[news] On the spot fines for bad driving

[Guest Guest]

On the spot fines are contestable. If you feel you have been dealt with unfairly then complain. If it stands up then you may have been in a grey area about how you were driving so the answer is not to get into that grey area to start with.

 

But how would one prove that he/she wasn't driving badly if 1/2 cops said you were?

[CHR1S]

Video evidence?

[pcstru]

Let us not forget that although the number of vehicles on the road has increased dramatically over the last thirty years, the number of accidents has decreased dramatically - there will always be some risk with motoring.

 

Have they? Deaths have certainly reduced but I can't find any statistics just for accidents. Last time I did some research deaths were down but serious injuries were relatively static. Do you have a link to data?

[LeMarchand]

That said, my local stretch of the M27 has been "upgraded" by having 4 lanes. A very large number of drivers cannot cope with this concept. Getting into lane 3 far too early for the branch to Portsmouth, joining from the M3 and lunging for lane 4 etc.

 

I find that unless one gets into Lane 3 early, it's damn hard to get across later due to those doing 80+ in Lane 2. Still, better than going in the other direction - I live in fear of being swiped into the central barrier by someone joining from the M3 who has to reach the BMW lane as soon as he sees it.

 

Not that I go there often, but both have to be better than the approach to Portsmouth where there seems to be a weekly accident where the 4 lanes narrow to 3. I have my theories about the cause...

[speckytecky]

BMW lane now we are on to the types of cars that many of 'those' drivers who make regulation so necessary drive. BMW not too bad nowadays in my humble opinion but I do find that many who get behind the wheel of my once favourite Audi are gaining a very bad rep for the car with their selfish driving style.

 

I find that unless one gets into Lane 3 early, it's damn hard to get across later due to those doing 80+ in Lane 2. Still, better than going in the other direction - I live in fear of being swiped into the central barrier by someone joining from the M3 who has to reach the BMW lane as soon as he sees it.

 

Not that I go there often, but both have to be better than the approach to Portsmouth where there seems to be a weekly accident where the 4 lanes narrow to 3. I have my theories about the cause...

[Andrew_C]

I have my theories about the cause...

Beemers? Audi, or Mercs? Leaving Pompey isn't much fun either.

 

These posts really show what happens when M-ways are built on the cheap. Who in their right minds would build motorways with roundabouts as junctions?

[sted]

Beemers? Audi, or Mercs? Leaving Pompey isn't much fun either.

 

These posts really show what happens when M-ways are built on the cheap. Who in their right minds would build motorways with roundabouts as junctions?

 

try the m1/m62 junction the designers of that need shooting almost everytime i use it you can see the accidents almost happening

[tech_guy]

Bad drivers to face £100 fines.....

 

Seems a bit sexist......

[teejay]

Absolutely nothing in this country compares to the nightmare of navigating your way on the Boulevard Périphérique around Paris, or even worse venturing into Rome:twitch:

[Guest Guest]

try the m1/m62 junction the designers of that need shooting almost everytime i use it you can see the accidents almost happening

 

Just looked at that on a map and f me! Are they insane?

 

The main roundabout coming out of my estate on my way to work is a joke. Every week without fail I see an accident (god knows how many there are there that I don't see). Its always the same accident as well;

 

Roundabout is too tall so you can't see round it so people "just have to go" - 30mph from one direction, 40mph from 2 others, and 50mph from another.

Car pulls out and sees another car coming round so stops half way into the roundabout.

Car behind "sees" that the car infront has "gone", moves up to the line and looks for his gap.

Proceeds onto roundabout at the fair pace you have to accelerate at to avoid being side swiped by any cars coming around the roundabout, and smashes straight into the back of the guy who hesitated.

Often the car coming round the roundabout then ploughs into the already crashed cars.

 

I crashed there by assuming the guy infront had gone, then the car behind me did exactly the same thing and crashed into the back of me (smashing their car to bits. My damage = bumper ended up a bit wonky. Win for old cars lol). Only yesterday I was 2 cars behind the exact same thing.

 

And make matters worse they have changed the layout of the junctions 3 or 4 times in the last year, never even attempting to solve the problem imo (what they were trying to achieve I don't know). And what makes me laugh the most is only 50 yards away is a hot spot for a mobile police camera - not watching the junction where hundreds of cars have crashed, but looking 300 yards up the straight dual carriageway where afaik not one car has crashed coming in that direction (one has the other way).

Edited May 11, 2011 by Guest

[tech_guy]

Craziest place I have ever driven a hire car is Jerusalem back in 2005. Mental. They all drive like lunatics. Then to cap it all I had to drive through East Jerusalem and down the West Bank through loads of Israeli roadblocks and gangs of stone-throwing Palestinian kids. The hire company didn't bat an eyelid at the dents in the car when I returned it and I was amazed I didn't get charged.

[Guest Guest]

Anyone any ideas if with these powers the police will be able to do anything about this?

 

Roundabout coming into our estate; 95% of people want to go straight on.

The left hand lane is for straight on, so everyone queues up for a few hundred yard.

But a fair few people drive up the right hand lane, go all the way round the roundabout and then push in to go straight on.

 

Stupid thing is once you are past that roundabout its clean sailing, so one can only conclude the reason why there's queues is because of the people going up the right hand lane. They've left it that long that more and more people are thinking "well if everyone else does it...", so the problem is getting worse and worse.

[sted]

Roundabout coming into our estate; 95% of people want to go straight on.

The left hand lane is for straight on, so everyone queues up for a few hundred yard.

But a fair few people drive up the right hand lane, go all the way round the roundabout and then push in to go straight on.

