More on 'Plain Police Cars'.
Discussion
During the weekend we had the distinction of our very own parked up Police car resident in our village. Nicely parked up in the 20mph zone outside the Church just waiting for all the idiots who like to blat thru quite villages at stupid speeds. He had a busy day! His car was a silver Skoda Octavia, completely devoid of Police livery. Thought I would share this with your good selves.
The village of Occold, 30mph then enter village past Church,school and houses. Then back into 30mph rural 'B' road, I live about half mile outside main village on the 'B' road and seen white van man + plenty of motor bikes / family cars blat tru at 60mph +. Why the f**k these people can't demonstrate thier sublime skills on a race track is beyond me!
crankedup said:
The village of Occold, 30mph then enter village past Church,school and houses. Then back into 30mph rural 'B' road, I live about half mile outside main village on the 'B' road and seen white van man + plenty of motor bikes / family cars blat tru at 60mph +. Why the f**k these people can't demonstrate thier sublime skills on a race track is beyond me!
That's amazing. There must be kids being run over every day by these eejits, no wonder the police had to descend! Just out of interest can you share the kinds of accidents these nutters are having and how often?SM
Do you have kids that live with you mate? if so do you/would you enjoy speed merchants hacking past your front door way over the speed limit? For me personally my car was very nearly 'T' boned as I came out of my driveway onto said road, said t
t hammered around the high hedged corner like a complete manic, locked up wheels and just stopped short of my car. Also I had the misfortune for a child to run out into the road from behind a bus, I swerved to avoid her braking at same time but the corner of my transit van hit her. I will never forget seeing the kid get hurled into the air and land in middle of the road lifeless, I was driving at just 30mph at the time, proberly as the vehicle hit the child the speed would have dropped several mph. The kids injuries were fractured skull and a few broken bones, another 10mph at point of impact would have been loss of life.
Don't get me wrong here, I love speed as much as anybody else and with loads of track days about all over the Country it seems to me that the chance to prove ones skills at speed are on said race track.
t hammered around the high hedged corner like a complete manic, locked up wheels and just stopped short of my car. Also I had the misfortune for a child to run out into the road from behind a bus, I swerved to avoid her braking at same time but the corner of my transit van hit her. I will never forget seeing the kid get hurled into the air and land in middle of the road lifeless, I was driving at just 30mph at the time, proberly as the vehicle hit the child the speed would have dropped several mph. The kids injuries were fractured skull and a few broken bones, another 10mph at point of impact would have been loss of life.Don't get me wrong here, I love speed as much as anybody else and with loads of track days about all over the Country it seems to me that the chance to prove ones skills at speed are on said race track.
crankedup said:
Do you have kids that live with you mate? if so do you/would you enjoy speed merchants hacking past your front door way over the speed limit? For me personally my car was very nearly 'T' boned as I came out of my driveway onto said road, said tt hammered around the high hedged corner like a complete manic, locked up wheels and just stopped short of my car. Also I had the misfortune for a child to run out into the road from behind a bus, I swerved to avoid her braking at same time but the corner of my transit van hit her. I will never forget seeing the kid get hurled into the air and land in middle of the road lifeless, I was driving at just 30mph at the time, proberly as the vehicle hit the child the speed would have dropped several mph. The kids injuries were fractured skull and a few broken bones, another 10mph at point of impact would have been loss of life.
Don't get me wrong here, I love speed as much as anybody else and with loads of track days about all over the Country it seems to me that the chance to prove ones skills at speed are on said race track.
Yes I have kids and there's an NSL road going past the end of our drive. I have taught my kids to stay out of the roads or to cross safely because you can't be sure people driving past are paying proper attention. People scream past my house on bikes and cars well into three figures on many occasions, and good luck to them. They're not running me or my kids over because we keep off the road. We take proper care pulling out too but in fairness there's good visibility anyhow.t hammered around the high hedged corner like a complete manic, locked up wheels and just stopped short of my car. Also I had the misfortune for a child to run out into the road from behind a bus, I swerved to avoid her braking at same time but the corner of my transit van hit her. I will never forget seeing the kid get hurled into the air and land in middle of the road lifeless, I was driving at just 30mph at the time, proberly as the vehicle hit the child the speed would have dropped several mph. The kids injuries were fractured skull and a few broken bones, another 10mph at point of impact would have been loss of life.Don't get me wrong here, I love speed as much as anybody else and with loads of track days about all over the Country it seems to me that the chance to prove ones skills at speed are on said race track.
