speeding fines

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by svo supporter

Love how people have said to keep an eye on the time. Which time do you set your clocks etc etc by? The radio time round my neck of the woods is 5 minutes fast, compared to the mobile phone time.

Geez, just thought how to fix the time issue. Pull up at a speed camera and ask them what time it is. No chance of getting it wrong there then.

IMA, I do feel sorry for the OP and i do think it sucks.

Or when it's close to the time, just slow down.....
Just be careful is all I'm saying and if you're not sure, err on the side of caution

I have even seen people booked on pupil free days when there is no school "in" because transport dept doesn't care...

[sudszy]

Originally Posted by svo supporter

Love how people have said to keep an eye on the time. Which time do you set your clocks etc etc by? The radio time round my neck of the woods is 5 minutes fast, compared to the mobile phone time.

Geez, just thought how to fix the time issue. Pull up at a speed camera and ask them what time it is. No chance of getting it wrong there then.
.

knowing the right time isnt hard or expensive, perhaps set everything to http://time.is/ or similar, like they probably do with the clock on the cameras......

[ray38l]

Originally Posted by sudszy

knowing the right time isnt hard or expensive, perhaps set everything to http://time.is/ or similar, like they probably do with the clock on the cameras......

i like how you say. What they probably do on cameras. No one knows the time cameras operate on.

[2011G6E]

Originally Posted by Stefan

But the car in the picture has red P plates, yet the guy taking the points is on his blacks....it might just open up a whole new world of pain for the OP getting caught submitting a false stat dec.

I'm pretty sure there's some penalty for having L or P plates on your car and having an open...I recall even driving school cars coming to pick up our kids slapping on the plates as soon as they pulled up at the house to pick one of them up.

Originally Posted by cobramania

I don't agree with school zones at all, but that's a different point.

That might be a whole different point, but it's a very interesting point of view...why, for christs sake?

It's kind of disturbing the number of people here who seem to think school zone speed limits are a "bad thing" and "foolish idea"...I hate speed cameras with a vengeance, I hate cops hiding in the bushes instead of doing police work...but if you speed in a school zone during the times listed, they should, as suggested above somewhere, cut up your licence in front of you and say "walk home buddy and come back and see us in a month to get it back". No area has a higher risk of killing someone, especially a small someone, than a school zone. Not a risk I'm willing to take, but apparently some are and see nothing wrong with it...

[XR6Uteman]

Originally Posted by 2011G6E

It's kind of disturbing the number of people here who seem to think school zone speed limits are a "bad thing" and "foolish idea"...I hate speed cameras with a vengeance, I hate cops hiding in the bushes instead of doing police work...but if you speed in a school zone during the times listed, they should, as suggested above somewhere, cut up your licence in front of you and say "walk home buddy and come back and see us in a month to get it back". No area has a higher risk of killing someone, especially a small someone, than a school zone. Not a risk I'm willing to take, but apparently some are and see nothing wrong with it...

100% agree young kids have no road sense full stop.
.Although Pennant Hills Rd where the high schools are and the overhead pedestrian foot bridges and fence down the middle on the island thats a different story

[EDManual]

Thats really bad luck, sad for you.

Is there actually a LAW that says you must have a CLOCK that has the CORRECT time in your car? If there is not one, HOW CAN YOU BE FINED IF YOU DONT HAVE THE TIME?

Take it to court. At least it will give you a few months extra time driving.

I swear, every time I get a fine, I feel like stealing the money back somehow!

Good luck mate!

[sudszy]

Originally Posted by EDManual

Thats really bad luck, sad for you.

Is there actually a LAW that says you must have a CLOCK that has the CORRECT time in your car? If there is not one, HOW CAN YOU BE FINED IF YOU DONT HAVE THE TIME?

!

Not much of a defence when you park at the wrong time in a clearway either, Im sure the towie will have a good laugh..... perhaps it should also be mandatory that the car displays the day of the week as well in case the driver thinks its still sunday,

[DRU842]

As much as I like you as a bloke 'turbo man' you really need to take this on the chin and learn from it. We both know you've trodden the fine line of disaster on your P's and you'd been warned (like we all have in our teens). Your buds will rally around & get you places. Try to forget about it for today & enjoy your graduation - even if you do drive a Holden.

[Jim Goose]

Originally Posted by EDManual

Thats really bad luck, sad for you.

