[DJM83]

Originally Posted by russellw

How on earth can you pick that one point out of an otherwise valid post?

The misguided (direct) correlation between any speed over the posted limit and a sad ending has certainly contributed to the lack of respect for the current state of speeding laws.

That is further exacerbated by the fact that statistically every Victorian motorist will cop a fine once every two years (1.25m issued per annum / 2.4m licence holders). Unlike the old days where the fines issued were for "proper" speeding (if that term can be used) a lot of the infringements issued now are for less than 5 km/h over the limit - last figures I saw put it at almost 60%. These are what could best be described as normal citizens going about their daily business who either suffer a lapse of concentration, get confused by the mulitplicity of speed zone changes that litter our roads or simply fall victim to clever placement of mobile cameras. These are not people who would ever consider themselves to be hoons or even enthusiasts and when you start penalising the majority of citizens then respect for the law goes out the window.

I don't think any person of average intelligence would consider speed cameras to be anything other than a revenue raising measure that is getting close to earning the Vic government half a billion dollars each year and for as long as that continues to be the view of the average citizen then all the ad campaigns and use of terms like "safety cameras" is wasted tax revenue.

Taking my earlier point a step further, the 2009 figures show that in urban areas (which generate the bulk of Vic speed camera revenue) only 7% of the issued fines were for what would have once been considered excessive speed (>15 km/h). While I know that excessive is not an exact term (the legal limit can be excessive under some condition) the fact remains that the law must be seen to be just before it is likely to ever achieve uniform acceptance. Zero tolerance, the majority of fines for minor offences and the attempts to justify the money grab only serve to create the opposite view.

Cheers
Russ

Never a truer word spoken