Drivers in the UK want better training, not fines, says poll

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By Anthony Crawford | May 28th, 2011

Few would argue that more than a large proportion of drivers in Australia lack the necessary skills and experience to ever be considered a ‘good driver’. That doesn’t mean the folks out there who have never received a traffic infringement have an automatic right to call themselves a ‘good driver’ either.

How often do you see a car or truck glued to the right lane at below the speed limit on a six lane divided road, forcing fellow drivers to dart and weave in and out of traffic to get by? The problem is that these particular drivers would call themselves ‘good drivers’ when in fact; they may very well cause a nasty accident by not moving over to a left hand lane and allowing others to pass safely in the right hand lane.

The problem is compounded, given our various state police forces in this country seem utterly oblivious to this issue, and the dangerous practice of ‘right lane ownership’ goes largely unpunished. Perhaps the Highway patrol should re-read the part in the learner’s manual, which used to clearly state than drivers should “keep left unless overtaking” or have the traffic authorities deleted than one from the current manual?

Drivers in the UK have had enough, and want fines replaced with proper driver training. According to a recent poll of 1900 drivers by the road safety charity IAM, only 15 percent of those surveyed think that fixed traffic infringements are effective in dealing with careless driving.

More popular is the belief by 40 precent of respondents, that careless drivers should attend compulsory driver training at their own cost, and 33 percent say that the issue should be dealt with, with advice from the police officer.

Over 90 percent of those polled though, think that drivers should have a choice between attending driver-training courses and penalty points.

In the same poll, seventy-seven percent would like to see serious offenders lose their vehicle, and fifty-nine percent think that disqualified drivers should be made to take their driving test again.

Some good ideas from the UK, tell us what you think.

Rumps

Better driving training? We definitely need that here.

I think if the driver training and ed here as well as the tests are so easy and relaxed, then it’s the attitude of what most drivers will use on the roads to the point that they don’t care..

We need a national, unified system with a better licensing system, stricter penalties that focus on retesting and training.
Yonny

Yeah, it really isn’t difficult – on a multi-lane road, unless you are overtaking stay in the left-hand lane. They understand this in Germany, but here people will actually argue the toss. It’s like, F you, pal, nobody tells ME what to do. People who regularly drive on the F3 will know just how bad the problem is.

As for better training, definitely. There are a range of offences that should see drivers having to attend driver education as a mandatory punishment, either in addition to, or in place of, monetary and points penalties.

Unfortunately, it is only too clear that the politicians and bureaucrats responsible for road safety in this country have a one-track mind – nothing matters as long as people DO NOT SPEED. Or, more correctly, as long as those who do speed are caught and made to contribute to state finances.

In a sense the politicians and bureaucrats have shamefully abdicated their responsibilities and the whole system needs a massive shake-up. But I don’t see much chance of that.

tekkyy

there’s definitely more beyond speed

on the multi-lane road it doesn’t matter what speed the “truck glued to the right lane” is travelling at

there’ll still be lots of swearing when the good-for-10-car green light is cut to 4
Laney

Yonny, everything you just said I agree with 100% I use the F3 just about every day and it is a battle for ownership more than a freeway.

I have read countless articles and post on this site concerning this issue and you are right when you say there is little chance of anything changing. If you crammed this down the gumnits throat they will go white just thingking about the precious dollars they would lose should better judgement prevail.

nickdl

It’s hardly a surprise that the poll found that people don’t want fines…
http://yeahnone.com tuzi

http://www.caradvice.com.au/6756/speed-doesnt-kill-its-official/
David

I am a Driving Instructor by trade, and I can tell you that it is very frustrating not being able to give students the tuition they actually need to be competant drivers. All they want is to know how to pass a test and get to that point the cheapest way possible. I could not tell you how many that passed that I thought they would be lucky to get through their “P” plates without incident. The system frustrated me that much I gave up being an instructor.

Safety and competance begins with the very first lesson that they undertake, if the parents or licenced driver they are with has no idea then that is transferred onto the L plater. They system need that big an overhaul it would take years to get it up to speed. In the mean time we can guarantee more deaths and injury…

Corkas

I don’t think sending people to driving courses AFTER they do something wrong is the way to go about it.
They should make people take a driving course before they are given there P plates.
One that includes road rules, what to do to avoid an accident and driving in hazardous conditions.

