Safe Speed Forums

OK folks here goes. Quite a few folks hereabouts will cite 'silly rules' as being a reason for people behaving the way they do. Its very easy to say..."Its silly rules whats to blame guv"...but what are these rules and why are they silly?

So come on then, give us some examples of these 'silly rules'.
Why are they silly?
Why do you think the rule is there - no 'just to fuck us about' answers please
How does this rule affect the way you go about your life, major hurdle or piffling inconvenience in the big scheme of things?

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Political Correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical, liberal minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end.

what? like being told to turn my mobile off when I visit the podiatrist (foot doctor)

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Speed limit sign radio interview. TV Snap Unhappy
“It has never been the rule in this country – I hope it never will be - that suspected criminal offences must automatically be the subject of prosecution” He added that there should be a prosecution: “wherever it appears that the offence or the circumstances of its commission is or are of such a character that a prosecution in respect thereof is required in the public interest”
This approach has been endorsed by Attorney General ever since 1951. CPS Code

The 40 mph limit on the A56 Walton Bypass, Warrington.
The 50 mph limit on the A34 Handforth/Wilmslow bypass.
The 50 mph limit on the A666 Farnworth bypass.
The 30 mph limit on the A6104 Victoria Avenue East, Manchester.

(obviously I could go on in this vein all night)

The inexorable spread of double yellow lines to locations where parking does not create an obstruction.

Fining people for putting their rubbish out a day early.

The smoking ban in pubs.

The handgun ban.

The ban on foxhunting.

And loads of examples of heavy-handed, over-zealous enforcement, such as parking wardens slapping tickets on cars less than a minute after their parking period has expired.

Reasons?

“Experience should teach us to be most on our guard to protect liberty when the government’s purposes are beneficial. Men born to freedom are naturally alert to repel invasion to their liberty by evil minded rulers. The greatest dangers to liberty lurk in insidious encroachment by men of zeal, well-meaning but without understanding”. (Louis Brandeis, US Supreme Court Judge, 1928)

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"Show me someone who says that they have never exceeded a speed limit, and I'll show you a liar, or a menace." (Austin Williams - Director, Transport Research Group)

Any views expressed in this post are personal opinions and may not represent the views of Safe Speed

Moot/pedant point - they aren't individual rules in themselves, just examples of mis-application of a reasonable rule.




Hmmm, possibly



Yeah perhaps. I sometimes think there's more to these stories than we are presented with in the press though.



An awful lot of people would not agree that this ban is 'silly'



See above



As with the above, this is major national legislation and hardly in the 'silly rule' bracket. How does the ban affect you?



Why do they ask you to do this do you think? I'll tell you now, even though I have no idea where your podiatrist is, I'll wager the reason is NOT just to piss you off. The reason may not be obvious to you.

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Political Correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical, liberal minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end.

Nice quote. However, as bart Simpson found out in the episode in which he tries to reunite Krusty the Klown with his estranged Rabbi father, for every wise quote there is a counter quote.

Reason for 'silly rules'

Society is produced by our wants, and government by our wickedness

Thomas Paine 1737-1809

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Political Correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical, liberal minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end.

I'm not sure what to think about the smoking ban, but the signage requirements for it are silly!
It's illegal to do many things but we don't have to have signs to remind us.

Most parking restrictions implemented by councils who have decriminalised parking enforcement.

The inconsistency in parking restriction signage.

Also silly are the signs saying "don't use mobile phones at petrol station" with no reason given. I'm assuming that somehow they think that a mobile phone is more dangerous and likely to ignite the petrol than a dirty alternator...
This rule seems not to apply in Florida. Safer petrol over there maybe?

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Andrew.

Another one...

On one of my bank accounts I am not allowed to transfer less then £250 from it.

