In regards to the Sydney businessman sentanced to 6 months jail over speeding along the Hume hwy.

The Carr Gov & his puppet masters, the RTA have certainly gone overboard on this issue. In their own "do gooder" grab for public favour they have created a martor & have opened Pandora's box on this issue.

There will always be people willing to speed at various levels along the roads. 230kph in a Bently coupe on an open stretch of road is an everyday event for many living in Europe & accepted as normal driving but its a headline grabbing, money pit for the Gov here in NSW.

However this instance has now created a black & white situation for those who choose to speed from now on. RUN FROM THE COPS.

Its simple, if you pull over after getting busted its a jail term + loss of license waiting for you. If you run from the cops then its the same deal, only in this second case, you have a chance of getting away with it if you can outrun them. Now we all know just how much more dangerous a cop chase is against a speeder getting pulled over on an open road dont we. Well done Bob Carr & well done to the Ruthless-Transit-Authority

It will be open season now for cop chases now as speeders now whats waiting for them if they pull over. I can imagine what many would be thinking if they where in a Bently (Cosmo??) coupe at 230kph from now on. "Try & catch me coppper. At least I have a chance this way"..........!!!!

 

Australian speed limits and penalties for speeding suck!

 

the quality of australian roads also sucks

 

Note to self...

Get supercharger to have a chance of out running the White SS's

Cheers,
Hymee.

 

I dont 100% agree with you in this one but I get your point.

On the point you were making:

Europe have specific road systems designed with high speed in mind, thus they allow high speed driving. You cannot do high speed (> 100) on anything other than multi lane, long stretch highways.

Here we have shithouse roads, and the belief that you drive to the speed limit set by the local Roads AUthority (based on god knows what!).

Europeans also have the belief that you drive within the abilities of yourself and your car and with the environment in mind. That isnt the case here.

Basically what I am saying is that you cannot compare Europe with here. The infrastructure is totally different.

On the issue at hand:

This guy was doing 231 on a 2 lane road where everyone else was doing 110. I bet this guy doesnt even know how long it would take the car to brake doing that speed. Its one thing to give your car a bit, its another to give it a bit every now and then and its lunacy to be doing that sort of speed often enough that the cops can set up a friggin sped trap specifically to trap him!

Again, I dont agree with our Draconian speeding laws, but put it into context of everything else around this one guy and it was pure lunacy.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems...5/s1365877.htm

On the same topic, there is this one too http://www.smh.com.au/news/National/...910285128.html

Regards

Andrew

 

^^^...what zoomy said

Australian roads...even the so-called major new developments on our major highways...are crap! I say this having lived in Europe between 1998 and 2002. But 110 ain't right either. Having made a substantial donation to Mr Carr during one of my early am Canberra - Sydney commutes, I can vouch for the revenue raising nature of our Highway Patrol (at least I negotiated a discount :p )

I would not suggest trying to outrun. That is irresponsible and could potentially have very serious (fatal) consequences. But why patrol good roads at low traffic times? Or use cameras? It sucks!

 

You have to see what the European roads, then you will know why the cars are flying there

The country road sucks! Even the big highway has a 1m pot holes! It wasn't mixed for 5-6 months! :9

 

6 months jail for speeding, that is absurd. He did not kill anyone. Rape gets less than that, dangerous driving resulting in grevious bodily harm gets less than that.

I am disgusted by that decision. I can tell you, knowing that now I would be tempted to run if I ever got pinged.

One thing you guys are overlooking is the circumstances surrounding his speeding. Yes he was reported speeding by other drivers, but how many other drivers were on the road? Was he endangering any other drivers, was the vehicle capable of the speed, was he driving in a dangerous manner?

A friend of mine ;P has done that sort of speed and I can tell you it does not warrant jail time. Speeding like that should not be an indictable offence.
Where the f**kstick that plowed into the child care centre and horrendously injured those two girls get a slap on the wrist, the guy that plowed his truck into the cars on the F3 and killed a woman gets 18 months, you tell me if that is fair.

The long and the short of it is no.

There is no fairness or equailty in law, that is why I gave it up.

 

Okay, my 5 cents worth (okay Kall?? ):

Firstly, any suggestion that you should run from the cops is ridiculous. Besides the fact that you will inevitably make poor decisions in a panicked state of mind that could endanger you, the cops chasing you and innocent roadusers and pedestrians, the cops will more than likely get close enough to at least get a partial read of your rego thereby leading to them catching you later and booking you for a helluva lot more than just speeding.

