetaken by a car doing a much faster speed. Cop wouldn't believe him and gave him the speeding fine.

So the point I guess is to always undertake when passing when speed may be over the limit and don't let people undertake you

[KwS 2425]

Media like this certainly doesnt help the cause for speed... >_<

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/75248603/hamilton-crash-splits-car-in-two-leaves-pair-critical

[gjm 3258]

Media like this certainly doesnt help the cause for speed... >_<

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/75248603/hamilton-crash-splits-car-in-two-leaves-pair-critical

Certainly doesn't help!

I do like the details though - a 4.15am crash when 'neighbours could hear them winding up.' Dunno about you, but I'm asleep at that time. No speed details released, but 'speed was excessive.' Probably true, but a typical knee-jerk reaction to a fast car involved in an accident.

That said, it takes a lot of force to rip a car apart. Sounds like someone out for a high speed run on a road they knew to be straight, but didn't know well enough to consider the 'bumps'. If it's the bit I think it is, they could have come down the hill at speed into the dip and bottomed the suspension, even in a GTR. Or come over a bump and got some air - landing a car isn't as easy as the rally guys make it look.

Driver error, and excessive speed, are the most likely causes. It'll make the headlines to reinforce the 'war on speed' approach being taken.

In other news, an orange police road car with a rear-facing camera on the parcel shelf was sitting on the northbound side of SH1 towards the top of the Bombay Hills this morning, and completely ignored the rattly, smokey, blue Hiace pickup with three large people in it, carrying a bouncing and unsecured load.

[BreakMyWindow 1874]

Had that GT-R not split in to two pieces, I reckon they'd have died on impact.

Edited December 17, 2015 by BreakMyWindow

[polley 916]

Doesn't take much of a bump in the road to become airborne when you're doing over 200 clicks.

[matt_297 1]

I'm originally from Melbourne, and the cops will ping you for 3km/h over the limit any day of the year.

Also, mobile phone fine is around $420 and 4 demerit points (we only have 12).

In addition to that, Australia has 'Double points' over long weekends and Christmas holidays. So your 4 point phone fine just turned to 8 points and your 3 points for running a red light just earned you 6 points...

We have it easy here, trust me. Even more harsh is their stance on modified cars but we wont go there today....

Edited December 17, 2015 by matt_297

[polley 916]

Australia has Nazi cops.

[Michael. 2313]

Australia has Nazi cops.

Pfft, Nazis.

They're more like the Khmer Rouge

[matt_297 1]

True story.

[Jamez 2147483647]

Another speed story http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/75263207/motorcyclist-spotted-going-261kmh-in-canterbury

Motorcyclist spotted going 261kmh in Canterbury

[qube 3570]

http://www.shameonyou.nz/

[KwS 2425]

at the end of the day, people doing stupid speeds like that are going to do them regardless of what the tolerance (or law) is... and a lot of them wont live to tell the tale. Sadly the police will continue to use them as an example of why they focus on speed so much.

I know when i was young and dumb i did some speeds i shouldnt, the law didnt matter to me. I had a reality check when i saw a video of what happens to a car when it crashes at 200kph. Now other than the odd quick burst of speed to pass someone (and free the passing lane up as quick as possible), i stick to the limit, using the tolerance as a safety net (for when speed creeps up going down hills etc).

[polley 916]

Another speed story http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/75263207/motorcyclist-spotted-going-261kmh-in-canterbury

260 clicks... Bike is only just starting to get wound up.

People are surprised at people doing these speeds, fact is a lot of people travel at these speeds daily and are never caught (or involved in an incident at these speeds)

[kingkarl 136]

260 clicks... Bike is only just starting to get wound up.

People are surprised at people doing these speeds, fact is a lot of people travel at these speeds daily and are never caught (or involved in an incident at these speeds)

300 or gtfo

[*Glenn* 854]

Te Irirangi Drive in Botany used to be good for 240 + Clicks once upon a time

[polley 916]

300 or gtfo

In a school zone makes you cooler.

[M3AN 4016]

Excessive speed often kills. But equating excessive speed to 4 or 10 kmh over is almost irresponsible.

[gjm 3258]

Excessive speed often kills. But equating excessive speed to 4 or 10 kmh over is almost irresponsible.

Especially when the speed limit itself is an arbitrary number, and not one based on any sort of scientific (or other) investigation.

[hybrid 1043]

There is talk of raising certain newer roads to 110 based on newer 'safer' roads. But also talk of lowering others.

People should stop fiddling and just concerntrate on advanced skid training, tires and suspension. Problems solved. That and banning ling longs / triangles