I want to transfer all of the £2.90 out of the account, so I have to transfer money into it first so that I have at least £250 in there, then I can transfer it all out. Thus doubling the number of transactions taking place and more than doubling the bandwidth used.
This is with online banking so it's all easy and gets transferred instantly so that limit is quite pointless. In fact it would have cost them more in programmers time to put the limit there in the first place!

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Andrew.

And how is that rule silly?

"Anton, I am now going to use the scalpel on your little toe to..." BLEEPIEDEBLEEEPBLEEEEEEPBLART!!!! "What the $£%^ing HELL????" SLICE!

"Squeal!":o

"Oops! I'll get your little toe, then. It's over there, under the 'please turn off your mobile phone' sign."

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www.thatsnews.org.uk / www.thatsnews.blogspot.com / http://thatsmotoring.blogspot.com/

Oh I say!

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Babies ruin driving pleasure

The ultimate 'silly rule'? .......... P.A.C.E.

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Babies ruin driving pleasure

My job involves looking after plants in commercial buildings.

I'm not allowed to spray any kind of commercially available pesticide - even ones that can be bought in a garden centre - on my plants if they get bugs. Purely because no individual company in my industry is rich enough to afford the licencing process.

I can use leaf-cleaning products (known in the trade as leafshine) to kill the bugs but only if this a side effect of cleaning the plant, otherwise it's illegal.

In order to spray any substance indoors, I have to be trained with PA1 & PA6 hort. spraying certificates (said training almost entirely concerns area spraying of crops).

These do not cover the use of non MAFF-labelled products, such as leafshine, i.e. all I'm allowed to use, so the training is irrelevant, but legally necessary.

The practical effect of this is that if a customer rings up and tells me their plants have bugs, I can only sell them a pesticide from our garden centre and get them to apply it themselves, even though I have been trained to apply it and they haven't.

That's not silly. That transcends silliness into bloody stupidity!

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www.thatsnews.org.uk / www.thatsnews.blogspot.com / http://thatsmotoring.blogspot.com/

A-bloody-men!

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Babies ruin driving pleasure

Driving on the left irritates me. Just because we started out running against the grain doesn't mean we have to go on like that forever.

People very rarely mention the good things Hitler did (for some reason) but in 1938, he simply had the Czechs switch at once to the right, and that was that. If we'd lost the war, we'd have no problem with that now!

I forgot the Road Vehicles (Construction and Use) (Amendment) (No. 4) Regulations 2003.
Before this law it was illegal to drive while using a mobile phone if doing so was dangerous. Now it is illegal to do it even if it's safe.

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Andrew.

Good post. I agree with all of these apart from the smoking side of things - although I do think there should have been more exemptions as some aspects of the ban are truely silly ie private clubs, company vehicles and mandatory signage + others.

The handgun ban was profoundly stupid in my view and really irritated me, despite never having owned a firearm.

Part of the probelm with the UK is the anal attitude towards enforcement - this is most of the problem in my view - the law is the law is the law. Can't imagine a policeman in Spain hiding behind the last speed limit sign in the village; although they wouldn't extrapolate a speed limit a mile beyond where it is neccessary. It just wouldn't happen.

There is something very british about this ban it now/dailymail/nannystate business.

What about Germany then? We like Germany don't we, what with those lovely 'no speed limit' sections of the Autobahn

Below are some of the more important laws and by-laws in Germany. Violations can lead to an on-the-spot fine by the civil police or a prosecution. What do we think of being instructed to do all this then........

Identity:

Identity documents must be carried by everyone over 8 years of age at all times.

Noise:

The following are 'quiet' times:

Workdays: 1300 - 1500 hrs and 2200 - 0700 hrs.
Sundays and Public Holidays: All Day.
During quiet times the following activities are not permitted:

Lawn mowing or hedge cutting.
Hammering, sawing or chopping wood.
Mechanical drilling.
Music playing loudly.
Beating of carpets.
Creating noise to annoy neighbours, e.g. parties.
Washing:

In flats, it is prohibited by German Law, to hang washing which shows above the flat balcony level.

