DadAgain

I'd even go so far as to say *not speeding* causes lots of accidents as drivers who would otherwise concentrate on what they are doing will quite happily multitask at slower speeds and concentrate unreasonably on distrations like conversation, that song on the radio, stopping the kids from fighting in the back, that hot girl at the bus stop, wasn't there something I needed to get from the shops on the way home? did I remember to download the lastest episode of True Blood? oh CRAP theres a split head squashed on my windscreen (good job I wasnt speeding or I'd be in trouble now)!!!!


(I've had plenty of problems with inattentive drivers do things to risk my life on the roadand I frequently take evasive action for my own safety from drivers doing legals speeds - I've almost NEVER felt threatened by someone exceeding the speed limit)

paddyo

As always, with any Oz government department, if you ask them to clarify and they don't know, they will always say No!!!
Common sense is illegal apparently!!!

joh117

I got my first ever speeding fine in March been driving 19 years. Gutted they are so much more keen over here and its so hard when the signs are constantly changing.

Got to be so careful in school holidays here in QLD as they double the points too.

The law is the law and I am now much more careful driving below the limit to ensure I dont get anymore points or fines

Jo

DadAgain

wrong - a thats NSW thing - and if you get pinged in NSW but have a QLD licence you'll have to pay the NSW fine - but get the points allocated by QLD.

Hence when I got pulled up doing 111kmh in a 100kmh at Easter in NSW I thought I was going to get 6 points (>10kmh over + '2for1multibuy'). Turns out the points were allocated by QLD so I got 1 point (<13kmh over - no holiday special offers). (still cost me $200 )

Loch Lomond

We have a few cars, all pretty decent. I'll be damned if I'm going to hand any of them over for 28 days for using them as they should be used. I take a couple of them out to Barbagallo's Race Track every now and then.
Work shipped us back to Aberdeen a few years ago and I took the Porsche with us, I was only there for 2 years but out of 12 years of ownership of the car that was the best time. Single lane back roads on a summers night, even at 60 - 70 MPH it was great.

Sherlock Holmes

Some of you might like to compare the construction and use (motor vehicles) regulations of the UK and Australia regarding speedometer accuracy. This applies to Australian vehicles pre 2006. Since then, the regulations are the same in both countries.

As simply as I can: United Kingdom vehicle construction and use regulations require a vehicle speedometer accuracy to be in the range of -0->+10%. The implications are that it must never under-read - for obvious reasons - but may over-read. As the cost of manufacturing a speedometer with -0% error would be very costly they all over-read by a few percent without exception.

So in other words, if your speedo in the UK shows 60 mph, that should be the maximum speed that you are doing though you may be going as slowly as 54 mph. These regs have been in place since 1988 in the UK.

However, here in dear old Stralia - at least in Victoria, this level of accuracy has only been in the regs since 2006. Prior to that, your speedo when showing 100 kph, could mean that you are actually doing 104 kph. (Plus 4% was allowable until 2006).

Other states may well be different but just bear in mind that in an older car here, you may well be doing more than your indicated speed.

Bearing in mind that there is almost zero tolerance on speeding now - I know someone in Vic who was done for 103 kph, you may want to read the rest of it here.

The regs and legal advice relate to Victoria ONLY.

For more info, please read here.

http://www.trafficlaw.com.au/speedos.html

BadgeIsBack

I've had evidence to suggest that both NSW RTA and VICroads can waive fines in some circumstances. I just can't remember the details.

Personally, NSW police were good to me when I had been here a week.

My wife got off about a year ago after pleading an excuse. She did mention she was married to a CFA firefighter and that there had been pressures over bushfires relating to her predicament.

Alfresco

I check all our vehicles (cars and motorbikes) speedos against a GPS so I know what the true speeds are at the 10kph or 10mph intervals.

UK ones are mostly 4mph under the speedo reading.

Sherlock Holmes

but us poor peasant farmers in the western district dont be avin gps

MartinLuther

My car is 2kph under at 100 or 110. But I've noticed the margin gets bigger at lower speeds. I reckon it's 4kph lower at 40kph.

Alfresco

Yeah it does vary with the speed you are going. So I make sure I know what the main speed intervals are to be safe.

On my car the margin gets slightly bigger the faster I go and drops off to no error below 20mph.

Wol

Ther r sines evry so offen postid five killometers apart wot let yu mesure the accricy of yur speidometre for free. If yu can reed <g>.

MartinLuther

I think that's a NSW thing. I've seen them there but not in Vic. However Vic does have a few electronic thingies (that are not speed cameras) that tell you how fast they think you're going. There's one on the Hume just south of the border.

rab

If you had put 20 bucks in a jar each year to cover for this sort of thing you would be well ahead.

I only ever got a camera offence twice in the Uk. The cops if they stop you in UK usually let you off.

Here in SA the speed limits and tolerances are a lot slower and the traffic cops are total ar$eh*les I've been done 6 times in 6 years. It makes it difficult to get around in a hurray. I was in UK two weeks ago and hired a car and shat myself the traffic was so fast!