Driving Over Speed Limit Never Okay

Illawarra Mercury

Friday July 2, 1999

TUT, tut, Steve from Warilla (Mercury, June 28)! Did someone tread on your toes?

Goodness gracious me, you were miffed when you wrote that letter, weren't you?

By your own admission, you were exceeding the speed limit when you were caught by that dreadful policeman, although how they managed to trace you when you quite obviously have no surname fully escapes me.

I think we all realise that there are not enough police available to combat crime. Heaven knows, there probably could never be too many!

However, a law is a law is a law, and the speeding motorist is breaking one. Just how far over the speed limit would you consider a safe speed to be travelling?

When should our boys in blue draw the line? Should they book you for going over the set limit, or allow you to to over it by 5, 10, 15 (shall I go on?) km/h?

As for them hiding and not giving enough warning that there is a speed camera in operation why should they have to warn motorists at all? Does that mean that it's okay to speed when there is no speed camera? Why should speedsters have notice?

If the sign says 60km/h then that means that you should not travel above that speed. End of story.

I don't think there is a driver who could honestly say they have never driven over the speed limit - we all do it at times. The thing is, if you speed and you are caught, you have to wear it. The laws are there for everyone's safety.

Imagine if there was no speed limit anywhere! Mayhem! The place would look like an episode of The World's Wildest Police Videos!

It seems you have a lot of knowledge about local streets and speed limits, and perhaps you should consider a career advising the powers that be who set local speed limits, so that people like you could travel at whatever speed you consider appropriate, and damn the consequences.

A final word: we live in a quiet suburban street, and at times are plagued by idiots burning up our street at breakneck speed, just hooning around for the heck of it.

There are families with little children all along our street, and if there is a speed camera unit available, we'd love to see it here! We'd make it welcome!

Steve, just cop your fine and don't be such a whinger!

- KATHRYN JAYE, Albion Park.