28 July 2011

And the money keeps rolling in for high value speeding fines

28 July 2011 | By johnboy

ACT Policing has issued another motorist with a $1811 Traffic Infringement Notice for high-range speeding early this morning (Thursday, 26 July), following on from a similar offence late on Tuesday evening.

Around 12.30am, Tuggeranong General Duties members were conducting laser speed detection along Drakeford Drive, Isabella Plains when they observed a vehicle travelling at excessive speed approaching the target area.

The vehicle’s speed was checked by the officers at 154 km/h in the 80 km/h zone.

Police stopped the vehicle and spoke to the 20-year-old male driver, who is the holder of a provisional licence, and issued him a Traffic Infringement Notice which resulted in a $1811 fine and the loss of six demerit points, leading to an immediate loss of licence.

Officer-in-Charge of Traffic Operations, Sergeant Jeff Knight said that catching two motorists in two nights travelling at such high speeds was extremely concerning.

“It is hard to comprehend that people are repeatedly travelling at such excessive speeds in our urban areas. Only the night before, the same officer stopped a motorist travelling at 164 km/h in the area”.

“What does it take for people to understand that speeding is not only extremely dangerous, but it’s also illegal. The chances of surviving a collision when travelling at such speed are marginal at best,” Sergeant Knight said.

ACT Policing would remind all motorists to remain vigilant about the speed at which they are driving. The 2011 road toll currently stands at seven, with five of these fatalities having excessive speed as a contributing factor.

[Courtesy ACT Policing]

Join the conversation

All Comments

All Comments
Website Comments
Facebook Comments

LatestOldest

Mr Gillespie10:16 am 30 Jul 11

Yeah, well nice to meet you too, Jethro

*bows*

Jethro9:39 pm 29 Jul 11

Mr Gillespie said :

Tooks said :

(quote)………..n other words, DO YOUR HOMEWORK.

Oh and Ergo, just what the hell do you mean by “mindset”!!

On the subject of mindset, I have to question the mindset of some of the people here who defend speed cameras and other enforcement (I am talking about long straight highways not school zones), tell me simply to slow down to avoid paying the “voluntary/idiot tax”, accuse me of whingeing about revenue raisers (often with aforesaid argument), and adopt the lynch mob mentality on people who drive only moderately above the speed limit even if the speed limit is 40 for a few metres at the Glenloch Interchange.

*Facepalm*

No one’s ever died due to excessive speed on a straight highway (or other road). Keep paying the idiot tax, Mr G. At least you’re contributing something to society.

BTW a cop on the side of the road with a laser, will see you long before you see him (especially at night).

That’s what pages like http://www.facebook.com/pages/RBTCamera-Locations/207466959297393 are for. That cop can go stick his laser right up his arse!!

The idiot tax is for idiots that zoom through known speed camera locations that have huge warning signs either side of them.

If he wants to hide behind the bush at night like some coward, well he better watch out, because the good citizens will flash his headlights around him, and advertise his presence so his revenue quota will DRY OUT and he’ll have to find something better to do — like fight crimes that AREN’T VICTIMLESS???

You are quite possibly the most simple-minded idiot I have ever had the displeasure of encountering.

Mysteryman5:07 pm 29 Jul 11

EvanJames said :

Mysteryman said :

It’s certainly a stupid idea with no foundation in actual reality. We had a dragstrip for years, so by your reasoning that was a golden age when no one sped on the roads because they could go there and get it out of their system? What nonsense.

I really take issue with the mode of thinking that wants us to appease anti-social law-breakers who put others in danger. No, they don’t get a dragstrip as a reward for doing dangerous things, they get arrested and fined.

I’m not talking about appeasing anybody. By all means, fine and punish the people behaving illegally. But why not provide a place for people to drive fast that is legal and safe? It may have the effect of making the roads in the ACT safer (there is disagreement on this issue, but so far it’s all anecdotal).

Mr Gillespie4:30 pm 29 Jul 11

Tooks said :

(quote)………..n other words, DO YOUR HOMEWORK.

Oh and Ergo, just what the hell do you mean by “mindset”!!

On the subject of mindset, I have to question the mindset of some of the people here who defend speed cameras and other enforcement (I am talking about long straight highways not school zones), tell me simply to slow down to avoid paying the “voluntary/idiot tax”, accuse me of whingeing about revenue raisers (often with aforesaid argument), and adopt the lynch mob mentality on people who drive only moderately above the speed limit even if the speed limit is 40 for a few metres at the Glenloch Interchange.

*Facepalm*

No one’s ever died due to excessive speed on a straight highway (or other road). Keep paying the idiot tax, Mr G. At least you’re contributing something to society.

BTW a cop on the side of the road with a laser, will see you long before you see him (especially at night).

That’s what pages like http://www.facebook.com/pages/RBTCamera-Locations/207466959297393 are for. That cop can go stick his laser right up his arse!!

The idiot tax is for idiots that zoom through known speed camera locations that have huge warning signs either side of them.

Keijidosha3:53 pm 29 Jul 11

Although I’m in total support of motorsport in the ACT, I acknowledge that the argument about dragways deterring drivers from speeding is pretty foolish. As pointed out earlier a drag strip would only attract those people who are interested in using it, and everyone else who speeds on the streets will continue to do so.

