Friday 10th February 2006

Police use fear against drivers

'Speed Kills' booklet designed to terrify us

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Anti-speeding booklet from GMP

Greater Manchester Police (GMP) has issued a emotional booklet in which it threatens, cajoles and uses emotional appeals via the 'Speed Kills' message in order to cut speeding -- see link below.

Part of what the GMP calls "Operation Cheetah", the booklet warns against lying and giving false statements -- which is fair enough. It then goes on to say that "stating that you don't know who was driving and that it could have been one of several people" is one of the "tricks" that drivers try. In other words, even if it's true, in Manchester, you won't be believed.

Aiming to scare you, the booklet warns that if you contest a prosecution, you may end up with a higher penalty fee. And among its claims, made under the heading "Trick Dealers", are that the "closely monitored" campaigners the Association of British Drivers and Safe Speed are out to "take your hard-earned money". Yet both are organisations that lobby for a realistic and scientific approach to road safety, rather than the overly-emotional one that GMP has opted for.

The overall message is that if you watch your speedo rather than the road and adhere to speed limits, you'll be safe and not kill pedestrians.

It would appear that the GMP has very little faith in the ability of road users to think for themselves -- and doesn't intend to encourage any change in that situation.

• Manchester Police booklet

[lucozade]

I would expect SafeSpeed and ABD will want to take this up with GMP - after all it's potentially damaging.

[Fer]

I think it is great that they can tell us that we cannot get away with saying that it was not us, that our plate was cloned, and then state that they caught someone who was altering his plate so that innocent drivers got blamed. Looks like a win-win for them!

[njwc]

GMP propaganda said:

And among its claims, made under the heading "Trick Dealers", are that the "closely monitored" campaigners the Association of British Drivers and Safe Speed are out to "take your hard-earned money"

Yes, they are out to take your hard earned money but they ask to you give it voluntarily, unlike the GMP Pratnership who will take it by force

[petea]

I guess the local chief of police who used 'i can't recall who was driving my car' and got off with the charge was not from manchester then?

[havoc]

Lying hypocritical t*&^%ers!

I think this shows how far the campaign against speed cameras HASN'T gone - the police are still firmly in the 'speed kills' camp, regardless of the comments of the (i would guess) minority of open-minded officers who post on here.

Actually, I'm saddened by this - the police are engaging in politics, which is something they should never do.
They are there to 1) uphold the law; and 2) protect the public. 1 is easy, 2 is a little vaguer and in these days of targets seems to have taken a real back-seat.

[eccles]

the police should be dealing in facts, not opinions.

[safespeed]

Safe Speed members really need to see this thread:
www.safespeed.org.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5928

I'll make it public as soon as possible, but for now I'm trying to interest the press in the story. If you can't wait to see, you'll need to join... www.safespeed.org.uk/join.html

edited to add: Several people have REGISTERED as Safe Speed forum users and been disappointed not to be able to see these materials. I'm sorry but the stuff is in the PAID-UP MEMBERS only forum.

>> Edited by safespeed on Friday 10th February 14:21

[Parrot of Doom]

Interesting that they make no mention of the PACE method.

[justinp1]

I wonder what SafeSpeed has to say about this!!!

A few one off emotional stories with extreme cases convicting prats to back up such claptrap as:

'As a general rule a 1mph reduction in average speed results in a 5% reduction is accidents'

I would love to see what situations this 'general rule' was taken from. Lets lake an example: A free flowing motorway at 80mph to a constricted one at 55mph.

I know which one I feel safer on. But according to the rule, we should expect 125% less accidents. It also suggests that reducing a speed limit from 50 to 30 would have the effect of reducing all accidents, wheras I believe a huge proportion af accidents happen when neither car is travelling more than 30mph!

Also:

'At 35mph you are twice as likely to kill someone than at 30mph'

I would love to see the effect of drivers heeding this on Britains motorways or even the 40mph zones....!

[NormanD]

It is good of them to print some of the 'Tricks' to beat a fine.

