Speed awareness

[mungdungas]

Originally Posted by BENT_8

So with all this talk of speed enforcement and the notion of having to gaze at your speedo every 5 seconds to avoid a fine, I thought i'd put up a poll to see how prevalent this is.

So tell us, do you find it easy to maintain a legal speed without 'speedo gazing'

Please be honest about this, and I would hope as many people will contribute to finally put this to bed.

To clear up any concerns, let 'Gazing' represent the need to continually check your speedo to the point of distracting you.

People always say they cant concentrate on driving safely as they are in constant fear of speed cameras and must therefore 'gaze' at their speedo's to the point of distraction.

im a truck driver & i find this idea a sort of red herring in as much as a diligent driver will be speedo gazing {most likely**but the the vast majority of drivers are`nt diligent & spend most of their time{out on the hwy at least** gazing at their phones texting.They either dont care or dont realise that a truck driver can see right into their car,but as a professional driver i dont need to see them using their phone i only need watch them drift in & out of their lanes or watch them speed up & slow down to know they are on their phone.The idea that speed alone kills is ridiculous & if you either ignore or discount all the other relevant circumstances then the goal of really impacting the road toll is flawed from the start.

So whats the answer?....obviously hiding in the bushes & harassing motorist is very profitable but does little to change the culture of poor inattentive drivers & in fact probably increases the number of suspended/uninsured drivers on the road.The first step in making a real difference on the road toll is to remove the addiction the government has on revenue.

[BENT_8]

Originally Posted by mungdungas

im a truck driver & i find this idea a sort of red herring in as much as a diligent driver will be speedo gazing {most likely**but the the vast majority of drivers are`nt diligent & spend most of their time{out on the hwy at least** gazing at their phones texting.They either dont care or dont realise that a truck driver can see right into their car,but as a professional driver i dont need to see them using their phone i only need watch them drift in & out of their lanes or watch them speed up & slow down to know they are on their phone.The idea that speed alone kills is ridiculous & if you either ignore or discount all the other relevant circumstances then the goal of really impacting the road toll is flawed from the start.

So whats the answer?....obviously hiding in the bushes & harassing motorist is very profitable but does little to change the culture of poor inattentive drivers & in fact probably increases the number of suspended/uninsured drivers on the road.The first step in making a real difference on the road toll is to remove the addiction the government has on revenue.

Im confused, as a truck driver do you continually take your eyes off the road to maintain a legal speed or not?
And if you are forced to take your eyes off the road to maintain legal speed, how many accidents has it caused you?

Personally, I may check my speedo once a minute and it is a quick glance and straight back to the road ahead, including anything in my peripheral range of vision (hazard awareness).
Usually I will chose a moment when the likelihood of an incident is minimal ie. straight stretches, clear visibility, braking distance in relation to road speed/conditions etc.

[blackf6]

[QUOTE=BENT_8;4784018]Im confused, as a truck driver do you continually take your eyes off the road to maintain a legal speed or not?
And if you are forced to take your eyes off the road to maintain legal speed, how many accidents has it caused you?
Most trucks are speed limited.So you just put your foot flat to the floor and keep it there until the speed limit drops back.

[BENT_8]

Originally Posted by teak81

Most trucks are speed limited.So you just put your foot flat to the floor and keep it there until the speed limit drops back.

What, limited to 25, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90 and 100

Mine wasn't.

[TheGTCoupe]

strange.. but the only time i'm not speedo gazing is when i plant it

[burnz]

Originally Posted by BENT_8

Im confused, as a truck driver do you continually take your eyes off the road to maintain a legal speed or not?
And if you are forced to take your eyes off the road to maintain legal speed, how many accidents has it caused you?

Personally, I may check my speedo once a minute and it is a quick glance and straight back to the road ahead, including anything in my peripheral range of vision (hazard awareness).
Usually I will chose a moment when the likelihood of an incident is minimal ie. straight stretches, clear visibility, braking distance in relation to road speed/conditions etc.

what an erroneous post, you cant drive without looking anywhere but the road?

[BENT_8]

Originally Posted by burnz

you cant drive without looking anywhere but the road?

Yes, and I do regularly.

Im not saying that I don't scan my surroundings, just that I don't need to be fixated on my speedo to avoid speeding fines.

If I have glanced down at the speedo my next port of call is the road ahead, then once I know im good I am free to scan around for hazards or short skirts what ever the case.

[The G6ET Spot]

Originally Posted by mungdungas

The first step in making a real difference on the road toll is to remove the addiction the government has on revenue.

That will NEVER happen when all the governments actually include fine revenue into their budgets.

The NSW government has just increased their projected fine revenue in the budget by 50% above last years.

So when this is happening there is no hope, as the addiction to it is too strong. A DJ asked the treasurer the other day how they can project a 50% increase in fine revenue and put to him that to do so there must be quotas put in place. Well I have never heard someone bumbling and stumbling over their words more than him trying to weazel his way out of the question.
Quite funny to listen to.

As to the OP question I look at my speedo to check my speed, driving a truck all day you only need the slightest dip in the road and your speed will increase.

Anyone that says they can tell the difference in between 60 and 65kph without checking their speedo is just kidding themselves.

[mungdungas]

Originally Posted by The G6ET Spot

That will NEVER happen when all the governments actually include fine revenue into their budgets.

The NSW government has just increased their projected fine revenue in the budget by 50% above last years.

So when this is happening there is no hope, as the addiction to it is too strong. A DJ asked the treasurer the other day how they can project a 50% increase in fine revenue and put to him that to do so there must be quotas put in place. Well I have never heard someone bumbling and stumbling over their words more than him trying to weazel his way out of the question.
Quite funny to listen to.

As to the OP question I look at my speedo to check my speed, driving a truck all day you only need the slightest dip in the road and your speed will increase.

Anyone that says they can tell the difference in between 60 and 65kph without checking their speedo is just kidding themselves.

yeah ya right there,all their efforts to increase road safety are based around reaching into your pocket but just imagine one day they say we have a new system,the more your fined the higher your rego/insurance etc gets,the less you get caught the cheaper everything gets.It rewards good driving & encourages good drivers to do better.....the only flaw is the gov makes less money