Driving to the Argus Race - be careful .....

[JA-Q001]

Have you ever driven to Lanseria airport, every 500m they change the speed between 80 and 100. I dont think they know what they whant! In December, moving up from Worcester back to Bloem, I got caught doing 107 in a 80 zone, thats a R600 fine. My ave speed for the trip was 90km/h. We were 2 vehicles traveling together. 1st thing, why if I was speeding would I be doing 107 on the N1??? Clearly the 80 sign was not visable and the other vehicle got no fines for that trip? I am all for the ave speed fine system. the guys doing 180 just to slam on their brakes to cruise 80 past the sign is clearly the more dangerous person on the road! But yes, I always try keeping to the rules as I believe in being the change you whant to see, but I get the fines and do not see anything being done to the real dangers on the roads!

Edited March 5, 2012 by JA-Q001

[TNT1]

No it is not.!

 

We will have to disagree. I've never been "en" trapped. Every fine I have ever received, I earned fair and square by breaking the law.

[Eldron]

Hmm, its not always as cut and dried as that.

 

Agreed! The older I get the more I realise that nothing is black'n'white nor cut'n'dried.

 

I've always been a fan of "safe speeding" even though "safe speeding" is in itself an irony as well as a debatable subject but keeping my money in my pocket (and out of government coffers) is a much stronger argument to me than the standard "SPEED KILLS!!!!!!".

[Grebel]

*snip*

 

"SPEED KILLS!!!!!!".

 

Speed doesn't kill, it is the sudden stop at the end that causes all the damage...

[Grebel]

No it is not.!

 

Yes it is. If you don't break the rules, you are not guilty. If you break the rules you are guilty. Can't get more cut and dried than that, regardless of where the sign was.

 

Edit: the "grey area" comes in whether or not the officer is willing to cut you some slack.

Edited March 5, 2012 by Grebel

[GrumpyOldGuy]

Agreed! The older I get the more I realise that nothing is black'n'white nor cut'n'dried.

 

I've always been a fan of "safe speeding" even though "safe speeding" is in itself an irony as well as a debatable subject but keeping my money in my pocket (and out of government coffers) is a much stronger argument to me than the standard "SPEED KILLS!!!!!!".

 

Indeed, welcome to the club, but if ya aint bald yet, you are still too young.

 

Just kidding...........................There are lots of factors around speeding and I am fond of relating this one, I may have even done it here before, but never the less, I will claim memory loss.

 

I was caught speeding while on a vacation in the USA, in a huge mall parking lot, I kid you not, they were trapping in the circumnavigating road leading into mall parking lot. The limit was 25mph, there were visible signs, I saw them, but I was distracted and he caught me doing 32mph. Pulled me over and told me to come look at the meter, I tried the dumb holiday maker stunt by saying I am here on vacation and didnt know the speed etc,etc, his first question was,......

 

Sir, dont you have road signs and speed limits in SA?

 

Of course I had to say we do, he shrugged his shoulders and said "Well" , I knew I was done, but I tried to appeal to his nice side, that didnt work either, then he said, "I wont give you a fine this time, BUT, you will sit here with me for two hours and I will go through all the signs on our roads, then you will come with me and we will walk around the roads here a bit and you will point out these signs to me.

 

I almost asked for a ticket.

 

..........so I was stuck there for over three hours of my day going through cr*p, but you know what, it got through, he knew I made a mistake, a fine is an easy route, I pay and forget it, that day I will never forget.!

 

We need some of those cops here, who actually take their jobs seriously and want to make a difference, not just collect revenue.

[GrumpyOldGuy]

Yes it is. If you don't break the rules, you are not guilty. If you break the rules you are guilty. Can't get more cut and dried than that, regardless of where the sign was.

 

Edit: the "grey area" comes in whether or not the officer is willing to cut you some slack.

 

........and if you are not aware you are breaking the rules.? Now who is to blame.?

[Grebel]

We need some of those cops here, who actually take their jobs seriously and want to make a difference, not just collect revenue.

 

I agree 100%. If more cops took their jobs seriously and proescuted offenders, there would be less offences on the roads. BUT it all boils down to respect (Or the lack there of) for the laws that govern us. We as South Africans want to be policed instead of policing ourselves.

[GrumpyOldGuy]

I agree 100%. If more cops took their jobs seriously and proescuted offenders, there would be less offences on the roads. BUT it all boils down to respect (Or the lack there of) for the laws that govern us. We as South Africans want to be policed instead of policing ourselves.

 

True, but I think we in general have no respect for our police force, with good reason I may add. However enforcement agencies in the US and other parts of the world are very highly regarded, they are not just simple revenue collectors, they go out and they do a days work and are seen as doing a good job, that's the difference, try bribe a LAPD officer and you will be spending your vacation in jail, here its regarded as an average day out.

[Grebel]

........and if you are not aware you are breaking the rules.? Now who is to blame.?

