<< Put simply, why are vehicles produced that are capable of exceeding legal speed limits when there is technology available that will limit speed >>

I agree in principle, Producer. But I wonder how it would really work. We have got be able to do 120kmh in order to quickly and safely overtake a vehicle that is doing 95kmh in a 100 zone on the open highway.

Limiting trucks to 100kmh on the highway is one thing. But it is a totally different story for cars in all the different speed zones.

I think that the key to the issue, as I’ve said many times on OLO, is to empower the public to do their bit, rather than just the very thin blue line having to witness speeding or whatever in order to book people for breaking the law on our roads.

We are implored to report litterers. We are encouraged to report suspicious people or vehicles as part of neighbourhood watch, whether or not they are doing anything wrong. But when it comes to reporting speeders or tailgaters or other rank drivers, The F…… COPS JUST DON’T WANT TO KNOW!! I have well and truly tested that out!!

This I consider to be absolutely DISGUSTING!

It is the biggest flaw in the policing of road safety, by far.

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If would-be rank drivers thought that just about anyone could report them for mucking up and that the complaint would count, then the vast majority of them would pull their ugly heads in and behave. But as it is, they feel as though there is SFA chance of them getting caught, because the cops basically have to see them effing around… and then they have to be bothered enough to do something about it!

One of the things I hate the most when driving is when I am sitting on 105kmh in a 100 zone and some turd comes quickly up behind me and sits far too close, telling me very strongly that I am not going anywhere near fast enough for him. This situation is magnified in roadworks zones if you dare to lower your speed to anything near the temporary slow speed limit!

The sort of technology we need is in-car camcorders, looking out the front and back, and at the speedometer, so that any untoward driving behaviour can be captured, and complaints to the police will have corroborating evidence.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oFkw5JFOmHk&feature=youtu.be

Jayb, believe me I am far from what you describe, but I am a firm believer that the masses should not be punished simply because the tiny minority can't be controlled.

Lugwig, the only way your theory could work, would be to fit devices to offenders cars, as such devices would have to be calibrated, sealed and made tamper proof.

The technology is there, in GPS type gadgets.

As for Joe average taking footage, you won't be convinced that it can't happen.

First and foremost, all offences are allegations, until either admitted (fine paid) or challenged.

Secondly, all police monitoring devices, including seedos are calibrated and, to simply try to convict an offender on public video footage would open the flood gates for lawyers wanting to make a quick buck, as any such case would be thrown out of court.

I think we should have dummy speed cameras on most roads, with active cameras swapped around randomly.

But, at the end of the day I still say you can't punish honest people just to stop the rat bags.

Interesting comments rechtub.

<< …the only way your theory could work, would be to fit devices to offenders cars, as such devices would have to be calibrated, sealed and made tamper proof. >>

No, not at all. They would be in the vehicles of those who WANT to help improve road-safety.

For that matter, hand-held camcorders would do the trick very nicely most of the time, if you have a passenger who has it at the ready as you are driving along.

For example, if you are sitting on the speed limit and you suddenly incur a chronic tailgater, then you could record it very easily, flash the camcorder from the rear to your speedo and back in an unbroken sequence, and to any speed limit signs that you may pass, etc. Very easy.

Now, if only the cops would encourage people to do this sort of thing, and thus considerably empower the general public to assist in getting the wank*rs off our roads, we’d be well and truly on the right track.

We don’t need expensive highly technical stuff. All we really need is for the general public to be able to help, instead of effectively being disempowered…. and for the police to damn well do the same with driving complaints as they do with just about every other issue, and follow up thoroughly on all complaints.

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<< I think we should have dummy speed cameras on most roads, with active cameras swapped around randomly. >>

Yes, in just the same way as we have had red-light camera boxes all over the place, most of which apparently have nothing in them, but which (at least in theory) can accommodate a camera that gets moved around to different sites.

The intent is to make us all feel as though there is a much higher chance of getting caught if we muck up. It is just the same motivation with improved empowerment of the general public. And hey, if only a very small percentage of the public took up the cause, we’d double or quadruple or perhaps increase ten-fold or heavens even a hundred-fold the number of effective police personnel out there on our roads!

I just find it bizarre and incomprehensible that the sort of thinking that is the basis for neighbourhood watch and for catching litterers completely doesn’t apply to road safety!

rehctub: Jayb, believe me I am far from what you describe, but I am a firm believer that the masses should not be punished simply because the tiny minority can't be controlled.

I really didn't think so mate, going on you other posts. You seem to have some sense, unlike some others on The Forum. Sometimes we agree, sometimes we disagree, at least we have the freedom to do so without getting our heads chopped off.

I fail to understand where you are coming from where you allude that it amounts to being punished if you can't do up to 265 kph on any Australian road. The maximum speed is mostly 100 kph on the open road? Do you consider we being punished & limited to 100 kph because of a few hoons can't control themselves? Are you in favour of an open road speed, anywhere because you are not one of the hoons?

As I said before the top road speed in Australia is 130 in the NT. I don't see the reasoning behind marketing a car for Australian roads that will greatly exceed that speed. It has nothing to do with punishment at all, it's just CDF. (Naval types will know what that is.)