Pulled for speeding in Australia.
Discussion
As usual "a friend" has just returned from Australia (I don't mean a friend usually returns from Australia, what I mean is this happened to a friend not me) and he told me got pulled for speeding twice in 12 months the first time he was riding his motorbike at about 15k above the 100k limit when a police car came around the corner in the opposite direction, he flashed his headlights at him so my mate waved, my mate watched in his mirrors has the copper did a u turn chased after him and pulled him, the cop said he zapped him with some kind of speeding device, the result was a fixed penalty ticket and some points.
I doubted the copper could have zapped him with anything but he says thats what happened.
Can this be done, how can the copper get a reading if he is travelling at a variable speed.?
I doubted the copper could have zapped him with anything but he says thats what happened.
Can this be done, how can the copper get a reading if he is travelling at a variable speed.?
AIUI, police in Australia have cameras attached to the roofs of their cars. They drive along pointing it at oncoming drivers and do them if the speed differential shows them over the limit (the camera "knows" how fast the police car is going at any point in time). I guess the same approach could work when being behind.
In Australia the purpose of speeding tickets is explicitly money and not safety. Drivers are done at very small amounts over the limit, and as traffic slows down generally to avoid tickets so the threshold is reduced as well.
In Australia the purpose of speeding tickets is explicitly money and not safety. Drivers are done at very small amounts over the limit, and as traffic slows down generally to avoid tickets so the threshold is reduced as well.
Peter Ward said:
In Australia the purpose of speeding tickets is explicitly money and not safety. Drivers are done at very small amounts over the limit, and as traffic slows down generally to avoid tickets so the threshold is reduced as well.
Maybe some people in the UK would be happier if the government just came out and said "we do it for the money". I'm sure some of the feelings held by people here are because they feel lied to and therefore when caught branded a criminal rather than just someone going faster than a number.
Having spent a lot of time down under, I can clarify a few things.
First - the cop cars *are* able to detect the speed of oncoming vehicles at great range, and immediately upon coming across you. No matter how observant you are, you have no chance of taking evasive action. This is basically an automatic device (i.e. they don't have to aim).
The tolerance for speeding is officially 3 km/h (2km/h with fixed devices). Unofficially you have up to maybe 7-10 km/h with a patrol car (depending on first impressions and context).
While I find it hard to believe the system is as accurate as they say, your chances of fighting the ticket are effectively zero. :-)
In the Oz system, 15km/h over is a mid-range offence. +25km/h is ban territory.
First - the cop cars *are* able to detect the speed of oncoming vehicles at great range, and immediately upon coming across you. No matter how observant you are, you have no chance of taking evasive action. This is basically an automatic device (i.e. they don't have to aim).
The tolerance for speeding is officially 3 km/h (2km/h with fixed devices). Unofficially you have up to maybe 7-10 km/h with a patrol car (depending on first impressions and context).
While I find it hard to believe the system is as accurate as they say, your chances of fighting the ticket are effectively zero. :-)
In the Oz system, 15km/h over is a mid-range offence. +25km/h is ban territory.
I got stopped on holiday in Oz in January. Came round a corner on a country road in North Queensland as the limit changed from 60kph to 40kph. I was slowing anyway for a river ferry crossing a few hundred yards ahead but obviously not quickly enough. Guy in a Hi-Vis waved me to one side (thought he was ferry ticket staff at first) and turned out to be police.
He was friendly and obviously just filling his quota because he asked when I was leaving the country etc and then failed to write down my driving licence or passport details on the fine (there were boxes). Also, when I told him the address of the hostel we were staying at he deliberately wrote it down wrong. He told me it was up to me if I wanted to pay the fine before flying out but that they wouldn't chase me to England for it. $250 fine for about 8kph over the limit seemed a bit excessive by UK standards so I decided not to pay!
He was friendly and obviously just filling his quota because he asked when I was leaving the country etc and then failed to write down my driving licence or passport details on the fine (there were boxes). Also, when I told him the address of the hostel we were staying at he deliberately wrote it down wrong. He told me it was up to me if I wanted to pay the fine before flying out but that they wouldn't chase me to England for it. $250 fine for about 8kph over the limit seemed a bit excessive by UK standards so I decided not to pay!
I live in New Zealand, and went to Australia for a holiday last April - using my UK driving licence (moved here in 2000). Got a ten pound charge on my (NZ) credit card from the car hire company a couple of months later. Disputed the charge and got it refunded......finally an eighty pound fine from New South Wales turned up in NZ. Something about 25k over a limit. The form does not allow you to elect a court hearing without an Australian address, as I have no idea what it is about (yeh right) it got filed in the bin. As did the follow up demand with a final payment date about now - I have no intention of paying.
I don't understand why anyone would pay a fine that turned up in the post from a foreign country, the authorities there have no idea if their letters ever get to a destination and cannot take any enforcemant action.
I don't understand why anyone would pay a fine that turned up in the post from a foreign country, the authorities there have no idea if their letters ever get to a destination and cannot take any enforcemant action.
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