Safe Speed Forums

OK, if I were king, we'd start off here by "abolishing" speed limits - we'll leave the signs in place with advisory status only, but there will be no such offence as "exceeding the speed limit". It used to be used to catch and punish dangerous drivers, but with millions of fines and points now being handed out, it's obviously no longer fulfilling that function. It has to go.

So, we'll need to work out how we catch bad drivers, and what we then do with them once hauled in. Do we determine degrees of deficiency, and how do we do this? Do we "punish" them automatically, with points and a fine, or do we attempt reformative justice first? How many "chances" do bad drivers get?

My starter for 10 involves (natch!) putting more traffic plods back in patrol cars and on motorbikes. We'd have to restore traffic policing to the "core" list of police duties, of course.

Prosecutions for careless/dangerous driving would need to be backed up by video evidence, but we'd ensure the plods had the equipment in all vehicles.

Available sanctions would include reversion to "provisional" licence, points (available in multiples of 1, no minimum but equally no max for real bad guys), fines, bans, compulsory attendance on corrective course (for all manner of deficiencies), hanging drawing and quartering (sorry, getting a bit carried away there).

Do we need more offences in addition to the above, really?

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Keep right on to the end of the road ...

This is a question we've discussed before.

The vast majority of drivers would continue to behave responsibly, but there's a concern that a minority would see it as a green light to behave in a knobbish manner, particularly in urban areas.

One of the key benefits of speed limits is that they provide a straightforward, strict liability, means of prosecuting irresponsible drivers.

Without that, there would be the question of "just how quickly do you have to drive down the A38 through Selly Oak before you might be convicted?"

In an ideal world, I agree that all speed limits should be advisory, but we need to recognise that human nature is not entirely benign.

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"Show me someone who says that they have never exceeded a speed limit, and I'll show you a liar, or a menace." (Austin Williams - Director, Transport Research Group)

Any views expressed in this post are personal opinions and may not represent the views of Safe Speed