New speed cameras.

[scruffythefirst]

just take your plates off, nothing a camera can do then and as there aren't any traffic cops anymore, you won't get caught.

[Boomy]

Is Twenty Plenty?

Interesting article on 20 mph limits.

It points out that while this is deemed as some magical figure in terms of survival rate, in almost every impact a vehicle is slowing down anyway.

To quote some text from that page:

"The statistic is often quoted that there’s a 95% probability of a pedestrian involved in a collision with a car travelling at 40 mph being killed. At 30 mph, it’s 50%, but at 20 mph, it’s only 5%. Taken in isolation, this is broadly true, and on the face of it, appears to be an irrefutable argument for 20 mph limits. But, in fact, only 0.55% of pedestrian injuries in road accidents prove to be fatal. This suggests that these statistics do not adequately cover the range of accidents.

It also completely fails to take into account the fact that free travelling speeds bear little relationship to actual impact speeds. In virtually every collision between a vehicle and a pedestrian, the vehicle will have slowed substantially from its free travelling speed before the impact."

[Bob Green]

It's nothing to do with children, it's about risk assessment.

And thats why there are speed limits!

You guys may be safe driving your car, be it Westfield or tin top but there are some that drive like you will not believe in a real iffy situation.

Camera's may make revenue but if you drive to the speed limit, what's the problem?

[Boomy]

Surely the best idea then is to have someone walking in front of your vehicle with a red flag?.

[Bob Green]

Only if you can't drive to the speed limit.  Can you?

[Boomy]

Only if you can't drive to the speed limit.  Can you?

You need to ask the millions of otherwise safe and accident free drivers who get caught every year the same question.

I would conclude that a large percentage of those fined had no idea at all that they were speeding or were suddenly a risk to anyone else for being a few mph over a laughable set limit.

If speed kills and dropping limits is the way forward, then why not go back to a flag system?.

It has to be the way forward!.

[Bob Green]

That's not an answer.

Do you consider yourself a law abiding citizen?  Would you ring the Police when your house has been robbed, requesting their help?

[Boomy]

That's not an answer.

Do you consider yourself a law abiding citizen?  Would you ring the Police when your house has been robbed, requesting their help?

I doubt i would need to call them.If i caught the burglar and punched him a few times as i tried to eject him from my property the police would no doubt appear on my doorstep ready to arrest me for assault.

I suspect i would be fined for that aswell so i may aswell save the cost of the call to them and put it towards the fine.

Another example of me sticking 2 fingers up at the law?.

I guess i could try to chase the burglar of course, so long as he doesn't drive at over 40 mph on the totaly empty section of motorway roadworks he uses for his escape.

[steve_m]

Only if you can't drive to the speed limit.  Can you?

We can all drive to the speed limits, that's how idiots drive, blindly following a rule because somebody says we should . . . intelligent driving means understanding what is going on, judging a risk and driving accordingly.  The police do it, ambulance and fire drivers do it and anybody over the age of 35 has proibably been taught how to do it . . .

What's happened in the last few years is that speed limits have been lowered to artificially low speeds, partly in the vain belief that it's safer (stats show that not to be the case) and partly to raise money.

The constant focus on speed has led average joe driver to believe that if they are driving at or below the speed limit they are safe . . . so they drive past schools at 8:50am at 30 mph . . . possibly hence the need for 20 mph limits . . . if they had been taught to use their judgement then 20 limits wouldn't be necessary.

The replacement of police by cameras has made the situation worse too, there will always be the idiots, the people who drive whilst on the phone or putting on their makeup or drunk drivers . . . cameras don't catch them until the people they hit are photographed at the mortuary.

I's all part of the dumbing down in society, loss of freedom, loss of individuality and expression . . . and it irritates me like hell    

[Boomy]

Have had them for years over here, not replacing sleeping policemen unfortunately, but on the motorways.

You are timed in different sections of 3+ km long, with variable limits.

Oh don't worry, we have plenty of those too!.

I think the variable speed limits were introduced because people became aware of the cameras not long after they were installed so were extra cautious.

Variable limits tend to confuse people and allow them to make mistakes and thus keep the cash rolling in.

It's an almost daily occurrence here to have perfectly clear, free flowing motorway sections with 50 mph signs flashing above your head.

[VX2L16V]

just got done by a safety camera partnership motorcycle/camera/council bloke

on an empty dual carriage way, on a sunday, at 82 in the 70 limit.

£60 <-- acceptable | 3 points <-- unacceptable

I would have slowed down but due to lack of van I thought he was a litter collector  

[michaelc]

So what's the consensus of Westfield owner opinion, given that we (I think) agree that:

Road deaths are not a good thing

There are limits to how fast is safe in any given situation, and this is dependent on individual driver experience and skill

If we want to continue to enjoy driving performance cars, we should be seen to be at the vanguard of the road safety lobby and doing all we can to promote what MG used to call 'Safety Fast'

Just moaning about speed cameras ain't going to do it.

Neither are speed bumps.

Or more Dibble.

The only thing that will work is better driving.

How about a real, concerted, WSCC position statement to the DfT along the lines of more rigorous ab initio driver training and testing, mandatory refresher training and regular testing (a sort of driver MoT, perhaps every ten years) with reduced penalties for sillinesses like 2mph over the limit and (greatly) increased penalties for stupidities like tailgating, unsafe speed (sometimes 10mph is and sometimes 120mph isn't), drink or drugs, DWCAA, Careless Driving and the like.

[brianm]

Did anyone else see the news regarding cameras to replace speed ramps.Sigh.

I wish they ****** would, there are some roads around here that I can't drive down do to pyramid type speed bumps linked to pedestrian refuges, ie .can't get over 'em or round 'em    

Totally agree with most else of what you are saying though,

Would Mr Franco please reveal his true identity, 'cos he can't be real.    

B.

[cidersurfer]

Or more Dibble.

I'm all for more Dibble. Topcat was my favourite cartoon as a kid. 'Hey TC!' (Benny the Ball)

[Mark19800_0]

I think MR Franco is either a copper or he sits in one of those 'Safety Partnership' vans drinking cups of tea and robbing us of valuable cash!

Those vans are sneaky, there is one on the A5 which parks behind a 6ft brick wall so you cant see it untill you have been clocked

How many people actually speed past a school? I'm 26 and always slow down when driving past schools around 30. Not because there will be some stupid camera van, but because I don't want someones pride and joy damaging the front of my pride and joy or worse still hurting them!

North Wales police regularly fly past my house in there stupid helicopter catching speeding motorbikes coming off the horse shoe pass.

Rant over!