Speed limits, do they work as they should?

teddy

Duckmeister
It must be difficult driving in the states Lars. So many variations depending on which state you are in. At least we have only one set of rules over here. It has just been announced that on the spot fines will be introduced for tailgating and lane hogging. At last some of the foreigners will be fined as well. Its about time they did the same for speeding like they do in France. As long as it doesn't affect me. :D

teddy
 

JHC

Chief assistant to the assistant chief
We have one set of rules but they are applied according to who you are, eg, on the news a joker arrested for driving a converted (stolen) car he did not have a drivers license it was taken off him several years ago he had something like NZ$30-40.000 in unpaid fines stretching back several years he was ordered to pay the fines @ so much a week, fat chance as he was unemployed. now me, I would have sent him straight to prison. oh I forgot to mention he was not a white middle class male.........I say no more. grrrrrr
 

JHC

Chief assistant to the assistant chief
What I was getting at is, someone like me obeys the rules but occasionally strays in my case I exceed the speed limit usually to pass some truck belching thick smoke or to get past a vehicle that is just toooo slow, I get caught and a ticket, I am mortified and apologise profusely and pay my fine, these other low life just laugh it off and carry on as if nothing had happened and the worse thing is the system lets them get away with it.
 

teddy

Duckmeister
Colin. Recently a £30,000 caravan was stolen from an elderly couple just reaching retirement age. The police eventually found it with gypsy's living in it. He produced a scruffy piece of paper saying he had bought it off a man in a pub for £300. The police let him keep it and told the owners that it was a civil matter and they would have to take him to court. The papers got hold of the story and all hell broke lose. The police then backtracked and went to find the gypsy, but he had disappeared. So there you are. Go and steal a £30,000 car and when challenged by the police show them a scruffy piece of paper saying you bought it. Think it would work? apparently it will if you are a gypsy, but I wouldn't try it myself

teddy
 

JHC

Chief assistant to the assistant chief
I can't help thinking these kind of jokers would not be walking the streets in America.
 

Krummhorn

Administrator
Staff member
ADMINISTRATOR
Back in 1982 I was in a serious car crash ... the other driver (drunk) crossed over the line and was headed straight on - I swerved to the left and his pickup truck ran over the right side of the hood, crushed the roof on that side, and spun me around three times like a top.

When the sheriff deputy got there, the man could not even blubber out his own name due to his drunken state. His license had been suspended a year ago for the same kind of thing - he was driving without a license and, of course, had no insurance.

Since my car was totalled, I had nothing to drive and needed to get back and forth to work ... I attempted, as part of the settlement, to obtain his truck in payment for my loss, but was refused by the courts. It was explained that the man needed that truck to look for work ... what? I said in awe ... he doesn't have a license, and does not have insurance, but he is allowed to use the truck to look for work? What is wrong with this picture?

The courts said, and I quote them directly: the 'alleged' drunk was not allowed to drive any vehicle because of the suspended license ... but since he was unemployed at the time he was allowed by state law to keep the truck so that he could use it to find work. Wait ... he can't drive it, but is allowed to do so anyway because he is not employed? The attorney said, Yup ... that's the way it is.

I was out a car and got nothing for it ... stupid laws defend the criminal and offer nothing for the victim in lots of cases like that here.

Because of my quick thinking, I avoided the head on ... got a few scrapes and bruises, but otherwise able to return to work in a couple days.

Kh ♫
 

JHC

Chief assistant to the assistant chief
And here was I thinking things were different in the States :confused:
 

teddy

Duckmeister
I don't know if I mentioned it but the EU wants a satellite controlled device in every vehicle which will prevent them exceeding the speed limit, making it impossible to accelerate out of trouble in the event of an emergency. Britain is "thinking about it" They will not endorse the idea as the government would lose too much money in speeding fines. A device with gave a warning when breaking the speed limit would be much more sensible and would negate the excuse that one was not aware of committing the offence.

teddy
 

JHC

Chief assistant to the assistant chief
A device with gave a warning when breaking the speed limit would be much more sensible and would negate the excuse that one was not aware of committing the offence.

teddy
My Z has one it is called "Wife" :mad: also the Coupe has one built into the on board computer that you can set for the speed you want to be bleeped at.
 

teddy

Duckmeister
I do not even like ABS. Apart from the fact that it is something else to go wrong (£1,600 to replace the full system) it reduces your control of the car. There may be times when you want to lock your wheels to stop faster, and in my day you were taught cadence and pulse braking as well as progressive. More skills and less technology is the answer and make everyone take an advanced test after say five years after passing the basic test.

teddy
 

JHC

Chief assistant to the assistant chief
teddy once the wheel is locked it looses its stopping power just as in a slide ABS prevents this so is a great asset to drivers that do not have your expertise. Would you really want to go back to the day of manual ign advance, crash G Boxes, manual steering ? I think not.
 

teddy

Duckmeister
It has been proved Colin that in some circumstances you can stop faster with the wheels locked. The only downside is that you can not steer with locked front wheels. Thus it comes back to skills. If people where taught the different methods of baking and also to plan ahead properly they would not need ABS. My last two cars have suffered from rusty brake disks caused by under use despite the fact that I like to drive fast. I also like to slow down in good time.

teddy
 
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