[njwc]

GMP propaganda said:

And among its claims, made under the heading "Trick Dealers", are that the "closely monitored" campaigners the Association of British Drivers and Safe Speed are out to "take your hard-earned money"

Yes, they are out to take your hard earned money but they ask to you give it voluntarily, unlike the GMP Pratnership who will take it by force

[Fatboymart]

Safespeed & ABD have the support of thousands of motorists and I am one.
Obviously the count down timer should be wound a little closer to meltdown after reading this slanderous booklet.

The clock is ticking

Fatboymart

[iaint]

Sounds like the tactics of those running scared. Hooked on revenue and scared to lose it.

The police should police, let the politicians stick to the lieing.

[stenniso]

Sitting at my desk, I am currently travelling at 17000MPH. This is the speed that the Earth is travelling through space. If speed kills, why is there any life on Earth?

If speed kills, why do ambulances drive fast?

If speed kills, why do hearses bother to drive so slow?

Sorry to be silly and simplistic, but unfortunately that's exactly what I think of the speed kills message. Perhaps road safety "experts" should study the theory of relativity. Seriously though, I doubt any road safety experts have any real world engineering or scientific qualification, and are more likely to be trained in sociology, politics, statistics and economics.

P.S. If anyone wants to correct my figures for the speed of the Earth's orbit, please go ahead. I read an article where it was mentioned the other day, and couldn't remember the exact figure, and can't be bothered to google.

[jdh1]

I've got a copy of this and read it. Here's what it says between the lines...

"For God's sake please just roll over. We can't cope if you exercise your rights to fight the ticket and insist that we do our job and prove you guilty."

[gideon]

Just had a look at the booklet and what a disgusting waste of money.

Just how much did it cost to plan and carry out raids on 20 people across Oldham who had been suspected of dodging speeding fines?

Also nice to know that if my car gets cloned and caught on camera in Greater Manchester then I appearto be automatically guilty, despite having not been to Greater Manchester in over 5 years!!!!

But the nicest one for me is that they are still dragging out the 1/3rd rubbish and the 5% reduction per 1 mph.

The scary thing is that enough numpties are around to just read and believe it, too few people actually want to question what they read.

As for the section on Anti-safety camera websites, it is writen in a manner that suggests the likes of ADB and Safespeed are little more than criminal organisations out to cheat and rob. Very, very out of order.

[_VTEC_]

This truly is the product of some quite thoughtless human beings. Police in Manchester should be sending out booklets giving tips on how to improve everyday observance and how to deal with stress. Things like that.

And what's with this 'closely monitored' rubbish? SafeSpeed and the ABD are just pressure groups that campaign for some quite sensible stuff and want to see road safety improvement via intelligent means. Why are they to be 'closely monitored'? Absolutely atrocious behaviour.

[havoc]

stenniso said:

Sitting at my desk, I am currently travelling at 17000MPH. This is the speed that the Earth is travelling through space. If speed kills, why is there any life on Earth?

[pedant mode]Speed is always measured against a frame of reference. For anyone subject to the earth's gravitational pull, that f-o-r may as well be the surface of the earth - anything else is illogical. Consequently I am typing at 0mph. My speed/velocity relative to the centre of the universe is almost certainly substantially greater than the 17,000mph above.[/pedant mode]


What I can't quite grasp still is WHY the government and it's cronies seem DETERMINED to bring us back down to the pace of the Victorian Era??? What is SO deplorable and undesirable about a truly mobile population who, wait for it, TAKE RESPONSIBILITY for their OWN actions???

Anyone else feeling really impotent?

[mybrainhurts]

havoc said:

stenniso said: Sitting at my desk, I am currently travelling at 17000MPH. This is the speed that the Earth is travelling through space. If speed kills, why is there any life on Earth? [pedant mode]Speed is always measured against a frame of reference. For anyone subject to the earth's gravitational pull, that f-o-r may as well be the surface of the earth - anything else is illogical. Consequently I am typing at 0mph. My speed/velocity relative to the centre of the universe is almost certainly substantially greater than the 17,000mph above.[/pedant mode]

oh

[mybrainhurts]

Greater Manchester Police, eh...?

Who used to put up road signs saying....

Number of speeding motorists caught in last six months....624

A slap on the back to the guy who attached another sign that read....

Number of burglars caught in last six months....NIL