Road Safety Campaigner on GMTV - today
Discussion
Ive just been watching a Road Safety Campaigner (for the Government) being interviewed, or should i say...trying to be interviewed by Quentin Wilson and Eamon Holmes.
I must say that she came across as an absolute disgrace. Apart from the fact that she was rude, never stopped talking (and was succesful in winding Eamon up a treat).
Her argument was solely on the speed kills senario and that she is actively campaigning for more Cameras, in fact to put them everywhere.She was also continually repeating, or quoting 2 examples of families that have lost loved ones through speed alone.
Quentin was trying to say that drivers needed educating to stop them using inappropriate speed and that Cameras do not catch bad drivers etc but she kept talking over him in order to the spout the 'speed kills' slogan etc etc.
Eamon was saying that 99% of people in a GMTV poll didnt agree with Cameras but she poo pooed this saying that it wasnt a true cross section, or representation of the public feeling.
I feel, like Eamon and Quentin that i disagree most strongly with what she was saying.
I wonder how many more people she has annoyed this morning.?
Im so annoyed at this moment in time and if this is the way that the government and these people are thinking then we are in all big trouble.
I must say that she came across as an absolute disgrace. Apart from the fact that she was rude, never stopped talking (and was succesful in winding Eamon up a treat).
Her argument was solely on the speed kills senario and that she is actively campaigning for more Cameras, in fact to put them everywhere.She was also continually repeating, or quoting 2 examples of families that have lost loved ones through speed alone.
Quentin was trying to say that drivers needed educating to stop them using inappropriate speed and that Cameras do not catch bad drivers etc but she kept talking over him in order to the spout the 'speed kills' slogan etc etc.
Eamon was saying that 99% of people in a GMTV poll didnt agree with Cameras but she poo pooed this saying that it wasnt a true cross section, or representation of the public feeling.
I feel, like Eamon and Quentin that i disagree most strongly with what she was saying.
I wonder how many more people she has annoyed this morning.?
Im so annoyed at this moment in time and if this is the way that the government and these people are thinking then we are in all big trouble.
I watched that piece also, with my wife. She currently has 3 points on her licence, her second lot. Mine is still clean after 25 years. Her comments were interesting. She used to feel ashamed, almost stigmatised, by having those points, especially the first lot approx. 10 years ago when she had our small children in the back. Now she absolutely doesn't care. She has become extremely cynical about local authority, government 'safety' campaigner and yes, police motives.
It is quite obvious that the public is becoming de-sensitized about speeding, even if qualified by 'innapropriate' and bad driving generally. The Government want us to think about speeding in the same bracket as drunk driving. Not a chance. The opposite is true. Its now just a shrug of the shoulders and 'what the hell, everyone has points so why should I care'
Having just renewed my insurance, its pretty obvious who is winning here. They wanted over £100 to add her as a named driver to my policy. After years of whinning about how much money they were losing on motor policies, the insurance companies are rubbing their hands as the extra cash pours in and the benchmark premiums get pushed skywards, even for those of us without points. Because after all, I will be gatsoed, eventually. Its only a matter of time, given their proliferation.
It is quite obvious that the public is becoming de-sensitized about speeding, even if qualified by 'innapropriate' and bad driving generally. The Government want us to think about speeding in the same bracket as drunk driving. Not a chance. The opposite is true. Its now just a shrug of the shoulders and 'what the hell, everyone has points so why should I care'
Having just renewed my insurance, its pretty obvious who is winning here. They wanted over £100 to add her as a named driver to my policy. After years of whinning about how much money they were losing on motor policies, the insurance companies are rubbing their hands as the extra cash pours in and the benchmark premiums get pushed skywards, even for those of us without points. Because after all, I will be gatsoed, eventually. Its only a matter of time, given their proliferation.
hedgerley said:
Because after all, I will be gatsoed, eventually. Its only a matter of time, given their proliferation.
That's admitting defeat. No you will not be GATSO'd. Do what you have to to avoid it and eventually there will be no money to run these infernal devices.
I have found good observation and a tendency to stick to lower speed limits (30,40,50 - particularly at roadworks) quite enough to avoid GATSO problems.
