Safe Speed Forums

Paul was keen to know what prompted me to join SS. Well here is my candid life story, my views on speeding and some of the SS arguments.

When I first came across the Safe Speed site I thought to myself, “oh for heavens sake, another bunch of whinging, self-important know-it-alls who won’t obey the law” – typical . But now, I’m a member albeit only for a month just now, so what made me change my mind?
Firstly a quick look back in time. As a biker in the 80’s I found myself convicted of speeding 3 times in quick succession, 10 points on my license and a magistrate glaring at me over half-rimmed spectacle warning me of the consequence of another transgression . So I got rid of the bike, passed my driving test, bought a boring car and conditioned myself to drive within the speed limit, which I thought I did – more or less.
Thus, when the speed camera debate kicked off in earnest my initial reaction as a (now) law-abiding driver was, “shut the eff up and obey the law cretins, after all I manage to do it”. And there was another, somewhat malicious, side to me that thought “great, arrogant idiots getting fined, serves them right”. You see I mentally associated the actions of everyone caught speeding with those of the genuine idiots whom we cannot deny do exist.
So what made me change my mind? Thinking about it a little deeper I suppose.
Was I really immune from a speeding ticket and was, thus, behaving exactly the same as virtually everyone else? No, of course not, far from it in fact.
And then my wife got nailed, someone who I consider drives very observantly and precisely!
And what about the whole policy? Isn’t it just milking cash from the very people who bankroll this country to pay for the next governmental PC whim?
So, here I am.
But what of Paul Smith? Well, I admire him for having the cahonas for standing up and crying ‘enough’, and to start asking pertinent questions of people who quite clearly cannot answer them properly. And I now support the campaign to have this whole ridiculous policy overhauled in toto.
However, I don’t necessarily agree with some of Paul’s arguments and approaches; there is still a skeptic inside of me that likes to be bloody minded and to ask obtuse questions. And yes, there are certain things that I cannot reconcile in my own mind viz what I read on the SS pages (accidents stats, who causes them etc) and what I experience whilst out on the roads.
I still believe that motorists should try to obey the speed limit, the law is still the law after all. The fact that it may be safe to exceed the limit is irrelevant, that is a good argument for having the law changed, it is not (IMHO) a good argument for breaking it. This view is solid and immoveable, and probably stems from the way I was brought up coupled with 27 years in the military where obeying rules is a way of life. On the same lines therefore, I don’t agree with the concept of blaming the speed cameras for peoples actions, be it braking in their vicinity or accelerating to high speed having passed one. If we are supposed to be responsible people then we take responsibility for our own actions, lashing out blame in other directions says (to me) more about the feebleness of our society that it does about the laws (crap though they may be) that supposedly incite this behavior.
And what of this concept of ‘normal responsible motorists’, just what does this mean? My personal view is that far too many otherwise responsible people simply don’t give sufficient thought to their driving and at times the behavior of even of the majority, beggars belief. On the M6 on Thursday evening, returning to Telford from Preston, I would quite readily rate the standard of driving as shocking. Widespread tailgating, attempting to drive much faster than the conditions quite obviously would allow, lane indiscipline and outrageous behavior at on and off ramps at junctions leaving traffic braking an maneuvering within literally feet of other vehicles – just another ordinary day for the ‘me’ society that seemed quite literally intent on killing itself in its efforts to get home or wherever. Is the fact that there aren’t more deaths ‘because of’ or ‘in spite of’ the behavior of these responsible motorists?
I could go on, but I’m sure there’s enough there to be going on with.

Cya all, happy and safe motoring

Thanks for posting this, and thanks for joining up. A couple of points especially caught my eye.



Yep. I'd agree with that, but, and it's a huge but, irrespective of what people 'ought' to do, the vast majority of us exceed the speed limit. We could moan about why folk don't do 'the right thing' but I believe it's far more important to consider how to get them doing the best thing not the right thing. And of course then we also need to discuss what the 'right' things and the 'best' things are.

If we're going to make things better we have to work with the behaviours that we've actually got rather than the behaviours we think we ought to have.



We agree this point, but there's also a higher perspective. We talking about it in another thread recently: here.

Anyway, thanks for listening, considering, developing your own thinking, and finally giving support to my work. Who could ask for anything more?

_________________
Paul Smith
Our scrap speed cameras petition got over 28,000 sigs
The Safe Speed campaign demands a return to intelligent road safety

Thanks for a very honest account - the element of constructive scepticism you bring to these discussions is much valued.

I don't agree with Paul on every single thing, but I felt motivated to make a financial contribution because I thought this was one area where that might make a noticeable difference - which so far I feel has been the case.

There are other issues on which I feel strongly but in the absence of a Paul Smith you just sit on your hands and quietly despair

The quality of debate on road safety issues on this forum has been excellent - far better than on the ABD list where there is too much of a conspiracy theory mentality and unorthodox opinions can be shouted down.

_________________
"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

Oh yes.


Oh look. Peter's rebelling over the smilies, and he's linked an original phpbb smiley from another site!

Are they as bad as that Peter? Really?

_________________
Paul Smith
Our scrap speed cameras petition got over 28,000 sigs
The Safe Speed campaign demands a return to intelligent road safety

I'll choose my own smilies, thank you very much

_________________
"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

OK, not join, because financial pressures mean that i have to be carefull of funds. But i support,. I am not an IAM passed driver, but i think after about 39 years of driving, on all sorts of vehicle/terrain/ roads up to 7.5 t i hae the right to be classified almost IAM.(NCB= 75%) I learned to drive ( pass the test) in a city and graduated to driving on single track roads in the north of scotland - can some of you imagine driving on roads not much wider than your car for 45 miles in about an hour , meeting other cars and not having to stop , because both of you had the skills to arrange the meeting around a laybye. - That is the courtesy i am always nagging about - courtesy in my opinion breeds good driving.Add snow/ice in winter when snow plough ran off road and blocked it for hours whilst we skated merrily about.Skid pan ?? learnt the hard way - skid off and walk (about 25 miles) home. Cameras were unknown then, but in that part of the world , except in summer so were accidents.
I did venture south, in the days when the M1 started at the end of the present M18 .
I have driven on most motorways in the UK .As a matter of fact about the only part of the country i get the map out for is around inverness, almost my home territory.
My points tally to date has been 6 - 3 an insurance problem and 3 for a speeding offence in the early days.- not bad for almost 40 years at the wheel , when i still drive fast , BUT safe.(MOTTO - AS PER HIGHWAY CODE - IF IN DOUBT , DONT : STOP FIRST ,ASK Q AFTER)
Recently i thought i had been caught and looked around for help, thinking i was only driver getting angry with the breeding of speed cams.
About 2/3 years ago I was involved in an anti stock transfer campaign - council wanted to sell off houses for profit - just how similar the anti truths as told by the council were - You would not believe.
The latter is why i support this campaign - ODPM LIES.