If they make it harder to get a license maybe people will be more inclined to do the right thing and not to lose it.
Spectre7

I have lived in Finland for over 10 years, there a driving licence is not seen as a right but a priviledge. The process to get a licence is very comprehensive.
1) many hours of theory
2) basic car care – how to change a tire, check oil, etc
3) normal around town driving with an instructor
4) high way driving with an instructor
5) night time driving with an instructor
6) emergency driving – at a race track, local airport etc.. emergency braking, elk test, –
7) winter driving

This is a time consuming and expensive process, and most drivers are fairly competent when finished.

Compare that to Australia and what we do is just a joke.

Bloke

Agree completely Spec, but it isn’t getting a laugh. In Qld learner drivers are now required to complete a minimum number of hours on road driving and log it, but this just highlights how many different skills and conditions are not being tested. Too hard and too complex for the 10-second-TV-bite politics we have here, and if any polly stood on a platform that involved making it harder to get a licence to drive, he/she would be beaten to a pulp by the neo-Tea party media. So sadly I suspect we’ll be stuck with the “speed kills” mantra. Obviously the unmarked car pictured has been doing some higher speed and hard braking (see brake dust) and survived. How? He got properly trained…..

Valet Dabess

maybe once you get caught a certain amount of times within a certain time period then they should make it manditory to do driver training
Mariusz

If police just went up and down the highway fining people for sitting in the right lane – or middle lane – they would make more money than from speeders.

grrr

and for driving with those damn fog lights when its clear as day

eskylid

I hope your not referring to driving lights, which most new cars have standard these days. Fog lights are orange or yellow.

European countries are bringing in laws to make driving lights mandatory and that they are on and stay one whenever the car is running. Simple theory – anything that makes the car more visible is safer. Cant argue with that. Especially in australia with long distances and poorly skilled drivers, its such a simple thing that makes driving a little safer, it is simply baffling that people like you have this opinion.

you and the other seniors who “+” to your comment might be better off adding it to your list of things to write to your local MP….

http://electric-vehicles-cars-bikes.blogspot.com/ Paul

This is road etiquette not advanced driver training. It’s the equivalent of someone simply having bad manners, not lacking in any skill.

It’s polite to move over, but Australia is chock-a-block of rude and inconsiderate drivers.

The authorities constantly going on and on about speed only makes matters worse as the rude idiots who block the right lane often:

a) think they’re policing the road by keeping everyone behind them at or below the speed limit

b) get ‘stuck’ in the right lane because all 3 lanes are doing exactly the speed limit and they are too timid to go over the speed limit to move ahead of traffic to their left so they can get out of the way!

On expressways there is actually a $95 fine for not keeping left but who knows if these are ever enforced.
http://electric-vehicles-cars-bikes.blogspot.com/ Paul

BTW I’m all for more and better driver training, might stop kids wrapping cars around poles, but I don’t think keeping left is a training problem.

How about an incentive like more demerit points if you pass advanced driver training?
Steve

Yep lots of right lane hogs in Australia though to be fair a lot of them are trying to go a little faster than the left lane toads. In all seriousness I have noticed that I have become so paranoid of fixed speed cameras (particularly in variable speed zones) that I often see myself setting my car’s cruise control to 40 (or if I am feeling hoonish 50). Yet it seems that everyone in the left lane wants to travel at 35! Little wonder that so many people are therefore choosing to stay in the right lane (usually still at under the limit due to paranoia of being caught by camera)…
save it for the track

“The problem is compounded, given our various state police forces in this country seem utterly oblivious to this issue, and the dangerous practice of ‘right lane ownership’ goes largely unpunished. Perhaps the Highway patrol should re-read the part in the learner’s manual, which used to clearly state than drivers should “keep left unless overtaking” or have the traffic authorities deleted than one in the current manual?”
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Really CA? Seeing as how yourselves and other motoring magazines and sites couldn’t be bothered, the ACTUAL rule appears below…
Keeping to the left on a multi-lane road
130 Keeping to the left on a multi-lane road