I know that no matter what I do I can't change everyone's behaviour on the roads to suit me and to keep my kids safe, so instead I do what is possible: teach my kids to keep themselves safe no matter what kind of idiot happens to be driving past. If everyone took responsibility for their own safety there'd be far fewer deaths.
If I was god I'd make sure people didn't overtake stationary buses at the 30mph speed limit, knowing that there's a good chance a child will walk out straight into their path, as happened to you. Harrowing as it was for you/her/family, it seems like you were going too fast for the conditions -- and you had a crash that needn't have happened if you were being sensible and doing 10-15 as I would have been doing. But the speed limit obsessed society we have probably made you think you were ok because you weren't speeding. I always remember the ice cream van / child running out road safety advert from years ago and slow right down in these situations, whatever the speed limit is.
It's an emotive subject and obviously one very close to your heart given your harrowing experience and I can't imagine how dreadful that must have been for you. Thank goodness she wasn't killed.
Thanks for the heads up though regarding the unmarked plod...
Cheers
SM
I totally agree.
This notion that a series of ever more low and complex speed limits will somehow reduce RTA's is a nonsense. There will always be people who will ignore these passive devices and use inappropriate speed whatever the speed limit and they will cause accidents. So dilligence on behalf of pedestrians etc will always be required.
The rest of us who exercise common sense will in given situations slow to well below the speed limit even if it is 20 mph because they (as the person in control of the vehicle) deem it to be necessary.
I was very nearly killed while out running on country roads, by a young man (who stopped once I had thrown a large stone at his car). He told me it was a 60mph limit and he was entitled to do 60mph round a blind corner on a single track road. I pointed out that his actions almost killed me. He pointed out that he was entitled to do 60mph round a blind bend on a country road.
Speed limits are bad things. Using your judgement to constantly monitor the driving conditions and being aware of hazards is the only way.
Speed limits are easily enforced and generate revenue. With educational standards slipping training your average moron driver about appropriate speed is difficult, time consuming and costly.
The good driver will always be constrained by the actions of the bad driver and the exploitive nature of the media.
This notion that a series of ever more low and complex speed limits will somehow reduce RTA's is a nonsense. There will always be people who will ignore these passive devices and use inappropriate speed whatever the speed limit and they will cause accidents. So dilligence on behalf of pedestrians etc will always be required.
The rest of us who exercise common sense will in given situations slow to well below the speed limit even if it is 20 mph because they (as the person in control of the vehicle) deem it to be necessary.
I was very nearly killed while out running on country roads, by a young man (who stopped once I had thrown a large stone at his car). He told me it was a 60mph limit and he was entitled to do 60mph round a blind corner on a single track road. I pointed out that his actions almost killed me. He pointed out that he was entitled to do 60mph round a blind bend on a country road.
Speed limits are bad things. Using your judgement to constantly monitor the driving conditions and being aware of hazards is the only way.
Speed limits are easily enforced and generate revenue. With educational standards slipping training your average moron driver about appropriate speed is difficult, time consuming and costly.
The good driver will always be constrained by the actions of the bad driver and the exploitive nature of the media.
crankedup said:
I completely agree Supermono.
Chequered Demon, I don't think that constant reductions in speed limits will reduce RTA but may reduce serious injuries/fatalities resulting from an RTA.Nobody else hold a view? I know that most of you with proper sportscars use the track day facility.
crankedup said:
crankedup said:
I completely agree Supermono.
Chequered Demon, I don't think that constant reductions in speed limits will reduce RTA but may reduce serious injuries/fatalities resulting from an RTA.Nobody else hold a view? I know that most of you with proper sportscars use the track day facility.
t (thats not aimed at anyone in particular, just me sounding off) and deserve everything thats coming to you.Completely agree with the with Cranked Up's statement above
Edited by RIP_puffsorted2 on Saturday 18th July 17:02
RIP_puffsorted2 said:
My view, given I am not exactly a hater of all things high powered (TVR Griffith 500 and a Merc CLK55 AMG) but if you drive through a small country village at more than the 30mpg speed limit you are a complete tt
What is your view on 31 mph? Complete ttt or only slight tt?Note also that since the 1990s Gatsofest, vast tracts of open country lanes are now also 30mph limits - but not a school, house or person in sight. Straight road, perfect visibility, nothing but country on both sides. Is 30mph an appropriate limit in such instances?
Edited by Simpo Two on Saturday 18th July 22:58
Supermono.......i hope you kids never make a mistake when one of thoses idiots is ripping by your house !!! The only limits i agree with are those through built up areas pass schools ect , there are plenty of places to get you foot down ,no need to speed in these areas , just gross stupidity and strikes me these people have no respect for life not that i,m worried about there's just some kid who' "dad" tells him/her to always look left and right before crossing but on this on occasion forgets !!!!
