Søren wrote:
SafeSpeed wrote:
Søren,
You've arrived here and been extremely vocal in your condemnation of my work. If you can argue the issues rather than engage in personal attacks you will be very welcome indeed.
But I wonder what your background (perhaps your job?) is? What do you do for a living?
Why have you got strong opinions on these subjects, and what do you base them on?
It would be useful to understand your experience. Please enlighten us.
Back yesterday for a few days.
I live in the North East of the Country and I am self employed in retail. I have an interest in road safety and I believe firmly that speed limits should be adhered to.
My philosophy on road safety is simple.
COAST is the main life saver.
Driving is not a difficult task. Most of us can drive to a satisfactory standard. Most of us know and were taught how to drive adequately. We can ‘OAST’ if we want to. The problem is that either through lack of Consideration, Courtesy or Concentration, we don’t do it all the time.
Speed limits are present to protect us from those who forget to use COAST, also for those who have an inflated opinion of their own driving ability, and their ability or desire to concentrate
all the time.Well at least we agree on something! COAST is acquired through experience and training.
Like any skill - has to be practised, perfected and maintained. Bet those of you who now use Excel instead of Lotus123 - would be hard pressed to remember the function keys of Lotus after a while..... if you never use it....
So it is with driving - and why we should invest in driver info adverts, COAST and motivate towards more training if we can.... Do know ABD spokesman is active in his IAM on encouraging youngsters to do t

his test. And so am I! When I get the time to squeeze it in....
Soren wrote:
Where there is a higher risk of cock up causing a fatality to an innocent, these speed limits should be rigorously enforced 10% +2, eg residential, single carriageway, etc
Speed limits on motorways provide a realistic flow speed with not too much differential between fastest and slowest vehicles. With wagons rightly limited and restricted to lanes one and two, 80mph should be tops. There should be no place for speeds in excess of 90mph at any time on our motorways. I think any enforcement below that should be down to BiB (weather conditions etc.) not cameras, but give cameras free rein above that.
But Lancs has been enforcing at zero in the past and so has TVP and Staffs.
Our guy - despite his huffings and puffings to contrary on his own forum and to my wife once on the PH site ..... has prosecuted at 44mph in a 40 mph in the past - dead on 10% - never mind the plus two....
As for 80mph ..... our guy does zap hard and sharp at Shap..... at 75 mph

I know folk who are most annoyed about that!

And - it seems to me that more accidents and not less are occurring here as a result.... certainly _ I am seing more little shunts around there regardless of whether the van is on the bridge or not.....
soren wrote:
Recent policing has been too soft on speed limits and I applaud efforts to take excess speed and resultant intimidation out of the driving culture.
Towns and villages etc have speed limits for primarily safety but also social reasons. Speeders in these areas should be ASBO candidates.
All of us agree that speed limits in urban areas and villages - and m/way road works should be ahered to. But that is another of our problems - we do not have the speed cams where they should be - in these built up areas. We have them where they MAKE money!
We want the Smiley Sid/VSM/VAS/LED signs, improved driving test and training standards . The speed cam's place is to police where it should be - urban town centres etc. And they are not being sited there - are they!
soren wrote:
I have a collision acquired disability which does not restrict my driving or mobility.
My two nephews have serious genetic disability and will not see out their twenties, never mind drive a car.
I am sorry that you have received a disability as result of a collision as well.
As said in post in another thread where you have been active - this family has had trauma. My wife was "lucky" - but got hooked on very strong morphine based painkillers - as result - no painkillers when she has the baby .... If she requires surgery - again - we have to be careful as to what type anaesthetic to give her. Incidentally - she did "her time" in a wheelchair and had to learn how to walk again, then she learned how to drive again - even redid each test.
One thing my wife did note from that experience - people used to speak to her very slowly and loudly as if she were incapable of understanding them - and people did not make way for her either ... but she had lots of fun "getting her own back" with people on pavements once she has souped up the motor on that wheelchair.

And got an acid ticking off from both IG and the local plod for doing this!
But .... her family (large but very close) lost one cousin in collision with an artic truck and another in a plane crash. But we do not blame other motorists (or even airline pilots) for these sad events in our past. Nor do we see a speed camera as "saviour of mankind on the roads"
I am sorry that your nephews have a serious genetic disability which will cut short their lives as well. That cannot be easy to live with and I do - as doctor - understand this. My patients actually take my extremely bad news very well - but their relatives - they face living without someone they love very much - and they are angry at me for diagnosing this, and angry at their loved one for getting ill and doing this to them and they are also grieving - badly and bitterly. It is hell for them - and I know that seeing your nephews in this state is also hell for you and particularly their parents.