(1) This rule applies to a driver driving on a multi-lane road if:
(a) the speed limit applying to the driver for the length of road where the driver is driving is over 80 kilometres per hour, or
(b) a keep left unless overtaking sign applies to the length of road where the driver is driving.
Note: “Length” of road and “multi-lane road” are defined in the Dictionary.
Note: Part 3 deals with speed limits.
(2) The driver must not drive in the right lane unless:
(a) the driver is turning right, or making a U-turn from the centre of the road, and is giving a right change of direction signal, or
(b) the driver is overtaking, or
(c) a left lane must turn left sign or left traffic lane arrows apply to any other lane and the driver is not turning left, or
(d) the driver is required to drive in the right lane under rule 159, or
(e) the driver is avoiding an obstruction, or
(f) the traffic in each other lane is congested, or
(g) the traffic in every lane is congested, or
(h) the right lane is a special purpose lane in which the driver, under another provision of these Rules, is permitted to drive, or
(i) there are only 2 marked lanes and the left lane is a slow vehicle turn out lane.
Maximum penalty: 20 penalty units.
Note: “Centre of the road”, “left traffic lane arrows”, “obstruction”, “overtake”, “right change of direction signal”, “special purpose lane”, “traffic”, and “U-turn” are defined in the Dictionary.
Note: Rule 159 deals with traffic signs that require a particular kind of vehicle to drive in the marked lane indicated by the signs.
Note: Rule 329 deals with when a traffic control device applies to a marked lane.
(3) A keep left unless overtaking sign on a multi-lane road applies to the length of road beginning at the sign and ending at the nearest of the following:
(a) an end keep left unless overtaking sign on the road,
(b) a traffic sign or road marking on the road that indicates that the road is no longer a multi-lane road,
(c) if the road ends at a T-intersection or dead end-the end of the road.
Note: “Road marking”, “T-intersection” and “traffic sign” are defined in the Dictionary.
(4) In this rule:
“lane”, for a driver, means a marked lane for vehicles travelling in the same direction as the driver, but does not include a special purpose lane in which the driver is not permitted to drive.
Note: “Marked lane” and “special purpose lane” are defined in the Dictionary.
Note: Rule 95 deals with driving in emergency stopping lanes, and Division 6 of this Part deals with driving in other special purpose lanes.
“slow vehicle turn out lane” means a marked lane, or the part of a marked lane, to which a slow vehicle turn out lane sign applies.
Note: A slow vehicle turn out lane is designed for slow-moving vehicles to move into to allow faster vehicles to pass in an adjacent marked lane.
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Try and enforce that in peak hour on the F3 or any other multi lane freeway or motorway. Keep left tickets are issued, but as anyone looking at the rule objectively can see, it’s not easy to enforce, especially in peak times (when of course it would be most beneficial). I can just see the queues forming at the Local Courts with those fined on a Sydney multi lane freeway or motorway in peak hour.

UMWHAT

^^^ frustrated underpaid ex-cop
Yonny

Save it, I’d agree that you would find it impossible to police the keep left rule on the F3 at peak times – which is a pity.

The real question is, why do drivers feel entitled to disrupt traffic flow by sticking in the right-hand lane? And, what can we do about it?
Abrihim

Save it, do police pull cars over for using their fog lights on a clear night? It seems as if most people are unaware of this rule and it can be quite dazzling if these fog lights catch you from certain angles. Because so many people do it, it would be far to time consuming but perhaps a notice of this should be put on TV or in the news papers?

eskylid

^^ rubbish, any lights that are properly angled wont dazzle you, headlights or DRIVING lights. The problem is there are many people that either dont realise, or dont care that their lights are badly aligned causing problems for other drivers. You should count how many driving lights compared to headlights dazzle you on your next drive. its going to be definatley the headlights. how many times do we see someone with one light angled way up,

by your logic we should not have headlights at all due to the fact some peoples might be dazzled.

Abrihim

Thats not at all what im saying, please think a little.

This rule is in place for a reason and they are called fog lights for a reason.

Of course you need some illumination so you drive with you’re driving lights which produce a minimum glare/discomfort to increased visibility ratio. Driving with fog lights on a clear day produces glare while producing very little visibility benefits if it’s a clear day.
Driving with your high beams also allows for more visibility, but produces far to much glare for on coming drivers. It’s glare to visibility ratio is unfavourable.

You cannot think in terms of absolutes, that way either we would all be driving around with no lights or everyone with a few search lights attached to the roof along with their high beams. We have different levels to suit different conditions.

Laney

Save it, I have seen plenty of right lane hogs that really stand out like dogs balls in peak hour on the F3. Usually doing 100km/h with 400m unused road in front of them.

If you have a look at them whe you drive passed they are glassy eyed folk off in disneyland, oblivios to the fact that there are actually other people on the road.

The cops spend more time parked on the side checking speed than anything else. They cant hide in traffic either because even the unmarked cars are easy to pick. Spend some money re-hiding the already “invisible” beacon lights glued to either side of the number plate and remove some of the 14 antennas.

