1. Speedometers, even very modern ones are not accurate and can easily vary even as much as 10km/h.
2. Because speedometers are not accurate manufacturers set them to read low.
So, instead of having speedometers come off the assemble line (and vary over time to read anything from 96, 97, 98,99,100,101,102, 103 or 104 at 100km/h.
The apply a blanket high margin so within a production run you could find cars that read anything from 90,91,92,93,94,95,96,97,98 or 99 at 100km/h.
So, while some cars may read as low as 90 you could just as easily have a car that reads 99 at 100km'h so you just can't rely on cars having a "buffer" in this way. Sure, many cars do but you have to be fair to ALL car owners/drivers.
This is what people forget.
Just like the radar guns only being accurate to 3km/h. This means that really the speed tolerance the Police are applying is only 1km/h because its entirely possible some people will be ticketed at an actual 102km/h.
Its entirely unfair to make people believe there is a 4km/h tolerance when thats not the truth for everyone.
That in a nutshell is why reasonable tolerance is fair and reasonable.
net_oz,
Jun 4, 7:31pm
Yep, just a bunch of suckers who like to provide the government with extra dollars. As if they don't pay enough tax already. Dumbarses.
richardmayes,
Jun 4, 7:33pm
The limit isn't 4km/h. Speed limits are unchanged and they are numbers like 50, 60, 70, 80 and 100km/h.
It is easy to know what the speed limit is, on the side of our roads there are huge red circles with numbers in the middle. That number is the maximum speed you are allowed to drive, in order that your driving will afford other users roughly (ok, VERY roughly) the same expectation of safety that their driving affords you.
It is easy to know how fast you are going, your car has an instrument that tells you how fast you are going, it is usually located right in front of your face. Keep the number on this instrument the same as or lower than the big numbers in the red circles on the side of the roads, and you will have no problems.
If you choose to go faster than the numbers in the big red circles on the side of the road, then you know what will happen if you get caught and you really have no-one to blame but yourself. Stop constructing these elaborate arguments every holiday period about how evil those dirty cops are, and just own it.
[If you think that attitude is small-minded and belongs only in a police state, ask yourself if you would be happy for me or anyone else to drive at 220km/h everywhere, even outside your house or your kid's school.]
If you are genuinely incapable of controlling your speed to within a few km/h, either drive slower so that a little variance does not matter, or get help, there are driving schools everywhere.
If you are one of these people who insists it is "dangerous" to "watch the speedo instead of the road" you are frighteningly unskilled. Again, get help, it is available everywhere.
thejazzpianoma,
Jun 4, 7:37pm
Now see thats a proper speeder, someone who is clearly doing it intentionally. They deserve all they get.
The trouble is the propaganda machine is trying to convince everyone that this is the same thing as people accidentally doing as little as 2km/h over the limit, which can be done accidentally. In fact it can be done as simply as jumping in a BMW Mini and setting the cruise control as low as 90 km/h which is unreasonable in my opinion.
The other issue is potentially a lot less of those "real speeders" are not going to get caught with this sort of measure. Consider how many police you pass on the road that are actually in the process of writing tickets vs waiting for a speeder.
Its a pretty good proportion. Now consider that lowering the tolerance ONLY increases the amount of tickets being written people who are fractionally over the limit.
It dosn't take a lot of imagination to understand that while all those extra marginal tickets are being written out keeping the Police busy that more real speeders are driving right on past.
johnf_456,
Jun 4, 7:39pm
Nice, yup you only have yourself to blame. Its not like driving the speed limit is going to kill you.
bmwnz,
Jun 4, 7:39pm
So you've mentioned the Mini around 400 times today. Any other examples!
johnf_456,
Jun 4, 7:41pm
90 is not that unreasonable provided you keep left etc, courteous etc, heck I'm stuck at that speed towing various things in the weekend.
