Safe Speed Forums

That is breathtaking. The government is appalled by an improvement in driving standards?

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When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race. H.G. Wells
When I see a youth in a motor car I do d.c.brown

On one hand, it just goes to show that this government will sink to any level to get more money off the motorist but on the other hand, if it leads to police stopping drivers for not using indicators correctly and headlights in poor visibilty then I'm up for that, they would have field day round where I live.

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My views do not represent Safespeed but those of a driver who has driven for 39 yrs, in all conditions, at all times of the day & night on every type of road and covered well over a million miles, so knows a bit about what makes for safety on the road,what is really dangerous and needs to be observed when driving and quite frankly, the speedo is way down on my list of things to observe to negotiate Britain's roads safely, but I don't expect some fool who sits behind a desk all day to appreciate that.

I really do despair at this Government  There are far too many "hit and run" "fail to stop" etc incidents already - lots more I suspect if this goes ahead? 

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That's how Nazi Germany started. They'll be burning books next. (Brian Noble, Wigan coach - updated 20/4/06!!).

That's avery good point. And just as with the scameras, the more people who get points and lose their licence, the more liklihood of uninsured, unlicenced drivers roaming the roads causing mayhem.

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My views do not represent Safespeed but those of a driver who has driven for 39 yrs, in all conditions, at all times of the day & night on every type of road and covered well over a million miles, so knows a bit about what makes for safety on the road,what is really dangerous and needs to be observed when driving and quite frankly, the speedo is way down on my list of things to observe to negotiate Britain's roads safely, but I don't expect some fool who sits behind a desk all day to appreciate that.

I agree that these proposals are both draconian and lunatic.

Although I would not agree that there has been any improvement in driving standards, failure to use indicators being a prime example.

Looking on the bright side though, just who is going to enforce these laws? The cameras? The police can't because usually it would be a case of one drivers word against another:-

"He was speeding!"

"No I wasn't. He pulled out without looking!"

Meanwhile the witness whines "I don't want to get involved."

So what can the Officer do apart from issue producers?

Give all three a fixed penalty of course. This isn't about justice.

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When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race. H.G. Wells
When I see a youth in a motor car I do d.c.brown

Which is pretty unlikely for most minor prangs. I thought the police were only interested if someone had been hurt or a major traffic hold-up was caused.

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Driving fast is for a particular time and place, I can do it I just only do it occasionally because I am a gentleman.
- James May

Or if there is a chance to raise some much needed revenue

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When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race. H.G. Wells
When I see a youth in a motor car I do d.c.brown

Lets not forget the insurance implications of this. People will be after any excuse to avoid taking the blame, even people who would normally be happy to just accept the blame and give their insurance details, now they're going to be arguing the toss and nobody's car will get fixed.

Plus the chap who recently reversed into my GF's unattended parked car. Do you honestly think he would have left a note accepting liability and giving his details if there was 3 points in it for him? Nope, a quick check for witnesses, if there were any then write random rubbish on a bit of paper and leave that instead and then bugger off quickly will be the order of the day.

Of course it isn't. Neither is it primarily about raising revenue from motorists. Its about streamlining the justice system by doing away with the tiresome courts, who insist on proof before convicting people. This government has raised the amount of punishments given outside court from a few percent up to about 50%. Courts are being closed and with them goes the concept of local justice.


The Guardian is not a paper I usually read but a recent article shows just how little the government understand the justice system. It seems they entirely failed to appreciate that bringing in minimum custodial sentences for a range of crimes would increase the number of people locked up.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2008/ ... ime-levels


Not so long ago they vastly increased the cost of taking child protection cases to court, with the fee rising from £150 to over £4000. That caused a decrease in the number of cases getting as far as court. Then along came baby P. The number of cases going to court has shot up in the last few weeks as various Social Services departments try to cover their backs. The money has got to come from somewhere. If the government couldn't find it from their own funds before the current crisis, they won't be able to do so now.


I am aware of some discussions taking place which I find alarming. One suggestion is that HATO officers be given policing powers for roads to parallel the Transport police role with the railway network. Another is that CPS prosecutors, who already have (limited) powers to impose community penalties behind closed doors as part of the conditional cautioning scheme, should be allowed to impose a wider and more severe range of punishments. Head teachers can already impose fines for non attendance, another suggestion is to add the power to impose community penalties in the form of parenting orders. If this happens you can be sure that it won't be too long before the police can do so as well.

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I am not a lawyer and can't give legal advice. I do have experience of the day to day working of courts and use that knowledge to help where possible. I do not represent any official body and post as an individual.