Al Juraj

More training for offenders is better than the continuous sucking of wallets and licence points. The current system does nothing to motivate drivers in doing better on the road. How should a fine equivalent to a fortnightly Centrelink allowance push you to be more responsible? The focus is purely on the negative. Why aren’t we rewarded for driving safely and being mindful of others?

Most of us become paranoid on the road because of fear of paying awfully expensive penalties and losing our licences. Because of the rules, our mindsets have become completely wrong. We should be educated on the importance of safety and acknowledging the presence of other vehicles.

I think that instead of paying a fine that goes to God-knows-where, those who break the law should instead be required to attend a seminar or re-training (depending on offence). At least we do know our money is headed for our own good.

RS500

I understand were your coming from people are scared to overtake in a secure manner.
For example a car in the middle (left) lane is doing 105km/h on a 110km/h speed limit zone, overtaking at 110km/h speed limit is obviously not a safe overtaking speed.
I often hit 120km/h to overtake safely and then merge to the left lane and reduce speed back to 110km/h a good 50 meters in front of the car I overtook to avoid hassles.

How many of us have experienced overtaking those fools that go quick on the straits but hit the brakes on curves or when a car overtakes them, causing drivers behind them to get a little twitchy. And when you do decide to overtake them they accelerate to make you by the obvious reasons accelerate to 130km/h to get rid of the fool…!?

I have no issue to do 140km/h to overtake someone on a 110km/h speed limit zone, I just want to overtake in a safe way and get it done with.

But it does not apply to the Australian way of driving that is: SPEED KILLS!

http://www.caradvice.com.au Anthony Crawford

The traffic authorities around Australia have done a brilliant job spending tax payers dollars on the ‘speed kills’ campaigns, without ever acknowledging the fact that their shameful neglect of our roads is of equal cause of the tragic road toll in all Australian states. Of course speed kills, but Germany authorities have proved time and time again, and beyond any reasonable doubt, that 200km/h plus is perfectly safe in the left hand lane (the fast lane in Germany) as long as drivers follow the standard Autobahn procedure of travelling in the correct lane with regard to speed. In fact, it is a lot safer driving in Germany at 200km/h on an Autobahn than doing 110km/h on a so-called freeway in Australia, when you’re trying to predict the often erratic behaviour of many Australian drivers. In fact, my own theory behind those who remain ‘stuck’ in the right hand lane on multi-lane roads is that they are too frightened to change to another lane at speed.

That said German authorities as well as German car manufacturers agree that even speeds as low as 100km/h are dangerous if the conditions are poor, such as rain or worse still, fog. Common sense really.

ALL REVENUE COLLECTED FROM FINES AND REGISTRATION CHARGES FROM OWNING A VEHICLE OR MOTORCYCLE, SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO GO BACK INTO ROADS AND TRANSPORT INFRASTRUCTURE. NO IFS OR BUTS.
isasmith0512

hii

i like youe collection
JD

how about mandating some driver defense course to all drivers.

i did one a while ago and found it invaluable.

there are plenty of videos of this on youtube if anyone wants to see what they do
Jed

The idea of having people do a driving course at their own cost, instead of paying a fine, is one of the best suggestions for improving the situation on our roads in years.

So many people lack the care, knowledge, or skills and confidence to drive well and this forces a lowest-common-demoninator approach to road rules and safety.

I truly hope this idea gets traction – there are lots of good ways it could be implemented, for example on a first offence you could choose the fine + demerit points or (presumably more expensive, and time consuming) training, but then if you kept taking the fine, you have to do the course.

Our government could even win brownie points for creating jobs after all someone has to create the educational material and train all those terrible drivers on our roads.

Lloyd

Your first sentence is exactly what should be done. Paying fines does nothing. If you make people do driving courses it might actually sink in what their errors are and make more people better drivers especially with attitudes. Keep offending?-back to another course!
Also I think instructors have to step up. My stepdaughter went through a stop sign and still got her licence on the proviso that she promised to practise her stopping. THIS IS NOT BLOODY GOOD ENOUGH! I asked for this instructors details but she would not divulge. You can only imagine some of the other kids mistakes and still get their licences. It makes me shudder.

filippo

The right-lane hog phenomenon is largely a result of state governments’ biggest vice – speed camera revenue.