Secondly, what was this flip in the Bentley thinking!!!! As previously stated, we all give our cars a bit here and there but he was obviously driving at an extremely high speed (comparatively speaking) for a sustained period. Did he really think he could get away with it?? With the possible exception of some of the remote straight stretches in the NT, there is not a road I am aware of in Aus where that kind of speed would be safe, no matter how advanced the car or how good the driver, especially for a sustained period. Reaction time and braking distance would give you very little chance to avoid a sudden hazard. Does anyone else out there remember the Japanese dentist who killed himself in his Ferrari in the first and only Cannonball Run in the NT??? The simple fact is that if he wanted to give his Conti a thrash he should have taken it to a track like most owners of high performance cars do.

Thirdly, and related to my second point, while there is little doubt that some of our speed limits are too low given the improved state of some freeways and the safety advantages of the modern car, no one could convince me that any part of the Hume goat track is safe for 230km/h plus except for maybe a few seconds in a few locations in the right conditions (e.g. weather and light traffic). Although a good argument exists to increase speed limits in some sections to say 130km/h (which would mean the average hoon will try to get away with 140-150km/h), this guy was just way OTT. I've said before that a law which nearly everybody breaks (i.e. the 110km/h limit on multi-lane freeways) is a bad law and should be amended but the converse is equally true - the reason more people don't drive at 200km/h plus is that most of us realise that it is bloody dangerous!!!

Fourthly, spare me the law is an *** rant. Gibbo, if you've studied or even practiced law as you intimate, you would remember that intent, and particularly deliberate intent, is a large factor in determining the criminality of the offence and thereby the applicable sentence. I followed the Roundhouse childe care centre accident and subsequent proceedings closely because it is in my area and I have children of similar age attending a similar facility. The Court found that the elderly driver of that car suffered a fit (which had not occurred to him before) thus rendering him powerless to prevent the awful accident that ensued. He has also demonstrated humbling contrition. Compare that relative lack of intent to a smug moron deliberately barrelling down the Hume who could easily have caused similar or worse harm to others. The fact that he didn't before the cops managed to nab him does not lessen the seriousness of the offence. I cannot comment on the other accident you mentioned because I have not followed it as closely but I am prepared to say that too many people generalise and compare legal outcomes based simply upon what some ignorant journalist hypes up to sell more papers. There's no substitute for actually reading the judgment of the court or the findings of an inquest.

Sorry, this ended up being more like $5 worth and I appreciate some of my views will not be popular with car enthusiasts but having a fast car and fancying youself a good driver does not give you a licence to behave as that fellow did. In any event, if he actually serves the whole 6 months I'll be surprised.

 

Australian law system has lost the plot in term of relativeness.

In term of the length of sentence I don't know , as it is very hard to quantify. How can you compare a PE teacher sleeping with a 15 year old (they may be in love) and a guy doing 231 kmh in his sport saloon on a empty highway (coz he may be an idiot). They both get 6 month sentence.

It is hard to compare.

And the HIH CEO still does directing role in a business while serving the sentence... then he deserves the full 4 years

The problem is we share things in the community, and thus there are rules. The severity of punishment is governed by the moral of the community --- in terms of that the Australian general public thinks we should do 100kmh in 110 kmh zone. Then 236 kmh is outranges and "it is not acceptable" (in super nanny's voice :p)

Luckily there are motorsport lovers in this country and they are kind enough to build so many race track in most eastern states, where the public road laws are tough. At least, we can call those places "heaven" in the 5km stretch of smooth quality bitumen

 

Don't you mean "asseptable" Taka?? :D :D

 

I give you a bit of Medical perspective :p

Any older driver... anyone older that Lock & Load (or in their 50s), who has a car accident where the car was out of control. He just have to say that there were a moment of loss of consciousness. There will be a lot of diagnosis from Transient ischemic attack, Paroxysmal arrhymia, a complex seizure attack... etc. And no test can conclusive prove that. But we, as the treating doctor, are happy to give this diagnosis and contest that in court.

The elderly driver may be a **** house driver and lost control of his car... but he will get away anytime. He will just lose his license and can never drive.

..... just some back door knowledge of medicine and driving.

BTW fit/seizure is triggered by sleep deprivation, alcohol, flashing light, etc.... especially the last point. When the fixed camera flashes you, you crash into a pole with your car. You said you lost consciousness after the flash. And you diagnosis is epilepsy. You sue to mobile/fix camera company for compensation and you may get compensation for more than you want. The down side is you will not drive for at least 6 months after the last attack. :p

 

Oh... is that how you do it in the English accent?! :D

 

Hi all this is my first post although i've been reading for a few months now. Great forum

