Oh how sadly true!
I'm all for getting the morons off the roads, but I firmly believe that we need to have a shift in the attitudes of law enforcement as to what constitutes a 'moron'.
Frankly, anyone that speeds in a school zone should have an instant disqualification - exactly the same way that anyone caught doing more that 30km/h over the posted limit does.
This is easily enforceable by installing fixed speed & traffic cameras in every school zone, along with a random mixed presence of both marked and unmarked patrol cars present during pickup/dropoff times. Doesn't need to be there every day, but there'll be a whole lot less misbehaving if the drivers don't know if there's a cop there watching them or not.
And before someone says "That would cost a fortune!" - how much do you think it costs the government to support even just one child who has been permanently physically and/or mentally disabled throughout the remainder of their lifespan?
The "40 km/h when the lights are flashing" for school buses was one of the best moves made in years with regards to child safety.
On the other hand, however, the 'anti-hoon' policies need a lot of work. By all means, get rid of the street racers and the fools doing burnouts up and down suburban streets at all hours of the night and the various other idiots who are a genuine danger to pedestrians and other road users, but ease up on the guys (and girls, though strangely they don't seem to be getting nearly the same sort of attention) who have a genuinely nice car that they've put a lot of work into who just happen to chirp the tyres whilst going round a corner in the city at night and so get branded as a 'hoon' who will be watched carefully for any future offence.
Usually, the worst offenders are not those who have a genuine passion for their cars. Often it's the young bucks that have a $1000 death trap that they've added the cheapest set of mags and tyres they could buy, plus a milo tin for an exhaust tip, and suddenly think they're driving a high performance vehicle.
We need to target genuinely dangerous driving with both stiffer penalties for offenders and education on how to drive safely - preferably before they are let loose on the roads.
OK,......I'm getting down off my soapbox now....![]()



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