Loren Pechtel

Originally posted by Vandrare
a few interesting points here about the driving laws in australia:

1) the legal Blood Alcohol limit here is 0.05%, and we often have RBT's (random breath tests) all over the roads so the law is strongly enforced

I don't like the random tests. I don't like them here, either.

2) driving while on the mobile phone is illegal unless you have a hands free kit installed in the car

That's missing the point. It's not the hands, it's the distraction.

3) driving, or having any passengers without their seatbelts on in the car is illegal

Good, although it's not always practical for the driver to enforce this. I would ticket the unbelted person, not the driver.

speeding is also treated in the same way as drink driving with graphicly disturbing adds about every K (km) over is a killer, and there are radar traps all over the place to enforce this

This one I don't like. I think speed is way overrated as a danger. I believe most of the danger attributed to speed is actually due to aggressive driving, for which speed is one symptom.

I also find that speed enforcement has *FAR* more to do with unreasonable limits than danger. Half of the speed traps I'm aware of have disappeared since the limit on the road where it was was raised. The cops go where the pickings are easy.
I'm aware of only one trap at a high-accident location, and that's a red-light trap, not a speed trap. The yellow seems awfully short to me there (but I haven't taken a stopwatch to it), I wouldn't be surprised if this is the cause of both the trap and the accidents. (It's also a very high volume street so more accidents would be expected anyway.)

At the locations with real problems the cops seem totally absent. 95 east to 15 south at morning rush hour always has creeps who are in the wrong lane, go past all the stuck cars making the turn, then stop to merge in. That's a 55mph highway they are stopping in! Never have I seen a cop there.

Vandrare

hi loren...

regarding the mobile phone, i personally think that having a hands free is definitely safer as you can have both hands free for the wheel/changing gears and your not holding the phone between shoulder and ear etc. having the hands free means its just like if you were talking to a passenger (but then admitedly there are people who cant drive and talk to someone safely either).

the seatbelt law means that the driver is only responsible for under 16's in the car having their belts on. anyone older is responsible for themselves.

then lastly about the speeding issue.... if your knowingly speeding and are therefore unable to stop or maneuver out of the way in time to prevent an accident or running someone over, is that any less terrible then drinking so you dont have proper control of the car and having the same accident? though meanwhile, in our area the speed limits have been slowly decreasing and decreasing and in the end, the only way to make people really safe is to just plain stop cars from driving. not a very practical solution though

Loren Pechtel

Originally posted by Vandrare
regarding the mobile phone, i personally think that having a hands free is definitely safer as you can have both hands free for the wheel/changing gears and your not holding the phone between shoulder and ear etc. having the hands free means its just like if you were talking to a passenger (but then admitedly there are people who cant drive and talk to someone safely either).

I drive stick and I do not consider the phone a problem. Mine is small enough that holding it between the the shoulder and ear doesn't work for driving, either--my head would be too far out of position. If I'm forced to shift and turn at the same time I have to take the phone away from my ear for a moment. No big deal.

the seatbelt law means that the driver is only responsible for under 16's in the car having their belts on. anyone older is responsible for themselves.

Better, although if there is another adult in the car I would make them the responsible party if they are expected to be watching the kids. (You, your wife and kids go out--the wife should ensure the kids are belted. You and the kids go out, you give the neighbor a lift. You are responsible, not him.)

then lastly about the speeding issue.... if your knowingly speeding and are therefore unable to stop or maneuver out of the way in time to prevent an accident or running someone over, is that any less terrible then drinking so you dont have proper control of the car and having the same accident? though meanwhile, in our area the speed limits have been slowly decreasing and decreasing and in the end, the only way to make people really safe is to just plain stop cars from driving. not a very practical solution though

From what I've seen, speeding just isn't all that big an issue. Speed appreciably above that of the cars around you is a problem, but speed per se is generally a non-issue.

If anything I think the speed limits as set now are a danger rather than a benefit. Drivers learn the limits are a joke so they pay little attention to them. (Observation: Change the limit by 10mph and the average speed changes by perhaps 1mph. It's been reported frequently.) Thus when there is a good reason for a lower limit drivers are in the habit of ignoring them and ignore the valid ones along with the jokes.

My solution: Abolish traffic fines. Instead, traffic offenses are punished by community service. Without the revenue angle there won't be the incentive to nail those who aren't truly doing wrong. Free up the cops to go after those who actually are dangerous or disruptive to traffic.