Safe Speed Forums

The scenario..

Driving home from work this afternoon down the A3 where there is a 50mph limit in force. The road was fairly clear, and the average speed of most drivers (myself included) was 60mph (it used to be a 70 zone until they installed Gatso's).

Anyhow, I see the Gatso in the distance, back off on the throttle and let the natural laws of physics slow me down to 50mph.

After I had been past the Gatso, it occured to me that I had actually had my eyes off the road for a good 5 seconds while monitoring my speedo and comparing my indicated speed with my distance to the approaching Gatso.

Now anything could have happened in those 5 seconds (fortunately nothing did), but does anybody here think that an excuse of "sorry mate, my attention to the road was reduced because of the Gatso" would actually work in a court of law?

And before anybody says "you should have been obeying the speed limit", aside from the fact that the conditions at the time meant that 60mph + was actually safe to do, there were drivers on the inside lane who were doing less than 50 and still braking for the Gatso.

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What makes you think I'm drunk officer, have I got a fat bird with me?

Would
"sorry mate, my attention on the road was reduced because there was a half naked woman on the side of the road"
work?

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COAST Not just somewhere to keep a beach.

A young loner on a crusade to champion the cause of the innocent, the helpless, the powerless, in a world of criminals who operate above the law.

This the gatso on the crest southbound near the Tolworth Tower? That's a bad one for Pavlovian braking as there's so much street furniture people who don't know the things there tend to see it at the last minute. Better than it used to be though - it used to be hidden by a road sign . Another revenue maker, pure and simple.

Oh, to answer the question, not a hope I expect, but it doesn't alter the fact that presumably you'd have spent most or all of those few seconds with your eyes on the road if the gatso hadn't been there.

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Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler - Einstein

It'd make an interesting civil case (e.g. compensation claim following a crash) where the standard of proof is: 'on a balance of probabilities'. Sounds potentially win-able to me.

I've been trying to come up with a scenario where the camera might contribute to 'reasonable doubt' in a criminal case. Not got there yet.

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

The difference is that the authorities don't deliberately put half naked women by the side of the road. Perhaps they should as an alternative to the "road safety gnome"

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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

My attempt at an updated version of SMIDSY: SMIWWATS

“Sorry Mate I Was WAtching The Speedo”

I think we should try to find a new catchphrase (preferably better than mine), any ideas?

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Views expressed are personal opinions and are not necessarily shared by the Safe Speed campaign

You know, I'm positive they would slow the traffic. Do I smell a publicity stunt? It doesn't sound very Safe Speedish, but I'm sure you could get TV along.

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

True, but you don't get fined £60 for failing to look at the woman.

How about "Sorry Constable, Rightly Eyes Were Uploading Speedo"

That's the very one Gatsobait


I have driven past it 5 days a week for the last 2 years, it only dawned on me today exactly how much time I actually spend watching the speedo instead of what's going on in front of me (and that is quite a sobering thought).

I just find it hard to believe that whatever authority is responsible for that particular camera honestly believes it is enhancing road safety, because it isn't.


@Roger,
You have summed it up in one.

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What makes you think I'm drunk officer, have I got a fat bird with me?

[quote="GixxerI just find it hard to believe that whatever authority is responsible for that particular camera honestly believes it is enhancing road safety, because it isn't.
@Roger,
You have summed it up in one.[/quote]

Of late have started to see how much time i spend looking for cameras( now a sort of automatic function - and Mrs B when with me has started to watch out for them ) , checking my speedo and looking in mirror to see if i got a flash.
The "off road " time attention span horrifies me - SO MUCH THAT I HAVE LOOKED FOR WAYS TO REDUCE IT.

Now how can any item which distracts drivers attention ( by intention or other wise) claim to be termed "SAFETY"
Perhaps we need some publicity to show how much time a driver's attention is diverted by the "SO CALLED SAFETY ITEMS" and show the potential for disaster waiting to happen - in 5 secs a driver can travel xxx yards , without looking at the road ----WHY--- HE WAS MAKING SURE THE SPEED CAMERA DIDN'T FLASH HIM IUNDER THE LIMIT.