Sundays and Public Holidays:

In Germany, Sundays and Public Holidays are treated as days of rest and you are not permitted to Hang laundry on outside lines, clean windows, clean outside areas, mow lawns, clean or do maintenance on cars.

Pavements:

Householders are responsible for sweeping and clearing rubbish and weeds from pavements adjoining their property. The Stadt clean up to the kerbstone - the rest is the householder's responsibility; this includes leaves in autumn.

Snow:

Householders are responsible for clearing snow from all footpaths adjoining their property:

a. By 0700 hrs in the morning.
b. In a short time after snowfall ceases during daylight hours.

Barbecues:

Barbecue cooking or grilling is not permitted on the balconies of flats.

Children - Liability for Children's Actions:

In Germany, parents are generally held responsible for the misconduct of their children. To protect yourselves against possible legal damages, you are advised to insure against such a liability. The cost is nominal and policies that provide this cover are regarded as essential by the vast majority of German parents.

Children's Play Areas:

Designated children's play areas are for children aged 14 or under. Play areas are not to be used after dark. Pets and bicycles are not allowed inside the play areas. Ball games are only permitted in areas authorised for such games.

Children - Bicycles:

Before permitting your child to ride a bicycle on the road, you should ensure that the child understands the German Highway Code and that the machine complies with German Law. The German Police quite often set up bicycle checkpoints where they examine the machine and test the child. Fines could be high for parents who have allowed an unsafe machine or child on the road. It is not permitted to ride a bicycle on pavements unless the pavement is signed for such use.

In Line and Roller Skates / Skate Boards:

German law prohibits the use of in-line or roller skates and skate boards on public roads and pavements, unless the road is specifically designed as a "spiel strasse" and marked as such with a blue sign showing children playing.

Open Streets and Grassed Areas:

No removal of bushes, trees or flowers allowed. Climbing trees is not allowed. No games involving throwing an object eg 'Frisbees' (see Children's Play Area). No public furniture to be removed e.g. park benches, ornaments etc. No begging. Being drunk or conducting oneself in a noisy manner is prohibited.

Garden Rubbish:

No burning of any rubbish is allowed.

Bathing:

Bathing in ponds, rivers and canals is prohibited unless a notice has been erected by the local authorities stating that bathing is permitted.

Cars, Trailers and Caravans:

All Vehicles:

All vehicles must be registered if parked on Public Roads or in a Public Vehicle Park.

Cars:

Parking:
Cars may only be parked on garage forecourts, specified roads or authorised car parks. They are not to be parked in, or driven onto, gardens or open-plan grassed areas; nor are these grassed areas or gardens to be altered in any way to provide car-parking facilities.

Car Noise:
The sounding of car horns, slamming of car doors, playing of loud music and revving up of engines should be avoided especially between 2200 and 0700 hrs.

Washing of Cars:
In Germany it is forbidden to wash cars in the street or on garage forecourts and this includes in barracks unless it is at a specifically designated washdown facility. One must use car washes, which are available in most towns and are normally located at garages or centralised cleaning facilities.

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Political Correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical, liberal minority and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end.

I find it hard to believe anyone would think banning hand guns is silly. Last year the uk had 58 murders using firearms. Not bad! Very good compared to America which had 1,400, well by that I mean 1,400 lethal firearm accidents of which 181 were children under 14.

The actual murder figures for America for last year involving firearms are 15,289. God bless America!

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Babies ruin driving pleasure

Oh, I wasn't implying britain was exclusively anal, but I bet it is fairly towards the top of the european hirachy of 'anality'.

My point was more of an enforcement one, and the attitudes surrounding it. Brits can't be trusted with sensible enforcement.

Really? And how many " firearms accidents" occured with legally held firearms before the ban, in relation to the total number?

Why not compare the UK with a similar european country - your comparison is extreme and a poor likeness match.

Has hangun crime and death increased or decreased since the ban?