17 November 2010

Leadfoot Melissa Emely Grant, welcome to the court of public opinion

| johnboy
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The ABC brings word of 23 year old Melissa Emely Grant (quirky spelling and the letter Y for maxtreme points) who between July and September last year managed to rack up 38 speeding fines in parts Tuggeranong, as well as tripping a red light camera.

She has pleaded guilty in the ACT Magistrates Court to 38 speeding offences and one red light camera offence.

The defence said Grant was in a stressful relationship at the time and often ran late for work.

The court has heard Grant would not be able to pay the speeding fines totalling more than $6,680.

Magistrate Peter Dingwall instead imposed a sentence of 312 hours of community service.

With her worst infraction driving 119 in a 100 zone she couldn’t have been shaving more than seconds off her travel time.

It does make one wonder if being pulled up by a police car just once wouldn’t have made us all safer, and saved her 312 hours of her life.

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Trad_and_Anon12:39 am 03 Feb 11

Holden Caulfield said :

No mention about the status of her licence, would it be wrong to assume it has been cancelled?

Just imagine what she would have done if there had not been any speed cameras. I feel so secure that His Stanhopeness looks after our welfare so well by introducing more speed cameras.

colourful sydney racing identity10:21 am 18 Nov 10

Pork Hunt said :

S4anta said :

Emely is the welsh spelling of a latin name. Dirty coal miners.

I thought that was how illitorate bogans spell Emily.

self pwnage.

Only if the company she works for is understanding and supportive enough to stump up $33k instead of just naming her as the driver.

Pork Hunt said :

S4anta said :

Emely is the welsh spelling of a latin name. Dirty coal miners.

I thought that was how illitorate bogans spell Emily.

?

Maybe she drives a company car, in that case she won’t lose any points of her licence, just heavy fine’s which she isn’t paying for!

James-T-Kirk said :

more speed cameras needed. no doubt about it.

Point to point cameras would have solved that…

Yeah, point to point cameras – with a laser designator and four round Hellfire missile option included to stop excessive speeders dead in their tracks.

Maybe she should meet up with ALLOFUS to discuss the injustice of it all

http://the-riotact.com/?p=23858

Me either Jethro. The greater good of us do. That isn’t my point.

JC said :

Doubt being pulled over by the police would make any difference at all. Clearly this women is one who thinks she is above the law.

Clearly a lot of commentatorson here also think they are above the law, judging by the number of people who are arguing that 20% over the speed limit doesn’t really count as speeding.

Serenace1 said :

You can expect more bulk cases like this as governments lack the ability to generate revenue in legitimate ways. While traffic laws are necessary, speed cameras have nothing to do with driver safety. I know of a case of city link fines totaling 78k. Perspective.

Because fining people for speeding isn’t a legitimate thing to do. I choose not to get speeding tickets by driving at the speed limit. It’s not a difficult skill to master.

Pommy bastard8:07 pm 17 Nov 10

Pork Hunt said :

I thought that was how illitorate bogans spell Emily.

Yep, but we call them “The Welsh.”

S4anta said :

Emely is the welsh spelling of a latin name. Dirty coal miners.

I thought that was how illitorate bogans spell Emily.

You can expect more bulk cases like this as governments lack the ability to generate revenue in legitimate ways. While traffic laws are necessary, speed cameras have nothing to do with driver safety. I know of a case of city link fines totaling 78k. Perspective.

“then maybe it’s something else, maybe her car has a faulty speedo or something, she went past cameras 38 times before recieving the first fine?”

A mental illness?

Doubt being pulled over by the police would make any difference at all. Clearly this women is one who thinks she is above the law.

119 in a 100 doesn’t seem that bad at all, and if that’s her worst, then maybe it’s something else, maybe her car has a faulty speedo or something, she went past cameras 38 times before recieving the first fine?

Pommy bastard4:43 pm 17 Nov 10

Jim Jones said :

Yeah. We should get rid of all the speed limits and everything would be much better.

Glad to see you’re becoming more liberal Jim, keep up the good work..

I think it’s actually “Drive, Drive, Die in a ditch” and the word “Die” is in red. So that must mean something too…

Jim Jones said :

Yeah. We should get rid of all the speed limits and everything would be much better.

Exaggerating much, with your strawman argument?

I don’t think anyone is objecting to speed limits, rather the government’s (in any state or territory) fixation with enforcing speed limits by automated means, to the detriment of the enforcement of other road rules.

Hmmm, get caught one time = simply dumb and/or inattentive
Get caught 2 times = pretty stupid, doesn’t learn from past mistakes
Get caught 38 times = low functioning member of society and/or pathological f**k you attitude to authority – either way, how did she get her licence in the first place, let alone keep it for 5 years?

georgesgenitals3:57 pm 17 Nov 10

Jim Jones said :

James-T-Kirk said :

Avy said :

James-T-Kirk said :

more speed cameras needed. no doubt about it.

Point to point cameras would have solved that…

How??????? She already had 38 speeding offences. *38*.

Thats my point exactly.. Blind, Dumb Government revenue raising simply does not work…

Yeah. We should get rid of all the speed limits and everything would be much better.

*sigh*. I know you love having a go at people, but the point is that having more speed cameras would not have helped in this case. She had already been busted many, many times without it changing her driving behaviour.

Pommy bastard3:40 pm 17 Nov 10

S4anta said :

Emely is the welsh spelling of a latin name. Dirty coal miners.

