Safe Speed Forums

Much as I hate the fog light numties, why is the answer a camera. We already have the technology to catch them, we've had it for years. They drive white cars with blue lights on the roof, but they are being phased out.

We cannot replace proper policing with single purpose automated fining machines.

I am willing to bet 90% of drivers running on foglights in clear conditions have no idea that the buggers are on. Copper pulls them and says "fog lights on etc. etc. etc." problem solved.

Camera sends millions of fines - courts get clogged up, more people fail to register cars correctly, more unroadworthy cars, more accidents as a result!

(I wasn't really being serious)

Rant retracted!

AIUI those signs are intended to warn the emergency services thart there might be baby under the seat or wherever in the aftermath of an accident. Unfortunately their usefulness in largely negated because few drivers remove them when there isn't a baby on board. But they do serve the secondary purpose of warnig that the driver has only half her mind on driving, the other half on the child.

On inappropriate notices: another annoying one is L plates on cars driven by a qualified driver. And "personal" number plates with silly fonts and wrongly spaced characters.

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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

The only reason I ever seem to use my front fogs is to try and point out to people that their rear fogs are on.

If the visibility is borderline, I tend to gently apply the brake pedal when I see a car approaching from behind until I'm sure they've seen my brake lights. Once they know I'm there, foggies are superfluous.

I know we have been over this before, but a lot of the blame goes to car makers making it possible to leave fogs on for long periods.

VAG cars have a switch where turning the lights off turns the fog switch off too (as you pull the light switch out to put fogs on, and it won't retun to lights-off without being pushed in again), whereas my Clio has a rotating collar on the indicator stalk. Not only is this easy to turn on by mistake when indicating, but it can be left on indefinitely.

Surely some manufactures have incorporated an automatic fog detecting thing by now? (I bet Volvo have had a go)

I know it's doable in the marine world. I'm thinking something smaller and cheaper than THIS

Numptys' could buy them as an accessory from Halfords; packaged as a Fogumpty

"That'll be £4.30 please Numpty"

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The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not necessarily represent the views of Safe Speed.
You will be branded a threat to society by going over a speed limit where it is safe to do so, and suffer the consequences of your actions in a way criminals do not, more so than someone who is a real threat to our society.

So they are for the emergency services? OMG so I need to get 4 signs saying "I passenger on board", "2 .." etc? and rotate them accordingly. Should I have one warning that there are flamable liquids in the tank?

I hope you don't object to personal number plates correctly made? Although I must confess I actually have a car that is so old that technically the number plate is worth more than the car! Does that make me a numpty?

PeterE wrote:-



That's a wee bit pedantic and I don't remember 50 limits anywhere.

I'll be more precise. There were only 30mph speed limits in built-up areas from 1935 until the mid-fifties, when the better suburban lit roads were up-graded to 40.

1935-1965; 30 years of glorious freedom.

And, once again,if I'm not mistaken, it was a labour govt. that c@@@ed it all up for us ....

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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.

Yes and thousands upon thousands died.

probably not as many as did in the war though!

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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.

But did they really?

Seriously, I’d like to know because it’s my contention that kids were not molly coddled like they are now. So if they fell out of a tree or got clipped by a car from walking into a road etc. they wouldn’t do it again and their mates would think the same if they heard or witnessed it.

If I did ever hurt myself my mum would say “see, that’s what you get for trying to be clever”, complete with finger wagging.

My dad would have given me a clip around the ear for being a silly arse to add to my woes. These days ‘they’ would call it child abuse but it didn’t do me any harm and I grew up to respect my own limitations, my environment and last but not least - my parents!

Nowadays if a kid falls out of the tree they will cut the ‘dangerous’ tree down. If the car hits the child then you must ban the car or make it go slower.



Yes, how does that get through Health and safety? Do you suppose the hypocrites who bark on about Speed Kills ever lobby the Government or take part in any such initiative other than yea-saying with their mates at the Hare and Hounds on matters of war or the plethora of other dangerous activities?

Somehow I very much doubt it.

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The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not necessarily represent the views of Safe Speed.
You will be branded a threat to society by going over a speed limit where it is safe to do so, and suffer the consequences of your actions in a way criminals do not, more so than someone who is a real threat to our society.

Thousands did die. Lots more people used to die in road accidents than do now, especially if you take in to account how many fewer vehicles and miles travelled there were, though progress has slowed noticeably in the last couple of decades.

But we've made great progress in terms of vehicle safety. Even twenty year old cars are significantly less safe than they are now. As for what effect changes in speed limits made, I don't know the figures, but I bet vehicle design has played an immensely more significant role in casualty prevention.

Yes in the years 1935-1965, you wouldn't find seat belts, radial tyres,disc brakes, brake servos, indicators or even laminated windscreens on many (if any) of the cars, let alone the numerous safety devices we have these days. So vehicle safety has gone up twenty fold but unfortunately driving standards, along with speed limits, have gone DOWN.

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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.

The fact is we all take risk when driving, an acceptable risk according to our percieved risk. However many people over estimate driver 'aids' and 'safety' features, believing them to be driver 'replacements' and 'life saving' features, and sadly their perception is such that they drive taking too many risks- they would drive safer if the knew the facts.

The startling fact is that IF you are in an accident, you are more likely to be killed in an ABS car thans a non-ABS car!

Factor in that a non-ABS is unlikelt to have airbags, ESP etc, then it is very startling. But don't take my word, make a Freedom of Information Request from DfT.

Unfortunately humans still only wear clothes, like they did before cars were ever invented, so they continue to be a soft target for these safer cars which are being driven by ever more stupid drivers who will continue to take greater risks the safer their vehicle becomes.

I agree with you graball, but it comes back to the old argument that we would all drive much more safely if we had a spike sticking out from the steering wheel instead of an airbag.

The situation is exacerbated by brainwashing a nation into thinking speed is always the root cause and therefore the solution is to slow everything down and make cars from marshmallow.

This argument is fallacious of course since it’s the root cause which needs addressing, but that’s another story and one which doesn’t suit the Government agenda.

I think it’s incredibly sad that if you surveyed people in the street and asked them what they think the greatest danger is on our roads today, the vast majority would probably all chant “speed”. Not bad driving, poor eyesight, drink or drugs, bad judgement, in-car destractions, youthful inexperience - just “speed”.

By enlarge, speed cameras are no more than a placebo; they are feeding the masses aspirin for myopia.

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The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not necessarily represent the views of Safe Speed.
You will be branded a threat to society by going over a speed limit where it is safe to do so, and suffer the consequences of your actions in a way criminals do not, more so than someone who is a real threat to our society.

Can they really make cars out of Marshmellow? I know Skoda make cars out of sponge cake - I've seen the TV ad, so it must be true, but marshmellow? Hmmmm? Would they only come in pink or white?

1950:
201000 injuries. 5110 deaths.

2000:
320310 Injuries. 3423 deaths.

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The world runs on oil, period. No other substance can compete when it comes to energy density, flexibility, ease of handling, ease of transportation. If oil didn’t exist we would have to invent it.”

56 years after it was decided it was needed, the Bedford Bypass is nearing completion. The last single carriageway length of it.We have the most photogenic mayor though, always being photographed doing nothing

Not really an improvement then....in fact it's terrible, when you consider how much safer they are now.

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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.

My 2p worth..

If only we had the cars we make today back in 1950 or the attitude of the folk from 1950 present in the year 2000, I feel the KSI figures for both years would be much better.

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The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not necessarily represent the views of Safe Speed.
You will be branded a threat to society by going over a speed limit where it is safe to do so, and suffer the consequences of your actions in a way criminals do not, more so than someone who is a real threat to our society.