8 November 2005

What's the hurry?

| Swaggie
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Nice to see the government registered vehicle on the Parkway yesterday afternoon Rego 21129* It came past us clearly exceeding the speed limit then it got stuck behind an ‘inconsiderate’ driver who was sticking to the speed limit.

Rather than cruise at a safe distance behind him, it then proceeded to tailgate him for at least 3 km before the driver in front pulled into the inside lane allowing government car to vanish into the distance.

Oddly enough this wasn’t an emergency service vehicle in a desperate hurry somewhere but a white station wagon with ‘Vehicle Inspectors’ emblazoned all over the bodywork. It’s hard to imagine the impending disaster that could warrant such urgency in their driving.

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Boofhead

Please make yourself familiar with Section 300 of the Australian Road Rules. It states, and I quote:

“The driver of a vehicle (except an emergency or Police vehicle) must not use a hand-held mobile phone etc etc.”

In language you can understand, Police are allowed to use mobiles whilst driving. They have a blanket exemption, as do emergency vehicles. You would do well to know the law before you cast aspertions riddled with spelling and garmmatical errors.

I have a mental picture of a person with a long and colourful traffic history

look sam police are only public servants too ya know cant expect them to do too much can you? i have seen a copper driveing on the phone seems there above the law. but we allready knew that.

as for the vehicle inspectors what a joke there just office types that do a course on how to find comon faults with cars. and have no idea how dangerous if at the fault is.

being a mechanic and being pulled over by these clowns a few times have had great arguments with them and won every time there tools.

Samuel Gordon-Stewart12:23 pm 09 Nov 05

Ah, well I’m impressed and pleased…not about the speeding, but about the fact that it was you who paid the fine, you should be commended.

i got ‘snapped’ 15km over the limit in a govvie car, and i paid the fine. no favours shown to me!

technically its a breach of the code of conduct and other action can be taken internally.

Samuel Gordon-Stewart9:53 pm 08 Nov 05

Unfortunately, I get the distinct impression that government cars can get away with anything, simply because the people who are likely to end up with the fines are the taxpayers. I had an article on my website about this very topic just over a month ago.

To quote some of it:

This is just something I’ve noticed lately, it would appear that government cars are immune from road rules, and the people driving them are free to drive in whatever manner they like.

This morning, for example, while I was taking Nattie for a walk, a government car went by, the driver was using a hand-held mobile phone and drove straight past a police car, the police weren’t in the least bit interested.

I have some friends who work for the government and have made use of government cars from time-to-time, and some of the stories I have heard are quite amazing. I feel compelled to share one of these stories with you.

This apparently took place on the Tuggeranong Parkway (for those of you who are not familiar with Canberra’s roads, the Tuggeranong Parkway is a long road with a speed limit of 100 km/h). A number of people I know were travelling in a government car which was travelling at 110km/h or more, there was a police car beside them, they waved to the police who simply waved back and then sped off with no use of lights or siren. Not only does this show just how much government cars are able to get away with, it also shows the general lack of observence of road rules that the police also seem to participate in.

I find it mildly amusing that the police can produce press release after press release informing us that we all need to slow down and adhere to the road rules when they don’t do it themselves, and nor do they attempt to enforce the rules equally.

Despite what they may think, the road rules are there for all road users, not just private vehicles.

One of the people who reads my site and works for the government posted a comment:

If a govy car gets booked, the fine is enourmous and sent to the department. Its up to them to find out who was driving at the time and get them to sign a stat dec. to state that it was them driving the car, so the fine is reduced but they lose points on their licence.

They later qualified that by saying:

I wasn’t implying that there was any excuse for not obeying the road rules. They’re put in place to save the lives of us, not to be ignored by those who are supposed to enforce them.

Sorry for the incredibly long comment, but I felt that I had to share that.

Vic Bitterman8:54 pm 08 Nov 05

Sleeping Ferrit’s got it in one.

The dickhead lumbering along in the right hand lane was breaking the law.

As much as I hate the faggot vehicle inspectors and anyone else who isn’t smart enough to get into genuine policing, good on em for getting around the right hand lane rolling roadblock.