Often when driving up the Hume I notice a car with its cruise control set to 106km/h overtaking a car with its cruise control set to 105km/h. This of course jams up traffic, makes people frustrated, and generally makes the roads much more dangerous. If the Melbourne-Albury stretch had variable speed-limits (from 100km/h to 130km/h depending on the conditions) and the 10% allowance was reintroduced to take speedometer errors into account, overtaking would be faster and the roads would be much safer.

Harry

then youd have people doing 130 overtaking people doing 129. changing the speed limits wont change this. We need these people punished.

filippo

Harry, by my calculation, a 10% allowance on 129km/h would be 12.9km/h, so I don’t see the foundation of your rebuttal.

What I’ve seen in Europe is that with higher and variable speed limits, people tend to drive more to the conditions, rather than just set the cruise control to the maximum. Therefore, you tend to have a more alert flow of traffic, instead of 90% of the cars lazily doing the same speed whilst inadvertently hiding in each other’s blind spot.

Harry

ok then a 10% allowance on 130 is 13kmh; then youd have people doing 143 overtaking those doing 142. We can keep pushing up the speed limits but that isn’t going to stop people driving in the right lane or prevent speeding.

filippo

Again, you’ve kind of missed the point. Let me take you back a number of years to when there was a 10% leeway on speed limits. At this time, when people overtook on freeways they tended to accelerate so that they could safely get around the car in front (even if they had cruise control). Nowadays, drivers are terrified of being caught doing a couple of kms over the speed limit, so overtaking involves ever-so-slowly creeping past the car in front, spending dangerously large amounts of time loitering in blind-spots. Comprende?

Kane Alto

Good luck trying to enforce that here. our Labor government is only after fine revenue.
http://Frosty Hicks

100% agree.

It’s obvious that the law enforcement agencies are oblivious to the dangers on our roads.

The government are off on a crusade, making out speeding to be the ‘be all and end all’ of accidents and issues on the road.

Our enforcement resources are then restricted to the menial task of targeting speeders, modified cars or P-platers. But what about the hundreds of drivers we all see on the road doing the wrong thing. The people with a full license – right-hand laners doing 20km/h below the limit, causing a gridlock because all 3 lanes are doing the same speed. Optional indication. Truck drivers turning using all lanes of a road. Unsafe cars with unadjusted headlights or not headlights on at all during the night.

The real question is, have the government or agencies made the paperwork for booking these people such a pain that the police don’t want to do it? But I bet the speeding fine process is much, much easier.

Perhaps it’s that the targeted issues bring in more revenue than minor fines. But God himself knows this, if I were a cop, I would make the government so much revenue by pulling every bloody idiot i see on the road and booking them, than the entirety of the NSW speeding task force.
save it for the track

Spoken like someone with NFI. 1. Trucks at times DO need to use all lanes to make a turn, that’s why they have do not overtake turning vehicle signs on them. 2. Cars with unadjusted headlights or driving with no headlights on DO get stopped and dealt with.
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The reality is, that NO driver who is booked or dealt with for ANY issue thinks its fair. The number of deluded tools that complain ‘you’re just revenue raising’, when I’ve just spent 10, 15 or 20 minutes checking their car, issuing a defect and a minor fine for defect offences, when I could easily find a spot and issue maybe 2, 3 or 4 speeding fines (which are higher in monetary terms) in the same amount of time. Really are missing the point of road safety. Obviously speed enforcement is a major part of Traffic enforcement, as it is very often teh most obvious, but police do take action on other traffic matters. And as with speeding, the person being dealt with doesn’t like it, can’t accept that they’ve done something wrong or simply doesn’t give a crap. vehicle condition is a big one with me, and I personally make no apologies for spending time ‘raising revenue’ by inspecting and defecting unroadworthy vehicles, along with issuing the not so large fines that go with defects.
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No one has time to pull over ‘every bloody idiot’ they see. you would never get your work done or actually be able to finish on time if you were going to be super technical. For example how many people can say that they indicate for 5 seconds before pulling out from being parked? (as an example)
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And would you be booking those cars/trucks and buses etc. that splash mud/water on passengers at bus stops? (as an example)
.
Can someone suggest a WORKABLE modification to the keep left rule? Of course the problem in peak times is exacerbated the inability of people to maintain a safe 3 second gap (in the dry), which adds to the problem of those that DO want to merge back to the left after overtaking, often there is not a safe gap to merge into. How do we enforce THAT in peak times? And before anyone claims no one gets booked for following too closely, yes they do. Along with entering choked intersections, running yellow lights (yes yellow), running red lights, disobeying stop and give way signs, disobeying directional signage, driving over median strips (raised or painted), crossing solid edge lines, driving in special marked lanes (bus/transit), not keeping left (of the centre of the road), not keeping left on multi lane roads, using mobile phones, changing lanes without indicating, defective tyres, defective seatbelt etc. etc. etc.
.

http://Frosty Hicks

A truck making a left turn using the right-hand lane is just being lazy. My father is a truckie, so when I’m pulling up these idiots, I know wtf I’m talking about mate.

