Enforcing Traffic Law = Safer Roads

[John the Monkey]

This time, in Belgium;

http://www.howwedrive.com/2009/01/20/stappers-trappers-openbaar-vervoer-privevervoer/

Stiffer tarriffs and catching more people = fewer road deaths - slackening off after a couple of years = more.

 

[ufkacbln]

“The number of people killed in traffic accidents decreased since 2001. In 2000 the number was 1470, in 2007 it was 1067. Most specialists think the explanation is double. First of all in 2003 “tariffs” for traffic offences have been raised substantially. Secondly the Flemish government (northern part of the country) started installing lots of “speed traps” (the word!) and reduced maximum speed limits significantly (most ‘regional roads’ previously had a speed limit of 90km/h, now it’s 70
km/h).

How can you possibly support such (*)victimisation / exploitation / criminalisation / persecution of otherwise law abiding motorists in a blatant and cynical revenue raising exercise that has no interest in road safety, and is completely wrongly calculated.


(*) delete as applicable

 

[gavintc]

You need police to achieve enforceable traffic laws. Policemen are so 'last year'.

 

[John the Monkey]

How can you possibly support such (*)victimisation / exploitation / criminalisation / persecution of otherwise law abiding motorists in a blatant and cynical revenue raising exercise that has no interest in road safety, and is completely wrongly calculated.

Enthusiastically?

 

[ufkacbln]

Enthusiastically?

Sounds good to me!

 

[Chrisz]

No wonder the Belgians have a reputation for being dull and boring - I think anyone would give up on having fun (or life itself) with such draconian measures!!!

 

[jonesy]

No wonder the Belgians have a reputation for being dull and boring - I think anyone would give up on having fun (or life itself) with such draconian measures!!!

Quite. How very dull and boring of them to want to reduce road casualties. Much better to be in exciting rock and roll Britain, with its chart-topping child pedestrian death rate.

 

[John the Monkey]

No wonder the Belgians have a reputation for being dull and boring

...which is (mostly) quite undeserved - you should go there, it's a fantastic place.

The idiocy of linking "being boring" to driving so as not to endanger other people (and actually enforcing the laws your country has) is covered more than adequately by the first reply.

 

[byegad]

No wonder the Belgians have a reputation for being dull and boring - I think anyone would give up on having fun (or life itself) with such draconian measures!!!

Well yes they may be but some thirty years ago a French friend told me in all seriousness that the Belgians drove like maniacs and although they lived less than 30km from the Belgian Border they NEVER drove across it as both she and her huband, who was a Police Officer, were terrified of the way the Belgians drove!

My own experience is that they did then tend to ignore speed limits far more than French drivers. A continental coach driver told me they routinely ignored Belgian speed limits but were punctilious in France and Germany as their police were 'red hot on enforcement.'