The key technique to ticket avoidance would appear to be to NOT SPEED unless you KNOW for a certainty that the road ahead is both clear and safe for you to do so and free of Enforcement.
I admit to breaking the speed limit quite comprehensively and often. Yes I have three points - much to my chagrin - but I don't intend to collect any more points and I'be explained how I'm going about it.
We'll see if it works.....meanwhile I'll use every opportunity I can to legally and democratically attack these vile machines...
Ali V - before you post something pathetic on here you should know that Tonyrec is a police officer and many others share his views.
edited to say - oh!!!
it looks like he's no longer a member and his post has been removed - that was quick! Good handling of trolls!
>> Edited by regmolehusband on Tuesday 11th November 09:59
edited to say - oh!!!
it looks like he's no longer a member and his post has been removed - that was quick! Good handling of trolls! >> Edited by regmolehusband on Tuesday 11th November 09:59
tonyrec said:
I must say that she came across as an absolute disgrace. Apart from the fact that she was rude, never stopped talking (and was succesful in winding Eamon up a treat).
Her argument was solely on the speed kills senario and that she is actively campaigning for more Cameras, in fact to put them everywhere.She was also continually repeating, or quoting 2 examples of families that have lost loved ones through speed alone.
Quentin was trying to say that drivers needed educating to stop them using inappropriate speed and that Cameras do not catch bad drivers etc but she kept talking over him in order to the spout the 'speed kills' slogan etc etc.
Eamon was saying that 99% of people in a GMTV poll didnt agree with Cameras but she poo pooed this saying that it wasnt a true cross section, or representation of the public feeling.
I feel, like Eamon and Quentin that i disagree most strongly with what she was saying.
Ignorance is bliss for some people isn't it, the irony is she's probably one of these dithering unsafe idiots when behind the wheel of a car, but thinks she's a good driver because she drives 5mph below the speed limit. What is it about speeding that causes these save the children wnakers to throw common sense out of the window and spout nonsense to get their wafer thin argument across? The sad thing is these people are usually the ones that get noticed as they shout loudest.
regmolehusband said:Blimey, THAT was QUICK!
Ali V - before you post something pathetic on here you should know that Tonyrec is a police officer and many others share his views.
edited to say - oh!!!
Davel said:
I bet that she doesn't drive!
Anyway she didn't stop talking probably to stop anyone from rubbishing her side of things.
She probably gets off on harassing normal people.
If I was interviewing her I would have her in a specially created hydraulic muzzle. When she got annoying I'd press my button and her mouth would be firmly closed. I could then say "I've got to stop you there since you are repeating yourself again / talking sh!te". Then the others could have more time for their points!!
Don, I am not admiting defeat but I do agree with your philosphy - in 26 years of driving a succession of quick cars and motorbikes I still have a clean licence and I have never been pulled over by the police, ever. Observance is the key, although paranoia about Gatsos has significantly affected my driving style in recent years. In my view this is to the detriment of watching out for the real hazards and numpties on our roads these days.
I do believe their is an inevitability however. There is a camera out there with my name on it and its probably hidden from view. They want my money. And I know 'they' keep moving the goalposts by setting and changing the limits in a seemingly arbitrary manner. I am resigned to slipping up one day.
Thankfully there is a sea change in attitude occuring and the Government will have to significantly alter its stance or incur the wrath of the motoring population and get booted out (a much more realistic prospect now IDS has gone). The sooner Labour is ditched the better, and not just for their persecution of the motorist....
>> Edited by hedgerley on Tuesday 11th November 10:54
I do believe their is an inevitability however. There is a camera out there with my name on it and its probably hidden from view. They want my money. And I know 'they' keep moving the goalposts by setting and changing the limits in a seemingly arbitrary manner. I am resigned to slipping up one day.
Thankfully there is a sea change in attitude occuring and the Government will have to significantly alter its stance or incur the wrath of the motoring population and get booted out (a much more realistic prospect now IDS has gone). The sooner Labour is ditched the better, and not just for their persecution of the motorist....