Just to clarify the inside lane had a fair amount of traffic in it (myself included) ‘plodding’ along at around 95 and the car in the outside lane pulled in when safe to do so. There was no reason for the Vehicle Inspectors to tailgate the car in front.

Indo makes a good point about the government having a call in system – can you see it ever happening though?

Growling Ferret5:00 pm 08 Nov 05

Geez Thumper, you are getting old before your time 🙂

Growling Ferret4:43 pm 08 Nov 05

“A driver must not drive at a speed over the speed-limit applying to the driver for the length of road where the driver is driving.”

And its been proven in court numerous times that a driver attempting to complete an overtaking move may momentarily break the speed limit, within reason, to facilitate the safe overtaking of another vehicle on a single lane highway.

A case a couple of years back of the driver who overtook a truck at 100kmh (driver caught doing 130 or so) on the Hay Plain explained successfully that it would take at least two kilometres to overtake a C-Triple and stay within the speed limit, an unacceptable risk for the driver and their passengers.

I’ll make the judgement on whether I’m a skilled driver – I have recieved training from the best in the land and won numerous motor racing events across NSW. And have never had an accident that didn’t involve wildlife running on to the road…

But back to the main story. A car sat in the right lane, which, unless they were overtaking cars in the left lane, was an illegal act. The great big signs say ‘Keep Left Unless Overtaking’ – something Canberra drivers egos seem incapable of comprehending. I don’t condone the vehicle inspectors for tailgating, but if the clown in front had not have been breaking the law in the first place, the second offence may never have occured.

The Australian Road Rules state that…
“A driver must not drive at a speed over the speed-limit applying to the driver for the length of road where the driver is driving.”

Whether you like it or not GF it’s the LIMIT, and the law.
Who then makes the judgement as to whether you’re an unskilled driver?? … and just because you say it’s ‘safe’ to drive on the parkway at 110km doesn’t make it so.

there’s always plenty of factors – if i have a family history of heart disease i don’t stop smoking but keep eating burgers.

You can justify speeding how you please but surely it’s a factor that is discretionary to the driver – the intelligent variety of which manage to curb their need for idiocy.

that driver in this mornings incident was an idiot. if the person in the left hand lane wasn’t overtaking (which they may have been – just not at 150 clicks) then they’re an idiot too.

both idiots – just different breeds. Road toll says it all.

speeding being teh ONLY factor ?

what about – inappropriate speed in area, carelessness, talking on phone, picking nose, braking on a wet road, crappy brakes etc etc.

congrats youve been conditioned by social engineering

mushroom

True story. There is a town in Europe, a mid sized town by our standards. That has done away with EVERY road sign and rule throughout the whole town. No speeding signs, no traffic lights, nothing.
The road toll in this town was quite bad at one point, I believe now they record little to none fatal accidents.
I dont have details on me right now, google it if you want to know more.

As said before:

If you made them or their families responsible for recompensation for any damage they caused while destroying themselves,

Oh, cool. So if a guy speeding kills my daughter, it’s ok, because he’d get a high fine?

Spot the wog1:27 pm 08 Nov 05

as was said before, higher fees for reckless drivers and lower fees for the not so reckless, once they realise that hooning around will cost them they’ll behave

The problem is, the reckless are likely to take the non-reckless with ’em.

How would you correct for this?

Spot the wog1:19 pm 08 Nov 05

it is quite easy to control a well maintained car. The problem is the inexperienced drivers not anticipating, thinking ahead and cooperating with other road users. If you know that you turn off the main road and your on the inside lane such as northbourne avenue, utilise the space and time you have to merge and not hurry and endanger others by wanting to turn off just then. If the speed limits were like that of northern Australia i’d be a happier man. But we have to make do with what we got.

Yes, but allow the upper limit of speed to be breached and those who wish to drive at reckless speeds will decline through natural process.

If you made them or their families responsible for recompensation for any damage they caused while destroying themselves, you’d also find a natural selection process at work.

I say give it a go. The reckless will kill themselves and we can get on with it.