Is there actually a LAW that says you must have a CLOCK that has the CORRECT time in your car? If there is not one, HOW CAN YOU BE FINED IF YOU DONT HAVE THE TIME?

Take it to court. At least it will give you a few months extra time driving.

I swear, every time I get a fine, I feel like stealing the money back somehow!

Good luck mate!

And really what has not having a clock got to do with it?
Its up to the DRIVER to comply with the rules...

The times are written on the sign.

I cant image how you wouldve survived in a job 40yrs ago where you had to "clock on" and off.... gee boss i dont have a watch thats why im late, or today for that matter.

[AMGC63]

Ignorance is never a defense...

[Rodp]

Originally Posted by turbo_man

ok firstly
my licence is clean
no flashing lights
it was the camera on forest road at penshurst beside the girls high school

It's a shame it's probably one of the few zones I recall that doesn't have flashing signs prior to the camera - at least, since the last time I drove past there. If I also recall, it's a whole whack of schools in the one spot with a 40 limit for extended stretches of road and several painted 40 signs on the roadway.

However, even if the flashing signs are there and aren't flashing, I'll always take care travelling through them at least 5 minutes either side of the times. Probably something you'll consider next time you travel through a school zone.

[flappist]

Originally Posted by AMGC63

Ignorance is never a defense...

True but it always seems to be an asset in law reform.....

[cobramania]

Originally Posted by 2011G6E

That might be a whole different point, but it's a very interesting point of view...why, for christs sake?

It's kind of disturbing the number of people here who seem to think school zone speed limits are a "bad thing" and "foolish idea"...I hate speed cameras with a vengeance, I hate cops hiding in the bushes instead of doing police work...but if you speed in a school zone during the times listed, they should, as suggested above somewhere, cut up your licence in front of you and say "walk home buddy and come back and see us in a month to get it back". No area has a higher risk of killing someone, especially a small someone, than a school zone. Not a risk I'm willing to take, but apparently some are and see nothing wrong with it...

Why I don't agree with school zones I have gone through in here before, but generally speaking, the slow vehicle speeds give you a false sense of security & you take a risk crossing or walking onto the road with out thinking, which you would be less likely to take, if the car was traveling at 60 or 80ks. I've seen too many near misses, & a couple of hits, & the worst offenders are teenage high school students, who should know better, after all the roads are actually for driving on, walk on the footpath & cross safely.

The only children that can't be taught road safety are those little ones that go to pre-school/childcare & may get away from distracted parents, (but those areas don't have slow speed zones). Older children can be taught road safety & how to cross & used to be. Do you remember all the little tunes & sayings you were told when you were little, not to play on the road, stop at the curb, look Right ,look Left, & look Right again, then cross if there's no cars or it's safe, & to hold an Adults hand when crossing the road if there's one around? That used to be told at home, taught at school, even advertised on the TV. McDonalds even used to have ads, where Ronald would hold Grimaces hand & help him & his friends cross the road, & sing a little song about it.

Kids have to be taught & take responsibility some time. If you want them to live, do it early, that's why most of us here are still around. Only problem is, no one wants to give discipline or take any responsibility these days, just think, those school kids today, (if they're still alive), in 5-10 years time will be driving around (with you), having very little road sense (just enough to past the driving test), & no responsibility for anything that happens, we won't need at fault no claim discounts on insurance in 10 years, because accidents will always be someone else's fault.
The whole reason we have school zones now is because the kids can't/don't take any responsibility for their own safety, & the motorists can't take any responsibility for their actions, & think themselves to slow down a bit if kids are around, it needs to be legislated, & unfortunately the more people that need to be told what to do (or nannied), the less likely most people are going to be able to actually think for themselves.

Just take the 40k speed limit in pit lane at the car racing, no one with even half a brain would go onto the track in front of a car doing 100ks+ with out thinking, so why do it in the pits, it's still part of the circuit? I remember working in the pits before the limits were installed, & you actually had to think about what you were doing, where you wanted to go & why, & you'd look to see if a car was coming in, before you crossed to the pit wall. Now what do you see if you watch the V8 Supercars, people crossing the lane without looking, & then just as they're about to land on the bonnet, they see the car & start running, or try to cross in between the cars coming in spaced 3m apart. Sure if you get hit now it's not going to hurt as much, but I don't ever remember many people getting hit in the first place anyway. Remember Barthurst 30 years ago, it didn't even have a pit wall, the pit lane was on the circuit. Maybe we should all just wear around those padded Sumo wrestler suits & drive around in blow-up cars, like on the Alliance ads?