I was coming back to Canberra from Sydney after a horrible weekend with the boys and i knew that i saw a big B flying towards Sydney (british racing green type colour i think).. I'm sure i saw the car in question as i have no doubt in what i saw and plus there can't be that many big B's around.. i don't think he was doing the speed stated (at the time i saw him) but he was still going strong. I'm youngish (just 24) and i think it's kinda silly to do such a high speed and maintain it as the driver awareness and roads cannot be compared to europe. I do admit that going to Sydney i did sit on around 140 ish some times squirting on the clear up to 190 and then backing off. I do believe that they're making an example out of this guy as stated above people who commit a lot more serious offences don't even get punnishment that harsh. I have outrun the police before when i was younger in previous imports and thought it was pretty cool at the time but now thinking back it was silly, i risked life to get away instead of paying a fine. Anyways thats my thoughts on the topic

By the way i bought my sunlight silver 6sp leather pack from Nojooc in Sydney because the Canberra mazda dealers ignored me 2 weekends in a row while trying to look at a used RX-8 so i stiffed them drove to Sydney and brought a new one from John Newell.

To top off my horrible weekend just as i was leaving Sydney a lady waved me in so i poked my nose out and bang this lady took the front off my car It's only 2 months old!!! oh well at least i'm ok :p

 

Yes, the quality of Australian roads suck. But put it in perspective: Germany has a population of 82 million, a population density of 230/km^2, and an area of less than half that of NSW (357,000km^2 versus 801,000km^2). There are only 20 million of us to contribute tax dollars to the upkeep of roads in a continent marginally smaller than the continental USA. OK Germany has no limits on speed, but in Switzerland (whose Autobahnen are mainly 2 lane each way except around major cities), the speed limit is 120km/h, 60-100km/h on main roads and 50km/h in towns.

From my own long distance driving experiences, I find 110km/h a comfortable speed for touring. I find I am relaxed and do not suffer tensions that I can get by driving at higher speeds. You only have to do the maths to understand that travelling at higher speeds only means a few minutes saved, time which can be made up by leaving a few minutes earlier.

As Taka says, if you want to speed, go to a racetrack. And as for his thinly veiled attack on older drivers, you'll be old too mate, before you know it. The years fly.

 

The cops are sure stiffening up things.

On saturday night, hopped down to KK at liverpool, cops fenced off the area where the exit
was in a stance to look for defects. Waited till 1AM for my mates to decide wether we should
leave or not, i was fine, or so i thought, until cop pulled me in aswell telling me, i got a nice
car n all but i didnt need foggies on at this weather.
Next day, Nissan Silvia cruise, met up with a few boys, they were simply trapped again by a
few cops.

These guys love their cars, and i dont see the trouble in sharing what they have with fellow
interested members by having a cruise. Theyre not their to show off the new Kumho red smoke tyres literally! They have a passion just like our rx8 cruises, and they may be in the
lower class group, but they're not hoons and they certainly deserve some space.

Cheers. Tuan.

 

Lol - no, that's just how she says it! Makes me grind my teeth every time I hear it.

 

Taka, thanks for that.

I appreciate that these symptoms can be faked but the circumstances of that accident were such that causation was crawled over by a number of parties and I believe the finding is sound from what I've read.

It also doesn't change the point I was trying to make. Even if we assume he was a crap old driver who accidentally lost control it is still a long way from the deliberate intent demonstrated by Mr Bentley.

 

Welcome calvin02!!

 

I guess we all so far agree that Mr Bentley need a snap on his hand, just arguing the degree of punishment, is that right?

 

Yeah I guess so Taka.

As for degree of punishment, you'll get as many opinions on that as there are people giving them. :D

 

Thanks Revolver glad to be here..

 

All this for $5??? Someone remind me to hook up with Revolver if I run into some "issues" in future D:D

 

Hahaha LJ. :p :D

Actually, I'm a quick typist and of course discount my time for you wonderful people. The usual rate would make your eyes water but someone's got to do it right!! :D

 

Revolver, If we are speaking intent then yes he had intent to speed, however he did not have any intent to cause grevious bodily harm, nor intent for anything else. I am not sure why the intent you mentioned is so important because no consequenses resulted from his speed. Motor vehicle law deals with crimes attempted or actually committed with a motor vehicle, speeding itself is not reason enough to assume any further intent of any kind. That is a long bow to draw, even for an Indonesian court :D.
As Taka said, I am not arguing with the fact that this guy deserved to be punished, what I am arguing about is the punishment issued. You can not tell me that when no one was injured, no mention was made of erratic driving, or driving in a threatening manner that this guy deserves 6 months in jail. Before you mention the speed he was travelling as being dangerous, keep in mind that speeding is different to danergous driving despite the fact that the law seems to draw a very fine line between the two.

As mentioned, this guy does deserve punishment, say loss of license for 12 months and a massive fine, however jail is only for real criminals.

NOTE: I take all this back and state that this guy should go to jail if it surfaces that he is a repeat offender.