Hoon Laws

[brettenator]

If I take off from a stop and floor it up to the speed limit, is that hooning? Or illegal? Is there some acceleration limit that can be measured? EG Do not exceed more than 5ms^-2?

And then if you were to do this with another car doing the same in the next lane, how can they prove you were racing? Can you just say "I didn't know he was even there, and I was just accelerating how I normally do"?

I could race a Camry and kill it and it wouldn't look like we were actually racing, but nevertheless it was a 'street race'... Is it only bad if the race is close?

Also, yes, speed kills, and the slower we drive the safer it is. BUT, I think the government and police need to accept that unless everyone drives at 10kmh, humans traveling around the planet at 20 meters per second are going to be killed. It's unavoidable. Of course, dangerous driving (not defined as exceeding the limit by 5kmph) is something that results in deaths the are almost always avoidable, and this should be penalised harshly.

Finally, I don't think 'driver education' is going to do anything at all. People have got the message, they know what is dangerous, and if they haven't got the message by now they never will!!

[dule]

You are a hoon just for thinking about about racing a camry!

Appropriate driver education would help a but probably not as much as some here would think. For example you have an idiot (or L plater) driving at 80 in the left lane on the 2 lane 110k freeway. Now you have another 5 idiots that will just follow him at that speed. Until a 7th idiot decides that is too slow for him and decides to overtake the previous 6 idiots at an astonishing great speed of 90kph, in the meantime the first idiot decided to speed up to 90 (not to hold up the traffic) which means out overtaking speed demon will just happily sit in the right lane. If you have a bit of traffic in on the road this is enough to create a traffic jam and at this point people get frustrated and do stupid things.

In this case education would help, someone doing 150 drunk with 6 people in the car through suburban streets while raining will not be saved by no amount of driver education.

[tab]

If I take off from a stop and floor it up to the speed limit, is that hooning? Or illegal? Is there some acceleration limit that can be measured? EG Do not exceed more than 5ms^-2?

And then if you were to do this with another car doing the same in the next lane, how can they prove you were racing? Can you just say "I didn't know he was even there, and I was just accelerating how I normally do"?

I could race a Camry and kill it and it wouldn't look like we were actually racing, but nevertheless it was a 'street race'... Is it only bad if the race is close?

It's all up to the interpretation of the officer on the spot, there are no black and white rules about rates of acceleration or anything. That's what makes it fckin stink.

As for the speed kills, I've ranted about it many times before but the statistics used in the number of speed-related deaths or injuries is comprised of 1) excessive speed over the posted limit, and 2) excessive speed for the conditions regardless of the posted limit.

So yes that does include old-mate doing 95km/h in a 100km/h zone in heavy rain/hail/snow/whatever and writing himself or others off. Authorities don't promote that fact though as it sort of kills their theory about speed cameras etc. as speed limit enforcement will never stop this type of incident.

Have tried several times to get stats out of the Qld govt in relation to what percentage of incidents are actually caused by excessive speed relative to the conditions but they won't release them as they claim they are not recorded separately. How convenient.

[brettenator]

You're absolutely right, people going to die in accidents traveling at the speed limit, under the limit and 5km/h over it. The sad thing is all the money the government are perpetually wasting on this nonsense...

[Kimberley Scott]

May I induldge in raising a few points of my own?

Yes I hear you say, great.

Here goes.

Why impound and crush cars, they are someones property? The right to drive in this country is a drivers licence, enforece punishements upon that instrement and the person committing the offence/offences, thew the appropiate channles. I find this need to apply short cuts to the judicial system offensive.

Secondly, spinning wheel, well today I did it twice and my daily commute. I was driving a 2007 Peugeot 207 tourer with a 1.6 lt turbo diesel. It has no traction control and today I was forced to do several hillstarts in the wet on oil and other what not. Am I a hoon and incompetant driver?

Thirdly I have been involved in several accidents, one I will raise caused me severe injuries that took years to recover from and there was a fatailty as well. The cause, a lady talking to her mum whilst driving, veered left onto the rarvel on the side of the road, overcompensated and headed starit for me into a head on (a corner I did not see it comming).