 

I am not sure that "I didn't see the sign officer" cuts it nowadays. If you enter a speed reduction zone, you shouldn't be overtaking. I am sure there are extenuating circumstances, but that falls into the "grey area". If it is indeed the case that you overtook the truck on a dotted line and didn't see the sign, I am sure that the policeman was within sight and if he is having a good day, he will give you the benefit of the doubt and send you on your way. If he is having a bad day, you still broke the law so he is well within his right to fine you even if you feel hard done by. I am sure they won't be trapping in an area that they know that the sign is missing. There needs to be visible warning that there is a speed reduction. Although they seem like a law unto themselves sometimes, I am sure that they are following some rule book.

 

Funny how if you are the guy being pulled over, it is a conspiracy against all citizens, but if you see somebody else get pulled over, they deserve everything they get...

 

Just saying.

[Big H*]

No it is not.!

 

If the sign placement do not conform as I said in my post above it is ........ NOT!!!!!!!

[TNT1]

........and if you are not aware you are breaking the rules.? Now who is to blame.?

 

Ignorance of the law excuses no man: Not that all men know the law, but because 'tis an excuse every man will plead, and no man can tell how to refute him.

 

Or some such. You'll find that basic idea somewhere at the heart of our judiciary.

 

PS, enough with this cutesy "rules" crap. They are laws.

Edited March 5, 2012 by TNT1

[Grebel]

True, but I think we in general have no respect for our police force, with good reason I may add. However enforcement agencies in the US and other parts of the world are very highly regarded, they are not just simple revenue collectors, they go out and they do a days work and are seen as doing a good job, that's the difference, try bribe a LAPD officer and you will be spending your vacation in jail, here its regarded as an average day out.

 

An aquaintance was traveling south along the coastline after dropping his car off at the local BMW dealer. He was pulled over on a Fridey afternoon at around 4pm by the big hand of the law for speeding (167km/h!) That is a an offence that can get you locked up. He sh@t himself knowing that his wife was at home with their daughter and if locked away he would spend the next 3 night in jail waiting for a court date. He offerred a donation to the office's church or child's school to make it go away and got away with a R200 bribe. Was he wrong for offering? Absolutely! Was the officer wrong for accepting? Absolutely! They unfortunately have a track record reputation.

 

It is our responsibility to police ourselves. If he had stuck to the speed limit he would never have been in the situation to start with. I think it boils down to a national attitude adjustment. How to get that right, I have no idea!

[Eldron]

Yes it is. If you don't break the rules, you are not guilty. If you break the rules you are guilty. Can't get more cut and dried than that, regardless of where the sign was.

 

Edit: the "grey area" comes in whether or not the officer is willing to cut you some slack.

 

If you're a "the law is THE LAW" type where you think it's perfectly acceptable to trap on long, wide downhills rather than accident hot spots then it is definitely cut and dried.

 

I was caught speeding is Aus - doing 110kph in a 100kph zone (cruising with SA 120km/h autopilot on!). Office quoted exactly how many accidents had happended on the road in the past 2 years (1 was fatal) and told me that he was going to trap there until they had made the safety upgrades recommended by the state.

 

THAT is effective speed trapping - not the bs that passes for law enforcement in SA.

 

C'mon dude - I (mis)took you for a thinker!

[GrumpyOldGuy]

If the sign placement do not conform as I said in my post above it is ........ NOT!!!!!!!

 

I dont quite understand the placement you posted eccentric, what would be the minimum distance between signs that go 120-80-60.?

 

Then I have another question right up you ally mate, what is the maximum height of those speed bumps they erect in the roads, I have been noticing that recently these bumps seem to be getting higher and higher (an no my car is not getting lower and lower) so that now its almost impossible to go straight over them no matter what speed, you actually need to drive them at a slant.

[Big H*]

Indeed, welcome to the club, but if ya aint bald yet, you are still too young.

 

Just kidding...........................There are lots of factors around speeding and I am fond of relating this one, I may have even done it here before, but never the less, I will claim memory loss.

 

I was caught speeding while on a vacation in the USA, in a huge mall parking lot, I kid you not, they were trapping in the circumnavigating road leading into mall parking lot. The limit was 25mph, there were visible signs, I saw them, but I was distracted and he caught me doing 32mph. Pulled me over and told me to come look at the meter, I tried the dumb holiday maker stunt by saying I am here on vacation and didnt know the speed etc,etc, his first question was,......

 

Sir, dont you have road signs and speed limits in SA?

 

Of course I had to say we do, he shrugged his shoulders and said "Well" , I knew I was done, but I tried to appeal to his nice side, that didnt work either, then he said, "I wont give you a fine this time, BUT, you will sit here with me for two hours and I will go through all the signs on our roads, then you will come with me and we will walk around the roads here a bit and you will point out these signs to me.

 

I almost asked for a ticket.

 

..........so I was stuck there for over three hours of my day going through cr*p, but you know what, it got through, he knew I made a mistake, a fine is an easy route, I pay and forget it, that day I will never forget.!

 

We need some of those cops here, who actually take their jobs seriously and want to make a difference, not just collect revenue.

 

On vacation i SA once I was pulled off near Heidelberg Gauteng. I pulled the dumb tourist by giving the copper my Nigerian liksens. He wanted to take me to the cop shop there and then to confirm if that liksens was legal, he also said that I will have to pay cash at the cop shop before I could go. I then produces my SA liksens and he gave me a ticket.