Tough one bonfire – you’re probably right, it’s too difficult to ‘prove’ beyond a doubt in court that a driver was driving in a dangerous manner or speeding without tangible evidence (speed camera).

I’d take a punt and say if you removed speed limits in Australia, it would be hard to believe that drivers would cope with the lack of some form of boundary. Speed may only be one factor in road accidents, but it is certainly the easiest one to curb via setting ‘suggested’ speed limits…naturally just about everything hinges on driver attitude and subseqent behaviour – hard to control this.

indi the problem is collecting evidence.

it comes down to he said she said.

as a person who was subjected to a criminal act and contacted the police, the response i received was (my summary) ‘cos no copper saw it, it never happened’ despite the fact i retained physical evidence.

i resolved to take my own action if it happened again.

in regards to speeding, imagine getting into the dock:

so indi – how fast was bonfires stanley steamer going on the day in question ?

faster than 80kmh

was it faster than 120 kmh ?

i dont know ?

was it faster than 100 kmh ?

probably ?

the courts and police would not even bother.

i’d be steaming off while you complained to a current affair about the injustice.

in any case, dobbing in someone for speeding is an offence in itself worthy of a thrashing.

accidents are cause by a variety of factors, incomptent drivers being the leading cause.

if people who had spun out in the wet had attended an advanced drivers course, they may have an idea about how to correct the car. most people dont. of course there was also the fellow who had taken 3 ecstacy tablets and drove head on into another car. his girlfriend gave them to him cos she didnt want him to drink and drive.

speeding is a very small factor in accidents.

do away with limits entirely for a six month period, monitor the speeds the roads are naturally used at and then apply a limit at the upper end of the median.

if we need limits at all.

ive seen little credible evidence to support them

A question for the relevant department (or all of ACT govt depts) – is there a call-in reporting system of driver behaviour, good or bad?

If some private firms have adopted the idea, what would stop the ACT government?

back on topic, it may have been an undercover copper a bit late for an anti-terror raid perhaps ?

Growling Ferret11:36 am 08 Nov 05

“It’s the speed LIMIT…. the absolute maximum ’safe’ limit for any road”

Speed limits are set as a safe limit for the most unskilled driver to travel at a ‘safe’ speed in a vehicle with less than ideal handling and safety characteristics.

Get out anywhere west of Wagga, and every two lane goat track has a 110kmh limit…

The Parkway is safe at 110 at any time other than peak hour and in the wet, and safer if drivers obeyed the law and kept left unless overtaking!

Just curious about the setting of lights here – I get the impression bloodnut1 that, as an example, there is no point speeding down Northbourne Ave as the lights are set to control traffic flow and you still end up arriving say from the City to Dickson in about 10 mins if maintain your speed at 60.

Highway driving – well drive to the conditions, but anything in excess of 110 on the Parkway indicates a driver has a problem with authority and their own (and others) safety…

Uhhm hello!? It’s the speed LIMIT…. the absolute maximum ‘safe’ limit for any road. Not a guideline for you to then make a judgement on. Whether you think you can safely go faster or not you’re breaking the law.

uh nice one bonfire… i hope your speech was muffled due to the tongue in your cheek.

speeding is never ‘safe’.

I enjoy nothing better than seeing offensive idiots tailgating a law abiding driver only to speed off, yet be caught at the next set of lights. i laugh and i laugh and i laugh because they’re dickheads.

sadly it never sinks in that they look like/are wankers.

uh oh, one of those ‘i will do exactly 80kmh and no more ‘ types.

in a civilised society you’d be allowed to ram these people.

if i did that today – i’d be the bad guy.

whats the big crime in a little speed on the parkway ? 120-130 is a safe speed on that road.

Fair enough to keep left unless overtaking but if some arsehole whooshes up and is tailgating me before I get a chance to move back to the left lane I’m not movin’. Tailgating is very very poor form.

Why is the speeding govt vehicle the bad guy and not the driver who is failing to keep left unless overtaking? Just because you are doing the speed limit it doesn’t give you the right to sit in the right lane.

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