Fourthly The NT until; recently had open speed limits on some of its roads, I have driven these roads at high speeds and enjoyed this very much, I am alive,. this however is not the oint I wish to rasie on speed. Rather than these roads have recently been reduced to 130km/h. This was done after many much consideration/studies in an open and robust manner (they sell it I will use it). So the point I am trying to make is in some parts of Australia on some roads 130km/h is considered safe. But for some reason these brilliant motorways we have entering the like of most capital cities, we are restricted to 110km/h, WHY?

I have been taught dont complain unless you can also offer solutions (be part of the solution not the problem mantra).

Well here goes, and I will keep it short and simple.

One power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely, so the law must be open and robust to alleviate these human flaws. Keep it open and transparent (yes its long winded and apinful but it serves a very high concept of excercising fairness).

Two if spinning wheels are so bad then traction control should be mandatory and must be only be able to be turned off say using a code which is recoreded into car copmputer that can be accesssed by the appropiate authorities if thay deem it neccesary.

Three Speed and hooning is way down on my percieved list of public menice and is getting disproportionate attention. It makes it very hard to believe the safety and for your own good propaganda that is feed to us, especially when there is money involved. Let us look into a range of causes of accidents and risk mitigate all, and make the solutions reasinable and not involve money going to the government.

Fourthly well its kinda been covered in three, but hey lets raise speed limits, build better roads, enforce roadworthyness, teach people to drive properly and make testing ongoing, but f*ck were is the fun in that.

Scotty

[Marcone]

I would like to see all people get there drivings skills tested in a better way in order to what they can drive..

in saying that so many sh*t drivers out there that pull out in front of you and then go slow.

fml

wish cops picked up on that sh*t.

fkn so annoying

[Cheaty McCheats]

I think part of passing your drivers test should be going through an advanced course where you have to avoid obstacles in the bad conditions; ie. Oily, wet road.

I have always said that they should also teach people how to drift.

Last year when two girls were killed in a car crash because they over-corrected around a corner, confirmed my theory.

Of course, a hell of a lot of people are not going to agree with this, it is just my thoughts on driver training.

We should be learning from the Europeans; instead of shielding learners and p-platers up from speed and fast cars, we should be teaching them how to deal with it. The money being made from revenue raisers like multi-novas should be put into making our roads better and safer, for eventually making them like the autobahn.

I have to disagree with the comment "Speed kills". No, speed doesn't kill, it's incompetence and over confidence that kills. If you are travelling at 100km/h on the freeway, you're not speeding, if you fall asleep at the wheel and die, it's not the speed that killed you, it's your incompetence to remain aware whilst driving a vehicle.

[Guest XR09]

Said it before and will say it till I am purple in the nuts. You need to be graded for what, where and when you drive. Break the rules and you get a long spell to think about it and learn RESPECT.

Keep farking up and well enjoy your pushbike sonny. Never to drive again should be stamped on your forehead. Driving is not a right. It is a privilege.

This does not just go for hoons. If you cant hold the speed limit (10% leniency) or your distance then get off the road. Differentials in speed is a killer. It causes rage, it makes people do just plain stupid things. It just comes back to RESPECT

[Brods]

While on the hoon topic.

Went to Fremantle on the weekend and went to park in a multistorey carpark. Got my ticket from the machine and as I drove in my wheels squeeled a little on the polished limestone.

Went up to the next level where a parking officer was waiting for me, told me I had to leave for squeeling my tires. Argued black and blue with him and then gave up and left, leaving 2 thick black lines at the exit.

I think I have a reasonable excuse for doing a burnout amirite? Guy was a total dickwad.

[Turbonator]

Since you asked for opinions.....You seem to have a problem controlling a performance vehicle under varying road conditions. Perhaps you should consider driving something a bit less. As for the burnout on the way out.....very immature.

Edited 04/03/11 01:10 AM by Buf-Phoon
quote removed