RIP_puffsorted2 said:
crankedup said:
crankedup said:
I completely agree Supermono.
Chequered Demon, I don't think that constant reductions in speed limits will reduce RTA but may reduce serious injuries/fatalities resulting from an RTA.Nobody else hold a view? I know that most of you with proper sportscars use the track day facility.
t (thats not aimed at anyone in particular, just me sounding off) and deserve everything thats coming to you.Completely agree with the with Cranked Up's statement above
Edited by RIP_puffsorted2 on Saturday 18th July 17:02
TuxMan said:
The only limits i agree with are those through built up areas pass schools ect ,
And driving past a school at a (legal) 30mph while the children are spilling out at 3.00pm would be rather foolhardy too. In fact 10mph might be more like it as you dodge distracted mums and try to anticipate suddenly-opening car doors.And then at weekends and during the holidays it's deserted and you could safely do 40mph past the school, but it would be illegal. That's the problem with fixed limits - 'one size fits all' simply doesn't work - but I agree you can't rely on everyone's best judgement either. Indeed, the more limits you have and the slower people go, the more judgement and sense seem to deteriorate and you just end up in a daze staring at the bumper in front, as part of a massive queue.
Yep i agree its not a perfect situation but the problem is people when they get in there tin box seem to lack the ability to reconise dangerous situation to themselves and people around them thus the powers that be try to control them with speed limits and rules ect !!! (they also make money out of them)
My local council tried reducing speed limits for when the school was open .........60% of those stopped for speeding did not even realise there was a school there !!!! muppets should be shot !!
My local council tried reducing speed limits for when the school was open .........60% of those stopped for speeding did not even realise there was a school there !!!! muppets should be shot !!
TuxMan said:
Yep i agree its not a perfect situation but the problem is people when they get in there tin box seem to lack the ability to reconise dangerous situation to themselves and people around them thus the powers that be try to control them with speed limits and rules ect !!! (they also make money out of them)
Yes, it's interesting to note that speed only became such an obsessive issue when technology allowed it to be automatically measured and connected to a bank account. From 1899 until about 1995 things were more in perspective I feel.Throwing in another issue around speeding, Goverment has stated that it wishes for people to 'see speeding' as an anti social act and stigmatise motorists that are caught. Much like the drink driver from years ago it was seen as a daft thing whereas now such behavior is seen as criminal.
Bear in mind that HM Govt has a very great deal of your hard-earned tax money to bombard you relentlessly with whatever point of view it thinks you must be told - witness the fact you think exceeeding the speed limit is a criminal offence when it's actually a civil offence.
What I find distasteful about the whole issue is the way in which The System says 'Hey, you in the car - you're too stupid to work out what speed is appropriate, so we're going to tell you because we're cleverer that you, and if you disobey we'll fine you - and we'll enforce it using your own money.'
Take a typical B-road, the kind of road that was typically 60. Motorist X would, quite rightly, have driven along it at up to 60mph when circumstances allowed, going from A to B and quietly getting on with his life. Then some County Councillors, feeling the need to do something and being rather anti-car, quietly wrangle the bye-laws to make the road 40mph, or 30mph. Motorist X is now faced with a dilemma. He knows that speeds up to 60mph on this road are appropriate because he and everybody else has done it for years. But now, he is forced to take on board the views of the Councillors, and eventually, he will decide that they know better than he. He has abandoned his own judgement and copied someone else's - someone who is not even behind the wheel, but sitting at a desk 20 miles away.
What will they use our money to make 'socially unacceptable' next?
What I find distasteful about the whole issue is the way in which The System says 'Hey, you in the car - you're too stupid to work out what speed is appropriate, so we're going to tell you because we're cleverer that you, and if you disobey we'll fine you - and we'll enforce it using your own money.'
Take a typical B-road, the kind of road that was typically 60. Motorist X would, quite rightly, have driven along it at up to 60mph when circumstances allowed, going from A to B and quietly getting on with his life. Then some County Councillors, feeling the need to do something and being rather anti-car, quietly wrangle the bye-laws to make the road 40mph, or 30mph. Motorist X is now faced with a dilemma. He knows that speeds up to 60mph on this road are appropriate because he and everybody else has done it for years. But now, he is forced to take on board the views of the Councillors, and eventually, he will decide that they know better than he. He has abandoned his own judgement and copied someone else's - someone who is not even behind the wheel, but sitting at a desk 20 miles away.
What will they use our money to make 'socially unacceptable' next?
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