Sort of "prove that ALL cameras are calibrated" idea

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lets bring sanity back to speed limits.
Drivers are like donkeys -they respond best to a carrot, not a stick .Road safety experts are like Asses - best kept covered up ,or sat on

Have you seen: http://www.safespeed.org.uk/speedo.html ?

I was absolutely stunned when I realised just how much attention must be going on the speedo.

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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 be doing likewise this evening set the cruise control at 50 when we get on at Shannon Corner and switch it off again once we're past that gatso. Frankly I felt that road was safer with the 70 limit as people didn't really exceed it a lot and often drove at the 60ish area that you mentioned, though having said that there are a few side roads that may be a little easier to get out of with slower traffic. Pity that most of it only goes slower at the actual gatso sites.

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Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler - Einstein

so ... and I admit that this is reductio ad absurdum ...

we are all agreed that any distraction for the driver is a bad thing

Isn't it a worry that the world has interesting things in it? Roads should obviously be sealed units, without any view except the road itself. I'm thinking tunnels here, obviously - plain concrete on both sides and above. Otherwise a driver may catch sight of a beautiful autumn morning, or a fresh snowfall, or someone they know walking along the pavement.

Whilst on the subject, cars shouldn't have radios or CD players. Also the driver should be sealed off from the rest of the vehicle in case a passenger foolishly attempted to talk to them.

Actually that last paragraph is a good idea, long journeys without hearing the kids screaming would be a great improvement!

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COAST Not just somewhere to keep a beach.

A young loner on a crusade to champion the cause of the innocent, the helpless, the powerless, in a world of criminals who operate above the law.

Don't let this get out for f***'s sake.

The powers that be will use this argument to propose putting deliberately distracting sights along the roadside. This will slow us down, and thus make us safer drivers

Joking apart, having grown up on the Dorset coast, the number of times I have seen cars full of oldies going along the coast road - one points to the sea view on the right, and as the driver looks, the car veers across the white line.

Luckily they were usually going extremely slowly (in fact the verring right was usually accompanied by a stab at the brakes) [sarcasm]so they weren't a danger to other road users... [/sarcasm]

I know you're not being serious, but it has to be remembered that removing all stimuli isn't a good thing either. No, we don't want drivers to be distracted from the task at hand, but neither do we want them disengaged. But screaming kids I do agree with. High time someone developed a volume control for children.

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Make everything as simple as possible, but not simpler - Einstein

Not a volume control as such, more of a mute button - Duct tape.

The sentiment is correct, but the position is an absurd extreme. As you suggested.

In cases like this, I think we should monitor the status quo and make sure that changes introduced to the road safety system are evidence based and especially check very carefully what the overall effects (including side effects) are likely to be.

The golden trick to sustainable road safety improvement is 'constant nudging' in the right direction. (Regular readers will know that I believe speed cameras have given it an almighty shove in the wrong direction.)

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

How about this for an idea... A THINK! style advert.

In car view showing the road ahead (an urban 40 limit maybe with pavements either side), regular momentary glances to the speed limit signs and periodic view of the mirrors and speedo (i.e. simulate correct driver observaion). Then show a scamera sign followed by a yellow box 200 yards or so in the distance. The view is then focussed on the speedo as the car presumably approaches the camera. Then BANG! The camera looks up to see a smashed windscreen and a child laying on the bonnet. Then fade to black and the caption 'THINK! what your safety policy is ACTUALLY doing to our roads....' Fade to SafeSpeed logo.

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Science won over religion when they started installing lightning rods on churches.

I like it.

It constantly horrifies me how much our attention is being forced away from actually watching the road.

Take Berlin Cushions for example - Sixy - you know Swindon has a love affair with these....I find that you are spending so much time lining yourself up with them so your arse doesn't go flying through the top of your head (at 20mph), you completely loose your peripheral vision. The peripheral vision is the tool that you use to watch for hazards, esp children etc. Therefore, you don't see the hazards so easily.

I like your idea - and this could be another theme on it...showing a car going through traffic calming, and simulate a tunnel vision effect, then the impact because the driver didn't see the hazard

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"Are you sh**ing me?"
"John Spartan, you are fined one credit for a violation of the verbal morality statute."