What I don't understand about these 'safety' features.

[Biker67]

10% over the speed limit and you get to donate to the states revenue problems.
Got busted in the motorhome with a female police officer parked behind the 80km/h speed sign in the service road .... I'd started to speed up to the 80km/h section while still technically in the 60km/h zone, $313 and 2 points, 66km/h in a 60 zone .... $208 fine and $105 victims of crime levy .....
All the others in the 10 yrs we've been here were flash for cash, more than 10km/h but less than 20km/h $469 + $105 levy +3 point .... get caught for more than 20km/h over but less than 30km/h $995 + $105 + 5 points, 30km/h over, $1736 + $105 + immediate disqualification, that gets another $280 you have to pay up front as you hand over your licence, or $560 if the police have to come and collect it + 7 points of your licence when you do get it back, you only get 11 points in any 3 yr period ..... so if you get booked any time in the 3 yrs after you get it back, you lose it for twice as long and still have to pay the $280 for the pleasure of handing it over .....
As you might guess, they have either very careful drivers who will sit 5km/h under the limit, or full on crazies and some terrific cop car chases

T1 Terry

T1 Terry

Now that's seriously harsh Terry!
My brush with the unmarked Cop car initially resulted in a charge of "Motor racing on the highway"
Thankfully, upon appeal it was later reduced to a simple speeding charge. IIRC, a £50 fine & 3 points? But it was 1987 & a £50 fine meant no beer etc for a while!

 

[OriginalBigAl]

Before the days of Police body cameras, radars which record , and speed traps in general the officer could have some discretion as to give you a ticket or a lecture. Now it seems that option has been severely curtailed, with everything on a digital device which is available to senior officers back at the nick, with the question " And you decided not to ticket , because ? "
Of course the courts could be lenient , but that is weeks down the line with your name already in the system which being mainly automated means its easier to take the hit rather than try to explain yourself out of a situation in which you could be a victim of circumstance that a Police officer would instantly recognise as (a lie ) a valid reason for indiscretion.

 

[5teep]

Of course the easiest way to escape the speed trap money making exercise is... not to speed...

Or use a satnav like TomTom that all users can tag speed cameras, so that following drivers get a warning ahead of time.

In the years since I started driving electric my speeding has dropped, I was never an F1 driver in my mind so it wasn't an hard choice to make. Driving early cars with short range meant driving more slowly was a no brainer. I now annoy other drivers by 'not' speeding

 

[salty]

Of course the easiest way to escape the speed trap money making exercise is... not to speed...

Or use a satnav like TomTom that all users can tag speed cameras, so that following drivers get a warning ahead of time.

In the years since I started driving electric my speeding has dropped, I was never an F1 driver in my mind so it wasn't an hard choice to make. Driving early cars with short range meant driving more slowly was a no brainer. I now annoy other drivers by 'not' speeding

Nah!

 

[Biker67]

Of course the easiest way to escape the speed trap money making exercise is... not to speed...

Or use a satnav like TomTom that all users can tag speed cameras, so that following drivers get a warning ahead of time.

In the years since I started driving electric my speeding has dropped, I was never an F1 driver in my mind so it wasn't an hard choice to make. Driving early cars with short range meant driving more slowly was a no brainer. I now annoy other drivers by 'not' speeding

IMHO, speeding isn't the issue with road safety.
But a lack of observation/concentration is.
i.e. spending more time looking at your speedometer than looking at the road ahead. Surely must be more dangerous that focusing on the road?
If you've got the throttle pinned, you're definitely far more focused than someone who's just bimbling along.
But that's possibly a very controversial viewpoint?

 

[decrep]

I love the quiet of the MG, but lack of speed feedback, means I tend to just drive to road conditions, rather than the speed limit, I too have an aversion to taking my eyes off the road to check the speedo. My mate has bought a cheap GPS with a large bright display that throws up an easily read speed readout on the windscreen. I think this could be a good investment.

 

[securespark]

My first speeding ticket was in 1988. Stopped and shown a radar gun that said 40. I said to the copper, "How do I know that the displayed speed is mine and not that of someone else?"

He looked me in the eye and, no word of a lie, winked at me and said, "You'll just have to trust my word, Sir."

I was caught speeding on the road next to Blackpool Airport. Dual carriageway, but a 30 zone, not 40
I was doing 36.

It was the strictest speed awareness course I have ever been on.

That makes me sound like I'm a ton-up guy, but my driving career (full licence) ran from January 1985 to May 2012. Not the longest, but I did a heck of a lot of commercial miles in that time, so was on the road a lot longer than the average driver.

