No limit to speed fines
IN reference to the article: “Mobile speed cameras reap fine bonanza” ( TB 24/ 4) and David Thoumine’s letter in response ( 27/ 4):
I am profoundly disgusted in the police attitude of not telling us just exactly what the leeway on speed limits is! Their policy of deliberately keeping this secret is utterly deplorable.
Surely we all need to know exactly what the real speed limit is. That is: the official speed limit plus the leeway. Surely it is a basic principle of a democratic and rule- oflaw respecting society for us all to know this. Just about all of us are sitting very close to the bookable limit when we are travelling at cruising speed, regardless of what speed zone we might be in.
Most of us want to roll with the flow, which is usually actually a tad over the official speed limit. Rolling with the flow is the safest practice. Those who stick fastidiously to the actual speed limit, let alone do 5km/ h under it, get bullied, tailgated, overtaken and cut in front of, etc. People who drive with strict respect for the official speed limit are in effect an increased hazard on our roads, because of all the intolerant short- fused drivers out there who can’t stand a vehicle going even slightly slower in front of them than what they want to go.
This puts drivers who both want to respect speed limits and drive in the safest possible manner in an invidious position.
We all need to know exactly what the real speed limit is!
Then when the police reduce this leeway, it just happens overnight. We don’t get any forewarn- ing. We only get told after it has actually commenced.
This is a bizarre and profoundly wrong way of going about it.
We absolutely need to be told of changes like this well in advance.
The situation whereby people who are just rolling with the flow can suddenly find themselves being fined and have demerit points imposed on their record, due to a lowering of the leeway that they have heard nothing about, while just driving safely and as they always have, is surely totally outrageous.
I don’t know how anyone who cares about matters pertaining to road safety cannot be highly offended by the way in which this matter is being managed.