[AMGC63]

Originally Posted by flappist

True but it always seems to be an asset in law reform.....

LOL yes, very true..

[Ben73]

Flashing lights on all school signs.

There is a school zone here that people always forget about. It's a school with probably 50 students, the speed limit is 70, opposite the school is a bush area with no parking, the traffic lights don't even have a pedestrian crossing button I have never seen someone attempt to cross the road. You rarely seen students walking around even at 3:10. It's very easy to forget this school zone.

Flashing lights would just stand out a bit more plus you can't get the time wrong if the lights are on.

[Vincenzo]

Originally Posted by hawker

Have to be careful in the ACT though, school zone lasts all day. 8am till 4pm... Can't really understand it, I mean, primary school kids should be inside all day, and not near the roads, and high school kids, well some of them are allowed to leave the school, but they should have common sense around roads!

Greetings

NT legislation has school zones set from 0700 - 1700 with no breaks - been like that for several years now. As a retired licence tester (MVR) and a defensive driving instructor people still forget.

[prydey]

Originally Posted by cobramania

........

you make some good points but as a parent, i would still rather cars are forced to drive slower around schools. unfortunately, a lot of the time it is for the motorists benefit as much as the safety of the pedestrians. many drivers these days fail to have the ability to use their noggin and if theres a 60 sign there, they'll do 60, regardless of the situation. many schools have cars parked both sides of the road so extra caution is required to look out for opening car doors and wayward people. most competent drivers would slow down automatically but without a sign telling them, many drivers wouldn't.

[AMGC63]

Had an incident the other day, a kid just for whatever reason sprinted across the road in front of me, didnt even look or see me, i missed them by about 10 feet... Yes they should know better and shouldn't do it but kids are kids, had i been going faster than 40 they would most likely be dead.

Being legally in the right after running one over isnt any consolation for anyone.

[fmc351]

Originally Posted by AMGC63

Had an incident the other day, a kid just for whatever reason sprinted across the road in front of me, didnt even look or see me, i missed them by about 10 feet... Yes they should know better and shouldn't do it but kids are kids, had i been going faster than 40 they would most likely be dead.

Being legally in the right after running one over isnt any consolation for anyone.

Well said. Its not about who is right or wrong, its about what is right.

[flappist]

Originally Posted by prydey

you make some good points but as a parent, i would still rather cars are forced to drive slower around schools. unfortunately, a lot of the time it is for the motorists benefit as much as the safety of the pedestrians. many drivers these days fail to have the ability to use their noggin and if theres a 60 sign there, they'll do 60, regardless of the situation. many schools have cars parked both sides of the road so extra caution is required to look out for opening car doors and wayward people. most competent drivers would slow down automatically but without a sign telling them, many drivers wouldn't.

It is also somewhat ironic that the main complainers about school speed zones are the same ones who double and triple park as close as possible to the school gate rather than park 500m away and walk up to pick up their kids (or make the kids actually walk or ride to school, you never know they may get fit)

[cobramania]

Originally Posted by flappist

It is also somewhat ironic that the main complainers about school speed zones are the same ones who double and triple park as close as possible to the school gate rather than park 500m away and walk up to pick up their kids (or make the kids actually walk or ride to school, you never know they may get fit)

The real ironic thing is, that it's the parents dropping off & picking up the kids, that make areas around schools dangerous, as has been mentioned, parking & stopping in No Stopping zones close to the gate & pedestrian crossings, but also in most cases they, themselves are the ones making all the traffic. Many (probably most) schools are not on main roads or highways, they are in back streets, where outside of morning & afternoon drop off/pickups, the surrounding streets see less than 20 cars per hour, or 1 car passing every 3 mins, plenty of time for kids to cross roads & dissipate safely. Another thing is most schools have more than 1 gate, many in regional/country areas have access into bushland, if children weren't being dropped off & picked up by car, they wouldn't be so concentrated in the one area, kids don't all live & travel in the 1 direction.
Why is it that kids are supposedly safe in school zones during the indicated times, but what happens outside those times or if they're walking to or from school but are outside the school zones, does their risk of death suddenly increase & their safety requirements diminish? Why don't you have to drive at 40kph around parks at all hours during schools holidays, where many children gather & play? Nobody wants to hit a child or have a child hit, but really are we protecting them, or should that be who are we protecting? Has the number of children being hit actually reduced since school zones were introduced, 1 is too many, but were there really that many being hit to start with? I've never seen anyone actually come up with solid backupable figures to say yes. Signs, fines & cameras obviously don't slow down everyone (as this thread shows), & with the NSW Government asking the same questions & looking at other ways that may make areas around schools safer, maybe school zones aren't really safe after all?