I actually only went on three speed awareness courses.

Anyway, this one, before the course even started, we were confronted with an extremely stern driving examiner who explained that the format of the day would be as follows:

We would each go out in our own cars. In the passenger seat would be her
In the rear would be another victim.

We would be taken round a course of her choosing. Bear in mind that this was an area that I and most of the others were totally unfamiliar with.

Then we would have the speed awareness course.

Then we would all go out again. We would have to show a "marked improvement" in our driving behaviour. If we did not, we would forfeit the money we paid for the course (£120) AND get the 3 points on our licences anyway...I can't remember the year, but it was somewhere between 2002 and 2012.

I wasn't a perfect driver. Of course, we all make mistakes. I had had several commercial driving assessments over the years, but even I felt the heat. And it was designed that way, with another person sitting in on your "test".

Two people were such a heap of nerves that they "failed".
Several people made formal complaints on the spot and to the organisers after the event.
I'm not even sure that is legal, but Lancashire sure as heck don't do that anymore!

 

[OriginalBigAl]

The Manchester Police used ( maybe still do ) to run a annual bike day . Around 30 bikers would attend and on 40 mile mixed ride you would be assessed on your awareness , techniques , control , positioning and speed . After and during a large Police sized rationed lunch you would have an informal chat with the instructors . what was good /bad where to improve etc . Great day out both for extra training and public relations and totally voluntary.
On some of the NSL sections you got told off for being too tentative and not going fast enough, even if that was just 5mph under the limit.
Never seen/saw an advertised day for car drivers ?

 

[Biker67]

The Manchester Police used ( maybe still do ) to run a annual bike day . Around 30 bikers would attend and on 40 mile mixed ride you would be assessed on your awareness , techniques , control , positioning and speed . After and during a large Police sized rationed lunch you would have an informal chat with the instructors . what was good /bad where to improve etc . Great day out both for extra training and public relations and totally voluntary.
On some of the NSL sections you got told off for being too tentative and not going fast enough, even if that was just 5mph under the limit.
Never seen/saw an advertised day for car drivers ?

I did something similar in Skegness.
It was part of a Butlins biker weekend.
Myself & 3 mates took part. I was never the fastest in that particular group of mates.
But the bike Cops appraisal of us caused a fair few ructions!
My only criticism was that I rode too close to the centre line. However our allegedly fastest mate that took part got absolutely ripped apart by the bike Cop.
He said...."You ride like someone with a death wish son! And your machine control & lack of observation will probably achieve that!"...
That was approximately 25yrs ago & we still remind him about it!

 

[Ian Key]

Derbyshire police used to do a similar course for the local IAM members. Half-an-hour on the skid pan doing figure of eights around traffic cones and then going round their off-road course in a V8 Land-rover.

I did a power slide to align the car up to go between the cones on the skid pan taking just enough power off to stop the sideways motion but enough to keep going. The instructor bet me I couldn't do it again. So I did. All the time spent in my Marina years before in the local car park when it had snowed hadn't gone to waste

 

[5teep]

I love the quiet of the MG, but lack of speed feedback, means I tend to just drive to road conditions, rather than the speed limit, I too have an aversion to taking my eyes off the road to check the speedo. My mate has bought a cheap GPS with a large bright display that throws up an easily read speed readout on the windscreen. I think this could be a good investment.

I've tried a few of those and without exception they were inaccurate. I now use my phone mounted above the driver's display as my sat nav and it has a very accurate speedo.

 

[Gomev]

I love the quiet of the MG, but lack of speed feedback, means I tend to just drive to road conditions, rather than the speed limit, I too have an aversion to taking my eyes off the road to check the speedo. My mate has bought a cheap GPS with a large bright display that throws up an easily read speed readout on the windscreen. I think this could be a good investment.

I agree that roads in general have an 'intuitive speed limit' The trouble with that though is that doesn't always match the actual imposed speed limit. There are several roads I use that could quite easily be 40 or even 50 limits, one a dual carriageway could easily be 60 (not 70) but are all actually 30.

 

[OriginalBigAl]

When road planners/ councils set speed limits they have to account for the different road conditions, temperature / night day/ humidity etc and the various skill sets of those using the road.
To accommodate the lesser amongst us that would mean pandering to the lowest common denominator which in turn means anyone of average and above abilities means the limits are intuitively to low and subsequently annoying and frustrating . This is borne out by the fact many people have slightly sullied licences.