>> Edited by hedgerley on Tuesday 11th November 10:54
hedgerley said:
<...> the Government will have to significantly alter its stance or incur the wrath of the motoring population and get booted out (a much more realistic prospect now IDS has gone). The sooner Labour is ditched the better, and not just for their persecution of the motorist
I keep reading variations of this, i.e. "It will be allright when the Tories get back in."
WTF gives people that idea?
Who introduced speed cameras? The Tories.
Who introduced S172 (removing your right to silence, i.e. we don't have any evidence, unless you give us a signed confession, we will prosecute you for not giving us a signed confession, oh and by the way, if you don't know, we'll prosecute you anyway)? The Tories, and Michael Howard was the Home Secretary at the time.
Whilst it is true that the 'netting-off' scheme, which saw the exponential expansion of the system, was introduced by Labour, the principles were introduced by the Tories.
BTW, did anyone get her name?
>> Edited by jeffreyarcher on Tuesday 11th November 12:25
hedgerley said:
Having just renewed my insurance, its pretty obvious who is winning here. They wanted over £100 to add her as a named driver to my policy. After years of whinning about how much money they were losing on motor policies, the insurance companies are rubbing their hands as the extra cash pours in and the benchmark premiums get pushed skywards, even for those of us without points. Because after all, I will be gatsoed, eventually. Its only a matter of time, given their proliferation.
A friend of mine in the insurance industry said insurance compnaies are looking at points for speeding less and less due to the amount of people who now have points.
The piece on GMTV was in response to the latest release from Autocar and the RAC foundation as part of our "talking sense on speed" campaign. The main points of this report are:
- Speed cameras don't deter drivers from speeding.
- They are unsuccessful at saving lives
- They might even cause accidents themselves
- Their presence has led to a reduction in police patrols which we believe are the best way of detecting and preventing serious driving offences.
Full details are in our latest issue, but we're issuing 10 demands of government as part of this campaign:
1. Improve driver education and training rather than handing out endless points. Education prevents mistakes from being repeated. Fines don't.
2. Position speed cameras in genuine black spot areas.
3. Get traffic police back on the road.
4. Establish an expert body to set all speed limits.
5. Improve the driving test.
6. Give the DVLA more teeth to penalise drivers on the road without insurance, MOT or tax.
7. Implement lesser licence grades for new drivers.
8. Revamp the penalty points system: harsher penalties for serious offences, but removing the potential for the vast majority of drivers to lose licences after a number of minor speeding infringements.
9. Engineer existing roads for greater safety.
10. Begin a major and sustained road building programme: new roads are engineered with safety in mind and doing so will reduce the traffic flow on urban routes.
None of these ideas are new, many are discussed here. However we feel it is time that an organisation lobbied hard, at the right level to make these changes. Autocar and the RAC foundation are going to try to do just this.
All feedback is, of course, most welcome and encouraged. We'd love to know if you think we're doing the right thing.
- Speed cameras don't deter drivers from speeding.
- They are unsuccessful at saving lives
- They might even cause accidents themselves
- Their presence has led to a reduction in police patrols which we believe are the best way of detecting and preventing serious driving offences.
Full details are in our latest issue, but we're issuing 10 demands of government as part of this campaign:
1. Improve driver education and training rather than handing out endless points. Education prevents mistakes from being repeated. Fines don't.
2. Position speed cameras in genuine black spot areas.
3. Get traffic police back on the road.
4. Establish an expert body to set all speed limits.
5. Improve the driving test.
6. Give the DVLA more teeth to penalise drivers on the road without insurance, MOT or tax.
7. Implement lesser licence grades for new drivers.
8. Revamp the penalty points system: harsher penalties for serious offences, but removing the potential for the vast majority of drivers to lose licences after a number of minor speeding infringements.
9. Engineer existing roads for greater safety.
10. Begin a major and sustained road building programme: new roads are engineered with safety in mind and doing so will reduce the traffic flow on urban routes.
None of these ideas are new, many are discussed here. However we feel it is time that an organisation lobbied hard, at the right level to make these changes. Autocar and the RAC foundation are going to try to do just this.
All feedback is, of course, most welcome and encouraged. We'd love to know if you think we're doing the right thing.
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