 

 

whats wrong with that? there is nothing to stop you doing that if you want exit 2 (assuming a 4 exit rb here) and lane 1 is full of people going to exit 1 why not go to exit 6? there is no reason to sit in a queue of cars

[m25man]

They can't, don't, won't enforce the use of a mobile phone anymore so how do they intend to police any new regulations!

 

Whilst waiting to pull out onto my local roundabout yesterday at least 50% of the drivers were chatting away with phones held to their ears!

 

As if these additional rules will curb their disregard for the law.

 

Only instant disqualifications will work.

 

An on the spot 30 day ban with car impounded for drivers caught using mobiles whilst in motion.... Then see if we need to implement additional measures!

[Guest Guest]

whats wrong with that? there is nothing to stop you doing that if you want exit 2 (assuming a 4 exit rb here) and lane 1 is full of people going to exit 1 why not go to exit 6? there is no reason to sit in a queue of cars

 

No, everyone wants to leave on exit 2 so people queue. Then people drive up the right hand lane which is for exit 3, go right around the roundabout and exit on exit 2.

[Andrew_C]

whats wrong with that?

If you saw kids doing that in the lunch queue, you'd send them to the back! Legal? Yes

. Socially responsible? No.

 

What do you think would happen if everyone did it?

[localzuk]

All of this should be a moot point - there's enough technology now to implement fully computer controlled cars, that drive you from A-B, can communicate with other cars, use radar and ladar to detect the road and obstacles, and use GPS (and soon, the new Galileo system) to pin point where you are.

 

Just ban people from driving their own cars, put them in an auto-car, and voila, you reduce road deaths. Well, until the system blue-screens and kills every person in a car in the country...

[Guest Guest]

All of this should be a moot point - there's enough technology now to implement fully computer controlled cars, that drive you from A-B, can communicate with other cars, use radar and ladar to detect the road and obstacles, and use GPS (and soon, the new Galileo system) to pin point where you are.

 

Just ban people from driving their own cars, put them in an auto-car, and voila, you reduce road deaths. Well, until the system blue-screens and kills every person in a car in the country...

 

Have you seen these new fangled cars that park themselves? On the advert for one of the small cars the parking space it goes into could literally fit a bus - I'd expect someone who couldn't drive to be able to give it a decent stab!

 

Personally it will be a while before I trust a computer to park my car, never mind drive me around at 70mph!

[MK-2]

Have you seen these new fangled cars that park themselves? On the advert for one of the small cars the parking space it goes into could literally fit a bus - I'd expect someone who couldn't drive to be able to give it a decent stab!

 

Personally it will be a while before I trust a computer to park my car, never mind drive me around at 70mph!

 

i think its the new ford focus, as its advertised as having a LOT of technology in the car.

 

 

the thing with computer controlled cars, it then means instead of boy racers passing you, its hackers who have got around the computer control and put their foot down.

THE GEEK SHALL INHERIT THE EARTH!

[localzuk]

Have you seen these new fangled cars that park themselves? On the advert for one of the small cars the parking space it goes into could literally fit a bus - I'd expect someone who couldn't drive to be able to give it a decent stab!

 

Personally it will be a while before I trust a computer to park my car, never mind drive me around at 70mph!

 

Oh, obviously we'd add robotic car parks too, like those in Japan. So, your car takes you where you want to go, drops you off, then drives to a robo-garage and parks itself. Then, when you want to go home, you message your car via your phone, so it knows where you are and it comes and gets you. Existing 'parking' would be a thing of the past.

[Guest Guest]

Oh, obviously we'd add robotic car parks too, like those in Japan. So, your car takes you where you want to go, drops you off, then drives to a robo-garage and parks itself. Then, when you want to go home, you message your car via your phone, so it knows where you are and it comes and gets you. Existing 'parking' would be a thing of the past.

 

Robotic car parks! This I must see. Like the one on iRobot?

[Andrew_C]

Central London, near Victoria / Horticultural halls. You drive in, leave the windows down, and a robot picks the car up, and sticks it on a shelf somewhere. When you come back, you pay, and your car is recovered and delivered to you.

 

Not quite Bender getting in and driving off, but getting there!

[localzuk]

Robotic car parks! This I must see. Like the one on iRobot?

 

Yes very much like that, just not with cars hung up. Looks like Lisbon has got one too -

.

[sted]

Central London, near Victoria / Horticultural halls. You drive in, leave the windows down, and a robot picks the car up, and sticks it on a shelf somewhere. When you come back, you pay, and your car is recovered and delivered to you.

 

Not quite Bender getting in and driving off, but getting there!

 

one in leeds as well oposite where we used to go for training quite fun watching it sort cars

 

Google Maps

[mac_shinobi]

All of this should be a moot point - there's enough technology now to implement fully computer controlled cars, that drive you from A-B, can communicate with other cars, use radar and ladar to detect the road and obstacles, and use GPS (and soon, the new Galileo system) to pin point where you are.

 

Just ban people from driving their own cars, put them in an auto-car, and voila, you reduce road deaths. Well, until the system blue-screens and kills every person in a car in the country...

 

GPS would be able to detect the speed said user is travelling and should be able to restrict according to the speed limit - but this is assuming that the speed limits are up to date on the GPS unit, I know my Tom Tom has speedo thingy on it and I can see what speed I am travelling but the speed limit database it refers to is out of date, one example when I am on the M1 there was a section that they were doing road works on but has now been done for a long time but it still states on the GPS to do 50mph but now everyone does 70mph on that section

Edited May 12, 2011 by mac_shinobi