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your reply seems very accusatory. I'm not suggesting that there shouldn't be a speed limit, or that people who speed aren't culpable for their actions. I'm talk

your reply seems very accusatory. I'm not suggesting that there shouldn't be a speed limit, or that people who speed aren't culpable for their actions. I'm talking about the fairly well-known incidence of cameras on sharp bends or that are hard to see at the bottom of hills (or worse yet, police pulled up on ramps on the side of the road) where people who are speeding will see them and slam on their brakes. This is well known to cause an increase in traffic accidents and yet the practices I mentioned continues. Perhaps a more productive tone to take on a discussion forum would be inquiry rather than indignant belittling. edit: Also, speed cameras are brightly coloured by law, notably a law that the police themselves do not write, so you cannot in good faith argue that the warning paint is an act of temperance on the part of the police.

joosters 9y ago
I'm sorry if I came across as accusatory - my use of 'you' was meant in general, rather than to the poster in particular. But, I was being accusatory to people in general who speed. I'm not sure how to point the finger of blame without being accusatory! Take even your 'well known' examples of speed traps 'known to cause an increase in traffic accidents' (do you have a source?) - the people who were speeding and slammed on their brakes must share most, if not all, of the blame if they caused an accident as a result. Sure, they were reacting to a speed camera, but would the results have been so different had they been reacting to a real risk, like a person in the road or an unexpected obstacle? The root cause is that they were driving too fast for the road, their reactions or their vehicle. I have no knowledge or insight into the motivations of the police, that may be an interesting discussion but it's not part of the issue that I was trying to discuss. Speeding is such an odd law, I find it fascinating how so many people try to assign blame away from the speeders. Just last week, a relation of mine was complaining that they got a speeding ticket because they were caught driving at 77mph on a motorway, which they thought was unfair because, in their words, "77 is meant to be the leeway that police give before they stop you". I'm no saint when driving, I just wish that speeders could take responsibility for their actions. If you get caught, don't whine about it being anyone else's fault.
- tbrownaw 9y ago
  Take even your 'well known' examples of speed traps 'known to cause an increase in traffic accidents' (do you have a source?) - the people who were speeding and slammed on their brakes must share most, if not all, of the blame if they caused an accident as a result. What's more important, assigning / shifting blame or preventing harm?
  - freehunter 9y ago
    If speeders care about preventing harm, they wouldn't be speeders.
- freehunter 9y ago
  And it's such a ridiculous thing, too. Going 7mph faster doesn't really net you that much in the long run. You're barely even saving minutes. Going 100 miles at 70mph takes 1 hour and 25 minutes. Going 100 miles at 77mph takes 1 hour and 18 minutes. You're saving 7 minutes, hardly worth a speeding ticket, right? And if you're going an average commute time of 25 miles, the difference between 70mph and 77mph is two minutes. What's the point in going just a few mph above the speed limit? Just for the jollies? Sticking it to the man? Because the reason certainly isn't getting there faster.

joosters 9y ago

I'm sorry if I came across as accusatory - my use of 'you' was meant in general, rather than to the poster in particular. But, I was being accusatory to people in general who speed. I'm not sure how to point the finger of blame without being accusatory! Take even your 'well known' examples of speed traps 'known to cause an increase in traffic accidents' (do you have a source?) - the people who were speeding and slammed on their brakes must share most, if not all, of the blame if they caused an accident as a result. Sure, they were reacting to a speed camera, but would the results have been so different had they been reacting to a real risk, like a person in the road or an unexpected obstacle? The root cause is that they were driving too fast for the road, their reactions or their vehicle. I have no knowledge or insight into the motivations of the police, that may be an interesting discussion but it's not part of the issue that I was trying to discuss. Speeding is such an odd law, I find it fascinating how so many people try to assign blame away from the speeders. Just last week, a relation of mine was complaining that they got a speeding ticket because they were caught driving at 77mph on a motorway, which they thought was unfair because, in their words, "77 is meant to be the leeway that police give before they stop you". I'm no saint when driving, I just wish that speeders could take responsibility for their actions. If you get caught, don't whine about it being anyone else's fault.

tbrownaw 9y ago
Take even your 'well known' examples of speed traps 'known to cause an increase in traffic accidents' (do you have a source?) - the people who were speeding and slammed on their brakes must share most, if not all, of the blame if they caused an accident as a result. What's more important, assigning / shifting blame or preventing harm?
- freehunter 9y ago
  If speeders care about preventing harm, they wouldn't be speeders.
freehunter 9y ago
And it's such a ridiculous thing, too. Going 7mph faster doesn't really net you that much in the long run. You're barely even saving minutes. Going 100 miles at 70mph takes 1 hour and 25 minutes. Going 100 miles at 77mph takes 1 hour and 18 minutes. You're saving 7 minutes, hardly worth a speeding ticket, right? And if you're going an average commute time of 25 miles, the difference between 70mph and 77mph is two minutes. What's the point in going just a few mph above the speed limit? Just for the jollies? Sticking it to the man? Because the reason certainly isn't getting there faster.