Who said anything about fair? This isn’t the discussion this article brings up or myself. If your simply trying to imply I have been infringed, nope, 100% clean record and we can move on from here to better discussion.

This is the point, the cops NEED to make the time. Its their job. Maybe if they spent less time at discounted McDonalds stores, and more time doing their job, people would respect each page of the road rules book. Including keep left and correct indication.

No to the splashing, but I would be issuing notice to the council who cant properly maintain the road and sewage, or the RTA. Have you driven Parramatta road? I’ve driven dirt roads out timbucktoo with better quality than that. Forget the left-hand lane, that’s a damn pool if it so much as slightly drizzles.

It’s a combined problem that no-one wants to take ownership of. The police are ‘too busy’, the council ‘dont have enough money’ the RTA ‘f**k knows’. But one thing is for certain, the government are raking in multi-million dollar revenue from using their law enforcement agencies as a bush hiding donut eating speeding task force. I no longer see the police as law enforcement, just a propaganda and selective hit squad for whatever ‘issue’ the government is targeting around each election time or revenue raising month.

I cannot see how you seriously want to defend this. the arguement or excuse for a cop ‘too busy’, should not be in their vocabulary. Unless, as I said, they already got one hand tied through red-tape and selective government ‘issues’. In which case, this problem can be traced to a higher and much more probable SNAFU.

save it for the track

As I said, is it revenue raising when I spend time defecting a vehicle, and perhaps issuing a minor monetary fine as opposed to doing speed enforcement? I don’t see any of it as revenue raising. A combination of overt and covert enforcement needs to be done. Fixed speed cameras (in nsw at least) are well sign posted, and I have seen first hand how a lead foot will be exceeding the speed before a camera, slow down for it, then speed up again once out of its range, then when they are stopped they have the audacity to say they didn’t know how fast they were going. All of the road rules are there for a reason, and if you can’t see why it would be too hard to enforce absolutely EVERY rule every time, no amount of explanation from me will explain it to you. There’s more work to be done after the ticket or charge paperwork has been issued at the roadside. Roads being maintained is an issue, but so is driving to teh conditions. There’s no point drivers having a moan that they hit a pothole, when they’re driving along with their heads up their backsides, talking or texting on their phones, playing with their ipod or stereo or any of teh otehr modern distractions in a motor vehicle, or simply engaging in an in depth conversation with a passenger, and then if they are actually looking at the road, all too many have no concept of lifting their vision and looking ahead. I would support some kind of driver training somewhere in the process of traffic enforcement, but as with anything there’s only so many times someone can be told something or sent somewhere, and when they keep offending, they need to be hit where it really hurts, money, points and eventual loss of licence.
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I also agree that all money from vehicle registration, licensing, fees from inspections, and fines all go directly back to roads and road safety.

http://Frosty Hicks

I understand what your saying mate, I’m not defending the idiots. Those people deserve to be fined, but that isn’t the issue here.

The issue I’m talking about, and that you have identified is the paperwork involved in traffic infringements which is a deterrent from the police doing their jobs to the full extent. But as for the process of a speeding fine whether from a cop or a stationary ‘safety camera’ – it is a streamlined and automated process.

If the government made their issue the safe driving as a whole, instead of targeting a specific issue of ‘speeding’, the entirety of the roads would be a safer place because the majority of our policing task forces would be targeting idiots.

I have witnessed, with my own eyes, a driver dart from the right-hand lane, without indicating to the left-hand lane of the M4. Finalising their lane change in-front of a cop car and causing other motorists to emergency brake and swerve. The cop? Did nothing.

Now I ask you, which is more dangerous? Someone doing 65km/h in a 60km/h zone, or that driver?

Now ask this question, which is more a profitable and streamlined process for the officer?

Yes this is a lesser of two evils question, but it is how our roads are today. Ideally, it should be safe and neither question posed, but I have to put up with the swerving idiots in addition to the speeders. The idiots are more rampant because they can get away with it, the speeders are targeted but will still risk it. You can stop the idiot if our police force was tasked with it, and improved the red tape.