Hmmm… I have warned people here about the Welsh, hymn singing, sheep sh@gging, coal mining, rugby playing, ner do wells that they are…

James-T-Kirk said :

Avy said :

James-T-Kirk said :

more speed cameras needed. no doubt about it.

Point to point cameras would have solved that…

How??????? She already had 38 speeding offences. *38*.

Thats my point exactly.. Blind, Dumb Government revenue raising simply does not work…

Yeah. We should get rid of all the speed limits and everything would be much better.

ConanOfCooma2:52 pm 17 Nov 10

James-T-Kirk said :

To be brutally honest, some of the signs are far from accurate.

SPEED KILLS – No – It isn’t the speeding that kills, by the forces applied on the body by rapid deceleration that actually do you in.

MISSING A CALL WONT KILL YOU – Mostly true, unless it is a call from a Loan shark, or a Mafia boss…

DRINK DRIVE, DIE IN A GUTTER – No again – Drinking to the point where you have no control of a car – and you *might* die in the gutter (fair enough) – But there are lots of other ways of dying in the gutter – You may be plastered, and choosing to walk home, and get driven over by a soccer mom, who has turned around to scream at the kids. Alternately, you may have been in a high speed acident, where you total your friend and his girl, and you are trapped in your car. Then you take a punch at the rescue workers who are holding your jugular closed, and take a run for it when they free you… only to die in a gutter later (from blood loss)….

Sigh – so much inaccuracy over just a few words….

SPEED KILLS – It’s not the speed that kills you, it’s the idiot that was coming at you head on.

MISSING A CALL WON’T KILL YOU – It will if you are on a donor list and missing that lung means a horrible, slow death.

DRINK, DRIVE, DIE IN A GUTTER – Gutters aren’t everywhere.

BTW, none of the signs mention alcohol. So stay away from any kind of consumable liquid if you wish to stay alive whilst driving.

Vix said :

Just out of idle curiosity…does she own her own car? (and how much is it worth?)

You thinking of buying it? She won’t need it for a while…

Oh, and can I get a job doing community service…the pay sounds great!

Just out of idle curiosity…does she own her own car? (and how much is it worth?)

James-T-Kirk2:30 pm 17 Nov 10

Avy said :

James-T-Kirk said :

more speed cameras needed. no doubt about it.

Point to point cameras would have solved that…

How??????? She already had 38 speeding offences. *38*.

Thats my point exactly.. Blind, Dumb Government revenue raising simply does not work…

James-T-Kirk said :

more speed cameras needed. no doubt about it.

Point to point cameras would have solved that…

How??????? She already had 38 speeding offences. *38*.

Emely is the welsh spelling of a latin name. Dirty coal miners.

Reprobate said :

38 speeding offences and she is still alive? How can this be, Mr Stanhope? I thought your signs say SPEED KILLS?

Simplistic arguments like this is why we have speed limits…..

So when did she actually get the fines ? did they turn up after every event, or did they not turn up till after the last one ?

James-T-Kirk1:21 pm 17 Nov 10

To be brutally honest, some of the signs are far from accurate.

SPEED KILLS – No – It isn’t the speeding that kills, by the forces applied on the body by rapid deceleration that actually do you in.

MISSING A CALL WONT KILL YOU – Mostly true, unless it is a call from a Loan shark, or a Mafia boss…

DRINK DRIVE, DIE IN A GUTTER – No again – Drinking to the point where you have no control of a car – and you *might* die in the gutter (fair enough) – But there are lots of other ways of dying in the gutter – You may be plastered, and choosing to walk home, and get driven over by a soccer mom, who has turned around to scream at the kids. Alternately, you may have been in a high speed acident, where you total your friend and his girl, and you are trapped in your car. Then you take a punch at the rescue workers who are holding your jugular closed, and take a run for it when they free you… only to die in a gutter later (from blood loss)….

Sigh – so much inaccuracy over just a few words….

Reprobate said :

38 speeding offences and she is still alive? How can this be, Mr Stanhope? I thought your signs say SPEED KILLS?

First it waits until it has all your money, THEN it kills.

James-T-Kirk12:51 pm 17 Nov 10

more speed cameras needed. no doubt about it.

Point to point cameras would have solved that…

georgesgenitals12:50 pm 17 Nov 10

So did she get the demerit points and lose her license? For how long?

Oh, and +1 to Erg at post #3.

James-T-Kirk12:49 pm 17 Nov 10

Reprobate said :

38 speeding offences and she is still alive? How can this be, Mr Stanhope? I thought your signs say SPEED KILLS?

It does… It KILLS me laughing!!!

Mwa Ha Ha Ha HA Ha…

38 speeding offences and she is still alive? How can this be, Mr Stanhope? I thought your signs say SPEED KILLS?

Her stupidity aside, traffic fines and infringements carry a far heavier weight for the young, unemployed or low wage earners.

I applaud outcomes like this – this type of alternative should be available to everyone who receives traffic fines. This approach provides for the community in a targeted manner rather than blindly raising revenue.

Sounds to me like she drives the same way as most people, but lacks that crucial ability to recognise a fixed speed camera and slow down for the few seconds it takes to pass it.

$6,680 / 312 hours equals approximately $25 per hour gross (assuming the lowest tax bracket) or $950 per week. Not a bad wage for community services work.

In comparison, the current Community Services Industry Award rates are:

Social and community services employee level 6 – $939 per week
Family day care employee level 4 – $887 per week
Home care employee level 5 – $776 per week (top level – requires degree or diploma)

Holden Caulfield11:36 am 17 Nov 10

No mention about the status of her licence, would it be wrong to assume it has been cancelled?

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