[THE CADBURY KID]

yeah hate to say it turbo but i think they will backdate the fine to when it happened and prosecute from the original date because sometimes the govt takes months to process paperwork.
But looking on the brightside, stranger things have happened,may get lost in the office clutter .

[Jim Goose]

Originally Posted by cobramania

The real ironic thing is, that it's the parents dropping off & picking up the kids, that make areas around schools dangerous, as has been mentioned, parking & stopping in No Stopping zones close to the gate & pedestrian crossings, but also in most cases they, themselves are the ones making all the traffic. Many (probably most) schools are not on main roads or highways, they are in back streets, where outside of morning & afternoon drop off/pickups, the surrounding streets see less than 20 cars per hour, or 1 car passing every 3 mins, plenty of time for kids to cross roads & dissipate safely.

Most schools are in back streets?? Maybe you need to get out more?
Nealry all the schools here in Townsville are next to MAJOR roads or are situated along major suburban roads. Suburban streets are supposed to be 50kmh limited. All school zones i have seen are in zones where the speed limit is 60kmh or greater, I have never seen a 40kmh zone erected in a 50kmh.. Some schools along the Bruce Highway here have a 100kmh road out the front and the speed it dropped to 80kmh during school hours.

Originally Posted by cobramania

Another thing is most schools have more than 1 gate, many in regional/country areas have access into bushland, if children weren't being dropped off & picked up by car, they wouldn't be so concentrated in the one area, kids don't all live & travel in the 1 direction.
Why is it that kids are supposedly safe in school zones during the indicated times, but what happens outside those times or if they're walking to or from school but are outside the school zones, does their risk of death suddenly increase & their safety requirements diminish? Why don't you have to drive at 40kph around parks at all hours during schools holidays, where many children gather & play?

School zones (as the name says) were created because of large numbers of kids are all converging into a school area. Typically these kids criss cross the road to get there even if there is a crossing nearby. It also has a large number of parents parking dangerously all over the place and pulling out of traffic and kids as well. I dont see a park having this issue even on its busiest day.

Originally Posted by cobramania

Nobody wants to hit a child or have a child hit, but really are we protecting them, or should that be who are we protecting? Has the number of children being hit actually reduced since school zones were introduced, 1 is too many, but were there really that many being hit to start with? I've never seen anyone actually come up with solid backupable figures to say yes. Signs, fines & cameras obviously don't slow down everyone (as this thread shows), & with the NSW Government asking the same questions & looking at other ways that may make areas around schools safer, maybe school zones aren't really safe after all?

Who we are protecting or trying to protect is the large number of errent kids wandering all over the place near a school. Who ever said a school zone was designed to stop kids being hit? The speed reduction is there to help reduce fatalities... a kid being hit at 60kmh is probably not going to live long where as he many have a chance if hit at 40kmh. If you want to STOP kids being hit then you would have boom gates, large fences and corriders all over the place near a school or even mandate that cars drive into the school and drop kids at the door....

Slowing down for a few seconds of your life too difficult???

[cobramania]

Originally Posted by AMGC63

Had an incident the other day, a kid just for whatever reason sprinted across the road in front of me, didn't even look or see me, i missed them by about 10 feet... Yes they should know better and shouldn't do it but kids are kids, had i been going faster than 40 they would most likely be dead.

Seems you've fallen for the Government spin justifying slower speed limits. If you just plant your foot on the brake & sit there like a rabbit stunned in the head lights, yes you probably would've hit the kid, but you have a steering wheel to use & swerve around him, a swerve around would've pulled you up in a shorter distance too, & yes you could've avoided hitting him just as well at 60kph as you would at 40kph. If it was a semi-trailer what would you have done?
Driver training is an issue that should be looked at to increase safety, lower speed limits don't always make things safer.

[Jim Goose]

Originally Posted by cobramania

Seems you've fallen for the Government spin justifying slower speed limits. If you just plant your foot on the brake & sit there like a rabbit stunned in the head lights, yes you probably would've hit the kid, but you have a steering wheel to use & swerve around him, a swerve around would've pulled you up in a shorter distance too, & yes you could've avoided hitting him just as well at 60kph as you would at 40kph. If it was a semi-trailer what would you have done?
Driver training is an issue that should be looked at to increase safety, lower speed limits don't always make things safer.

