a few years since I lost my licence for speeding,and that was on a motorbike.Within a couple of days of getting my licence back,I had a very serious accident that I very nearly didn't recover from.This was caused by me driving too fast for the conditions and the road I was on,in fact about 90MPH in a 30MPH zone.It took me nearly three years to walk again after this,and it's made me look at roads,and the way drivers act on them in a completely different way.Beacuse I'd never had even a minor accident before this,I guess I thought they always happen to other people.
They usually only happen to 'other' people as a result of such actions from certain people. When I say certain, I mean people for example that are doing 90mph in a 30mph. That is madness my friend, even if it was bone dry and deserted it would be probably be a jailable offence. Granted, you have learnt the hard way, (maybe some would say you didnt kill anyone and got off lightly??) but I don't shed a tear for your injuries as frankly your actions were mindless. Having just served a ban for speeding makes it all the worse; I would have liked to have thought that you may have learnt your lesson or at least valued your licence a little more. Instead, you are doing triple the speed limit in a built up area just days later....
It seems the few years of disability and rehabilitation gave you time to reflect and have a serious think about your actions and attitudes, but having come out the otherside, is your attitude safe driving for the sake of yourself or do you now consdier others who may or may have been on that occasion caught up innocently in you mindless driving. Points of interest warnings from Garmins are to safeguard only you and your passengers. Awareness and safe driving is to safeguard others.
Like you say, 30MPH for a reason, namely hazards like pedestrians and kids. Hence why most people agree with speed bumps and cameras outside schools. What gets the goat of the public is sneaky cameras on quiet safe road persecuting motorists that are a fraction over the limit in safe circumstances. This is the issue.
What is a bigger factor in causing accidents is bad driving, not excessive speed. 120MPH in a modern roadworthy car in an empty lane on a straight motorway IS safe. You will always have the 'what if' brigade, but freak accidents happens, its just the way it is. A modern tyre is more likely to withstand a blowout at 120MPH than the equivilent 30 years ago would have at 70MPH. Brakes are infinately better, we have complex traction systems, ABS, impact bars, airbags, and it seems to me too many people seem to think this will save them if it all goes wrong....
At 120MPH, the problem is the idiot in the Volvo 940GLE estate that will more than likely slide straight into your lane at about 60MPH to overtake someone who is doing 58MPH, all without taking the time to look in his mirrors. And it happens every day on every road. Some get away with it, some dont. But this is what we face day in day out. The guy speeding will always be the one in the wrong, not the one who didn't check his mirrors...
Bad driving IS the biggest problem we face. Speed is safe in the right circumstances. But I see terrible driving day in day out and it drives me mad. People tailgating on the motorway. Inexperienced kids driving way to fast. People cutting people up in rush hour traffic without considering the consequences their actions might have, just to get somewhere that little bit quicker. People thinking they have the right to speed, drive like a moron and cut people up becuase THEY are in a rush, and then have the right to put up a finger or brake check you when you beep the horn at them. One accident can cause hundreds/thousands of people to be held up. The fact that the majority of these accidents CAN be prevented is what gets me. The same with the fact that probably half of all fatal RTAs could probably be prevented if people took a bit more care, showed fellow motorists a little more respect and switched the brain on before getting into a car. Like a gun, the car is a dangerous weapon in the wrong hands...
What we need is realtime cameras, catching and punishing bad drivers with fines, points and if need be, driving courses. And more so, using the profits of cameras, which lets fact it are never going to be axed as they make so much money, to fund traffic cops in cars catching and pulling more people up on shocking driving with a hard line approach to dangerous and poor driving. The average standard of driving on our roads is abysmal, anyone who disagrees is a fool, yet everyone will tell you their driving is of an acceptable standard.
And i'm not saying 'my' driving is the best or taking the moral highground, but there is a reason why I have a clean licence of over 6 years and never had an accident. I have never had a radar detector, sat nav or hotspot warnings. If I dont know the road, I drive accordingly and take extra care. I never drive faster than I can see. I dont want someones death on my conscience that could have been avoided. Accidents are called accidents because they aren't supposed to happen, but in most cases do because people aren't paying enough attention, are driving in a wreckless manner or are plain driving too fast for the given conditions.
And I will call people who drive like pricks a prick. I'm not picking on Imagewerx here, he has merely become an example unfortunately. But if you think that what I say includes any of you, then it probably does, in which case can I suggest you re-evaluate how good a driver you think you are....