Quote:
Originally Posted by Ninjalawyer
Evidently your mileage may vary with respect to speed camera laws - in my jurisdiction there's only a monetary fine with no potential for demerits or losing your license. As I said in an edit to my post though (which you may not have seen), it's irrelevant to the point you were making.
I'm not sure which jurisdiction you're in where you can lose your license, but I would also be opposed to that sort of law.
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You obviously missed the "Location : UK" note below Harry's avatar....
I didn't mean to comment on whether I found the French idea good or bad - I can see a sort of merit in it, but, given the possibility of giving a "test as you drink and still make it home" syndrome, am not too sure....
However, as someone who drives thousands of miles at home and abroad, and also has been flagged for speeding, in the UK, a few times, not by much on each occassion, but definitely "a fair cop guv" , I have to say a lot of people [ including, at times, myself] seem to miss an important
vital point.
SPEED KILLS.
There's no way around this simple statement, it is true, and even if you think you are the best, most skilled driver in the world, with the safest car that can be made, it still applies to you.
Your vehicle is dangerous.
And despite being fined and given points myself, I agree with our law that will take away your license if you exceed the points maximum, whether for exceeding the speed limit/crossing white lines/drinking too much/test your car to the limit because it's "your right".... or any driving transgression.
And gives even tougher penalties for really bad cases.
Even a quiet country road, few houses, not much traffic etc.. a child/dog/wheelchair/cyclist/walker.... can still appear from nowhere and go across in front of you.
Don't forget, you travel around 45 feet in a second at 30mph, 105feet at 70mph.
This translates, very roughly, into stopping distances of 100 feet @ 30 mph and an eye-watering 370 feet @ 70 mph.
Bigger car, badly maintained vehicle,wet road, more speed, slower reaction time = further.
Which, in a way, makes it unbelievable that the car driver is treated so relatively mildly, especially when a moderate fine would appear to offer little disincentive to reform driving habits.
And despite the freedom of the individual, democracy, anti-motorist law lobbies, and all the parephenalia [?] of modern society, these stark figures can, in an instant, translate into a dead or maimed person.
Sometimes the driver.
I lost a very close friend in a head-on crash, in an "idylic" country lane, in perfect conditions, good visibility, two vehicles in good repair, nobody "in drink",with sufficient room for both vehicles.
One of them was travelling too fast to stop in time to avoid the collision.
I try my best to obey traffic laws, but none of us can be perfect. But it surely is our responsibility to try our best - and don't feel affronted if we're found to have broken sensible and neccessary laws. Whatever country we live in.