Thread: "Demerit" Points.

I've been done for speeding twice in nearly thirty years of driving. That's more by good luck than anything else. But I do try and abide always. Both times I applied for leniency and had it granted due to my good record. Both times I would have copped it on the chin. Both times had little or no safety implications as they were clear open stretches in good conditions. Both times I thought were bloody ridiculous and the limit didn't match the environment.

For me it's the single minded fixation on speed alone with draconian penalties that galls me. I'd like to see a more balanced approach that makes the roads safer and weeds out the 1%ers that take it too far by driving dangerously and/or in dangerous cars. But speed is an easy one to enforce automatically... cha-ching. Don't even need coppers to do it.

IMHO there's a big difference between 'speed' and 'inappropriate speed'. 10k over on the Hume in good conditions in a good car in a good mental state may be safe, 10k over past a school is not - despite that being well under half the 'speed'... 10k too fast around a bend in a country road could end badly yet still be within the limit.

* rant ends *

Most of the people I know that rely on their drivers licence for their job tend to be pretty careful about speeding and drink driving.
I am pretty sure that most truckies don't take too many chances by upsetting Mr Plod.
I made a few stupid braindead mistakes a few years ago by speeding and once not stopping at a stop sign in the middle of nowhere and I ended up just having 1 demerit point left, I drove pretty nervously for 2 years until I got some points back and I have been super careful ever since.
Did the fines and demerit point losses teach me to be pay closer attention to my speed, Too right they did.

my mate has no points left and went the option double jeopardy, then he came around whinging he got caught going through a red light, now he looses his licence for twice as long, he was offering to pay a Kiwi work mate a couple of hundred to take the wrap. I see how he drives and have no real sympathy for him, he could have lost it long ago, but his step daughter took the wrap for it . Revenue raising he complains, I just put it down to bad driving and maybe he needs to do a refresher course.
There's an idea, send people who loose their licence to do a refresher courses, like they do fir drink drivers. They obviously don't know how to drive.

Originally Posted by Mick_Marsh

If you get caught.

Did I mention, I was followed by a police car last night. I slowed down to 40km/h as I passed them as you are supposed to do (and to give an oncoming truck time to swing out and pass them) and they turned around and followed me for about 30km. The totally ignored the farmer towing the unregistered tandem with a broken tail light we both passed.

So you didn`t get fined or loose any demerit points or get stopped
Just imagine what would happen if you still had the crummydore

revenue raising.
safety.

dont confuse the two.

Originally Posted by CraigE

Does not work. Tried it a little while ago. Was 10kmph over on a up hill downhill section. Even with no offences for over 10 years and then only ever minor ones.
What irks me the most is it is for seconds not continued or deliberate speeding and on a fairly steep downhill section.
Yet what annoys the crap out of me you can have a truck or car / trailer / caravan doing 110 on the hwy that are supposed to be max 100 kmph and day in day out get away with it as the speed camera does not differentiate and a heavy haulage vehicle speeding is way more dangerous.

Yes it does, both myself and my wife have got off with a warning after sending a letter.

I laugh when speeders overtake me, only to see them waiting at the next set of red lights , why is there such a rush to get to the next red light?
I just drive at the posted speed and get there ok, then sometimes I pass them, as I still have momentum as the lights turn green, the speeders then put the foot to the floor to speed to the next set of lights.

I see people speeding past me all the time when I am travelling towing my boat at 95-100 only to drive past them each time as they pull into just about every servo on the road
I went to Sharks bay once and myself and my Mate both left Gerro at the same time.
I was quite content to plod along at 95-100 but Old Mate wouldn't have a bar of that and thundered past me, I caught up to him on the Useless Loop road where he was contemplating what to do about the busted spring on his boat trailer that was a result of thundering down that lousy road.
A white post and plenty of gaffer tape got him going again But he ended up having a much slower trip than me after that.