Sombras on 10/5/2007 at 15:18
Quote Posted by Taffer_Boy_Elvis
Traffic cameras in Arizona spotted a (
http://www.caranddriver.com/carnews/12563/the-147-mph-hyundai-sonata.html) Hyundai Sonata doing 147 miles per hour. (That's 236 kilometers per hour for you non-USA-type people)
If I'm trying to hideout from police, the last thing I'd be doing is using a car registered in my name with my license plate numbers on it.
That's one of the funny things about the Hyudai incident--it was a rental. :laff:
I've done 140 mph in a Ford Mustang and it was LOUD, even with a helmet and radio plug in my ear. I can't imagine the racket in that Hyundai. :thumb:
Uncia on 12/5/2007 at 00:51
Quote Posted by Taffer_Boy_Elvis
Big Brother cameras doing whatever they are doing does seem to raise an eyebrow, but if they are legitimately used for traffic things, then WTF? Not a big deal.
Are you suggesting that as long as they perform their stated function all side shenanigans are excused, or that as long as they perform their stated function they are completely incapable of any side shenanigans? Neither makes sense.
Ulukai on 12/5/2007 at 11:32
Quote Posted by Swiss Mercenary
Right, and the next thing we see, is cameras that snap the license plate of any vehicle entering or leaving a city, no?
Welcome to London :)
Speed cameras are great. They catch all the really blind people who aren't paying attention to the road and shouldn't be driving in the first place. Everyone else brakes for the camera, then accelerates away again, annoying residents in the vicinity with the noise. It's like a stupid tax for the unobservant and those who buy houses on main roads, really.
I probably speed every day but the important thing is to drive responsibly for the road conditions and not to drive like a prick or succumb to the red mist.
Personally, I would like to see money spent on a more visible presence of traffic police instead - lets have some focus on tailgating, lack of indication, overly aggressive driving and suicidal motorcyclists.
But that isn't going to happen. Policemen cost money and cameras make it.
Chimpy Chompy on 12/5/2007 at 12:21
Maybe instead of complaining about cameras, we should re-assess the speed limits they're enforcing?
Fingernail on 12/5/2007 at 13:03
Quote Posted by Chimpy Chompy
Maybe instead of complaining about cameras, we should re-assess the speed limits they're enforcing?
How do you mean? Surely it's generally a GOOD THING that traffic in urban and suburban streets only travels at a certain speed so as to reduce the risk to human life?
Uncia on 12/5/2007 at 13:28
He said reassess, not abolish.
Fingernail on 12/5/2007 at 13:43
Yes, and I said lower speeds are a good thing. That is an assessment. What I wondered is if he meant that he'd support raising speed limits.
David on 12/5/2007 at 13:47
Speed cameras are also common on motorways.
I'd be inclined to strip them off the motorway and shove them outside schools and other areas.
pavlovscat on 12/5/2007 at 15:07
Quote Posted by Ulukai
Personally, I would like to see money spent on a more visible presence of traffic police instead - lets have some focus on tailgating, lack of indication, overly aggressive driving and suicidal motorcyclists.
Agreed. Another thing is if you're in the fast lane, don't drive 10MPH below the limit. Get over to the right lane (or is that left non-US?) and quit impeding the flow of traffic. Those people should get tickets as surely as the ones whipping from lane to lane while passing inches from your bumper.
Of course, perception is key. Anyone driving slower than you are is an idiot. Anyone driving faster than you are is a maniac. :cheeky:
Ulukai on 12/5/2007 at 15:44
Quote Posted by Fingernail
What I wondered is if he meant that he'd support raising speed limits.
There is such a thing as too slow. Speed limits that are perceived as being set too low for the road just piss people off, devaluing overall respect for them.
For example, there's a dual carriageway around here, there's about a mile stretch that's 40mph. It's straight, there's no pedestrians or turnings and it's not known for accidents. It's bamboozling, most probably a product of public servant brownie-point politics and I've never yet followed more than half a dozen people who stick to 40 on it.