And your assuming the car has ABS... what if the vehicle was a bus? Do you expect it to swerve around a child at 60kmh ?

[THE CADBURY KID]

Young kids dont think too much sometimes thats why they have the imposed limits,maybe soon they will have slower speed limits outside parlament house..

[belvo]

in melbourne and drive on bullen road you will now how stupid these laws can be i happed to go to that high school and in the 6 years i went to that school no one ever crossed that road after school hours.

[AMGC63]

Originally Posted by cobramania

Seems you've fallen for the Government spin justifying slower speed limits. If you just plant your foot on the brake & sit there like a rabbit stunned in the head lights, yes you probably would've hit the kid, but you have a steering wheel to use & swerve around him, a swerve around would've pulled you up in a shorter distance too, & yes you could've avoided hitting him just as well at 60kph as you would at 40kph. If it was a semi-trailer what would you have done?
Driver training is an issue that should be looked at to increase safety, lower speed limits don't always make things safer.

ABSOLUTE RUBBISH. im simply a parent who realises kids do stupid things and make mistakes....

If you're trying to say reduced speed limits around areas congested with our young, precious nieve kids is a bad thing....

[prydey]

Originally Posted by AMGC63

ABSOLUTE RUBBISH. im simply a parent who realises kids do stupid things and make mistakes....

If you're trying to say reduced speed limits around areas congested with our young, precious nieve kids is a bad thing...

actually, on top of that, we shouldn't really need signs to make us drive more carefully around these areas. the fact that we do, and that people still don't adhere to them is sad in itself.

personally, i don't just drive slow around kids. any area that is congested with people and cars parked on the road ie, around shops etc. the street where i work in adelaide is an industrial area so its just a wide street with no line markings. it also has a very popular food shop on it called cafe de villis. it is very popular and cars park both sides of the road leaving just enough room for 2 cars. common sense says that you should take it easy through there with people hopping in and out of cars and what not, but the amount of cars that still scream by at 60..... a workmate got knocked of his motorbike there due to someone pulling out without looking.

[cobramania]

Originally Posted by Jim Goose

Most schools are in back streets?? Maybe you need to get out more?
Nearly all the schools here in Townsville are next to MAJOR roads or are situated along major suburban roads. Suburban streets are supposed to be 50kmh limited. All school zones i have seen are in zones where the speed limit is 60kmh or greater, I have never seen a 40kmh zone erected in a 50kmh.. Some schools along the Bruce Highway here have a 100kmh road out the front and the speed it dropped to 80kmh during school hours.

Maybe you need to get out of Townsville & out of Queensland, I know of plenty of schools in/around back streets. There's at least 6 schools within 10 mins drive of me in suburban 50kph streets that all have 40kph school zones.
How's 80kph going to save any kids, there's schools down this way on 100kph roads with 40kph school zones, we have bus stops on 80kph roads where you have to slow to 40kph if a bus is stopped at it during school zone times, it's also law to go 40kph past any bus stopped at a bus stop with the flashing lights going, not just school times & doesn't matter what the normal speed zone is.

School zones (as the name says) were created because of large numbers of kids are all converging into a school area. Typically these kids criss cross the road to get there even if there is a crossing nearby. It also has a large number of parents parking dangerously all over the place and pulling out of traffic and kids as well. I dont see a park having this issue even on its busiest day.

Unless they're being dropped off by car, children don't generally converge on the school all at the same time, also I don't know about Townsville but around here school zones are only on the adjacent roads, kids criss crossing streets further away still have to contend with cars doing 50, 60, 70, 80 or higher, & schools zones only last about 300m from the school. Almost all non-traffic light crossings at or near schools have a RTA authorized adult stop/go person there, to stand in the middle of the crossing & stop all cars before any child is allowed to step foot on the road.

Who we are protecting or trying to protect is the large number of errant kids wandering all over the place near a school.

As I've said, school zones don't go far from the schools in NSW, errant kids wandering all over the place near a school won't be protected by the slow speed zones.

Slowing down for a few seconds of your life too difficult???

That's not the point, you probably wouldn't know with the population of Townsville, but come down here to Sydney & on main roads, during school zone times , you're lucky if you get anywhere near 40kph anyway.