January 19 2004
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January 19 2004 |
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A favourite (maybe petty) "pain in the butt" hate of mine this week - speed traps! Now I know for a fact that in "most" countries speed traps are visible in order to control motorists' speed. We all know by now that in South Africa speed traps are there to nail you. And to proof this I've been collecting (and taking) pictures of how these clowns go about it.
The most devious ways imaginable. And since each metro is responsible for it's own survival, there is no qualms about the ways and means these people will go to to make a quick buck. An easy buck, a couple of hundred bucks most of the time! In the government gazette I found a guideline to what can be charged for a speed offence but we know that the metros can really be bothered with this. And in spite of what our Transport Minister said about a notification that must be sent within 30 days of the offense (on national TV), it does not work that way.
Good example of this is a R400 fine I got. I was "caught" some time ago but only after 4 months did I receive my first notification. Nearly a year later I got the summons. I've been a regular at a local speed traps site which provided me with plenty "ammo" to go to court with - will keep you posted!
At the same spot I found some amazing shots a regular visitor sent in of the mentality and desperate actions these cops will go to in order to make a quick buck. Now you can see that the camera is setup lower than the road surface - is this legal? Visit Speed traps and read for yourself. These guys are standing on top of bridges (where you can't see them for dust)! They hide behind bushes and trees, or they hide the cameras behind bushes and trees. And then you get the ultimate - the dustbin camera! Trust our friends from Boksburg to come out with this novel idea!
For all the photos go here..., be amazed! For the "recommended" fines, read this. Now try and reason that these guys are there to "serve and protect"! For good measure throw in the fact that thousands of people die on our roads every year. Speeding? Of course, but also unroadworthy vehicles, drunken driving, drunken pedestrians and fatigue. What to do? With two (out of only 400 being built this year) McClaren Mercedes's at R6 million each on our roads and a 1.4 Ford Laser (in general) easily exceeding the speed limit (if you want) who is safer? The (extremely, disgustingly, sickening rich) drivers / owners of those Mercs or the souped up VW Beetle (of which we have plenty)?
Our roads are amongst the best in the world (at they were not so long ago), our drivers the worst (or amongst the worst). Isn't it time for some pro-active actions from government side? They constantly moan and bit** (you know what I mean) about how much money road fatalities are costing the country every year but they seem unwilling to do some positive about it. Fire the transport minister, that's what I say.
I still speed every day of my life (when in my car). Sometimes more than other times (depending on the traffic), and I know that things happen but that's the thrills of driving. Guilty as charged. Drive within your limits and monitor and advice drivers, not hide in bushes like a common criminal in order to make your budget! That's not law enforcement. Maybe the new demerit system will help bring some calm to our roads. Only time will tell.
Couple of quick notes - I've added a search engine to this site. Use it. I've also subscribed to a "non-commercial" license (which gives me some sort of copy protection) for my site. Another new future is a monthly poll which can be found in the index. Will be interesting to see what you out there think. At last now my e-mail (as in the author at the bottom of this page) has been sorted out and to make things faster and easier for those outside our countries borders, this site is being mirrored in the UK.
Getting back to the poll, any suggestions are welcome. Hope you find these additions interesting and helpful.