However I will put forward an argument for your consideration:

Almost all Canberra drivers are given their licence having never legally exceeded 110kph. Should they choose to speed on the street, this will almost certainly be their first experience of high-speed driving, which essentially means that they are learning by doing – on public roads. If driver licencing involved a practical, off-street driver training component (which included high-speed car control), all drivers would be competent enough to control their cars at whatever speed they choose to drive.

Sad fact is that drivers will speed if they choose to, and the only prevention we currently have is the enforcement of speed limits. Because of this we should provide drivers with comprehensive training that enables them to be more competent behind the wheel, for the safety of others. To this end I would wholeheartedly support a combined driver training and motorsport facility in teh ACT that allows drivers to be properly trained, and gives an outlet for those who want to drive fast AND do it legally.

Tooks3:52 pm 29 Jul 11

dvaey said :

Mysteryman said :

There is no justification for this behaviour, but obviously it’s continuing regardless of the number of speed cameras we have, or the number of police on the road. Why can’t we have a dragstrip where people can get this sort of nonsense out of their system in a controlled environment and away from the likes of other motorists and pedestrians? Is that such an unreasonable idea?

Only a few more of these tickets, and the dragstrip will almost be paid for. The problem with that situation though, is that introducing a dragstrip would eliminate a huge portion of the ACT government revenue stream if speedsters had somewhere to go other than roads with speed cameras or the occasional police officer on them.

It is hard to comprehend that people are repeatedly travelling at such excessive speeds in our urban areas. Only the night before, the same officer stopped a motorist travelling at 164 km/h in the area”

I wonder if this means that maybe, just maybe, they might start to realise that with the complete lack of visible police patrolling our roadways, that some motorists often travel at high speeds. Maybe, they might even start bringing back actual police officers more regularly, rather than just referring the site to the speed camera office?

And suddenly Mr Gillespie has some stiff competition for stupidest comment in the thread. The race is on.

EvanJames3:51 pm 29 Jul 11

Mysteryman said :

It’s certainly a stupid idea with no foundation in actual reality. We had a dragstrip for years, so by your reasoning that was a golden age when no one sped on the roads because they could go there and get it out of their system? What nonsense.

I really take issue with the mode of thinking that wants us to appease anti-social law-breakers who put others in danger. No, they don’t get a dragstrip as a reward for doing dangerous things, they get arrested and fined.

YetAnotherBlowIn3:46 pm 29 Jul 11

ozmoo said :

Whatever happened to the Canberra International Dragway?

http://maps.google.com.au/maps?q=Canberra&hl=en&ll=-35.316473,149.20279&spn=0.010593,0.021136&sll=-24.287027,135.703125&sspn=45.466399,86.572266&t=h&z=16&iwloc=lyrftr:h,1081121675368947088,-35.317681,149.205387

Apparently the land was deemed to be important to national security. A Google search has also turned up a TAMS FAQ about the replacement of the dragway (as per the government’s promise), but it’s dated 2006 and the pages it refers to have been taken down.

triffid3:21 pm 29 Jul 11

ozmoo said :

Whatever happened to the Canberra International Dragway?

http://maps.google.com.au/maps?q=Canberra&hl=en&ll=-35.316473,149.20279&spn=0.010593,0.021136&sll=-24.287027,135.703125&sspn=45.466399,86.572266&t=h&z=16&iwloc=lyrftr:h,1081121675368947088,-35.317681,149.205387

“International” in name only. As far as I am aware, it was only an 1/8 mile strip. Not a great deal of ‘international’ drag racing done over that distance these days. Think it got caught up in land tenure / lease arrangements due to its proximity to the (cough) ‘international’ hairy port and the RAAF facility.

While the maxim of ‘if you build it, they will come’ is sometimes proven to be an aphorism, I am not convinced that any facility like that will make a jot of difference to road behaviour. It’s just thought all all too hard to get involved with legitimate high-speed carry on. Certainly, Confederation of Australian Motor Sport (and others) research in that regard seems to support that theory. Plus, you’ve got the planning considerations to get around, the ‘dragway away’ numpties of Ainslie (fer chrissake. Not like it was going to be in Edgar Street), the landed gentry on The Ridgeway (and their incessant noise complaints about the Karts, Speedway, Hillclimb, MotorX) and the predispositions against icky cars of purple-shirt wearing senior types of infulence in the ACT Public Service.

Besides, if you’re going to do anything like that, you only build a comprehensive motorsport complex, in which the technology, engineering, skills and career creation and driver training opportunties that would be alligned to it are all embraced and optimised. Not hard. The Queensland Government is very happy with the 160-or-so million dollars V8 Supercars alone contributes it its economy every year (‘cos of the teams that are based there and the economic activity they generate. Old AVESCO figures, confirmeed by Qld Treasury, by the way).

ozmoo2:29 pm 29 Jul 11

Whatever happened to the Canberra International Dragway?

http://maps.google.com.au/maps?q=Canberra&hl=en&ll=-35.316473,149.20279&spn=0.010593,0.021136&sll=-24.287027,135.703125&sspn=45.466399,86.572266&t=h&z=16&iwloc=lyrftr:h,1081121675368947088,-35.317681,149.205387