thejazzpianoma,
Jun 4, 7:42pm
Probably heaps, its just the Mini was the car I actually remember some figures for. Its probably fair to say that other BMW's may have a similar setup with similar drawbacks and if BMW's are like that then there are probably plenty of cheaper cars that exhibit similar tendencies.
loose.unit8,
Jun 4, 7:44pm
Not like driving 4km/h over the speed limit is going to kill you either, given similar conditions
girlracer2005,
Jun 4, 7:45pm
so your happy to sit at 70 to 80 on the open road wheres theres no passing lanes for 70km i know i dont like it yes im more then happy to sit at 90 or slower depending on weather if its nice ill sit at 90 to 100 or just above happily but not 70 to 80 just because of some to$$er
johnf_456,
Jun 4, 7:45pm
Nope but may land you on the wrong side of the law and not everyone likes breaking the law.
thejazzpianoma,
Jun 4, 7:46pm
No you missed the point. If you set the cruise control to 90 in some even very new cars you could still find it drifts over 102km/h and you get a ticket.
Thats because the tolerances the Police use is much lower than the accuracy of the cruise control system. This is the sort of thing thats going to start tripping up people who think they are obeying the law, and its just not fair.
johnf_456,
Jun 4, 7:48pm
Tell me a car that over reads by 12km/hr or you could just use your foot, cruie control in most cars I find is bang on with gps.
thejazzpianoma,
Jun 4, 7:48pm
You only need to be 2km/h over the limit to get a ticket.
pollymay,
Jun 4, 7:52pm
What does the dude doing 147 have to do with anything! That is legitimate retardism, we are talking about the guy with new tyres or a dash that has been reassembled at the stage and the needle stuck back on a little too far round (yes I had a car like this and later fixed it)
I'm not sure if john or others have ever met one but some cops literally will try anything one and have bad attitudes. I was pulled over for "appearing to go too fast" they had me on radar but it was a quiet night and they then measured my sills etc etc and I was totally clean and after 20 to 30 minutes they had to let me go, officers like that are not selective about their tickets and safety is second to money. Show me actual evidence over ALL other factors such as car weight, brake size and compound, tyre compound, road conditions, driver skill etc etc that 4 clicks makes a difference. 4 km/h is a drop in the goddamn bucket in the dynamic place full of factors we call our world, it's revenue plain and simple backed by skewed statistics.
Speeding CAN and DOES cause accidents but 4km/h! Come on get real. You are welcome to do less just 104 is silly for those hovering around 100 and driving competently.
loose.unit8,
Jun 4, 7:52pm
But how would you know you were breaking the law when you don't know that your speedo is accurate enough to let you know
neville48,
Jun 4, 7:52pm
Its a law, while we are at it why dont we do a total overhaul of the laws and put a tolerance on them all.yes officer but i only hit him once. when robbing the teller i didnt take all the cash.it was ok to drink and drive and crash because i was only just drunk.really.
johnf_456,
Jun 4, 7:53pm
I know how accurate my speedo is :P Has for cops I haven't been ticketed so I don't deal with them much as I stay on the right side of them.
thejazzpianoma,
Jun 4, 7:58pm
A survey of BMW Mini drivers revealed a variance of up to 14km/h. I would be highly doubtful your cruise control is that accurate, it might be on the flat but not down hills.
If you can't see something is wrong when people who set their cruise control that low can get tickets there is no helping you.
GPS is not accurate except when holding a constant speed, Police radar is even so inaccurate that there is actually only a 1km/h margin of tolerance left after you allow for it.
johnf_456,
Jun 4, 7:59pm
Well doh you need brakes down hill, speed control relys on driver control IMHO, I highly doubt people get booked at 90k set cruise. If its out that much fix it. Also some links would be handy.
thejazzpianoma,
Jun 4, 8:02pm
You still don't get it do you. Thats how they are from the factory you can't "fix it". If you try and correct it by hopping on the brakes it turns the cruise control off!
jkm,
Jun 4, 8:04pm
+1 It is not the fact that you can be ticketed at 104kph but that they tell you that they are doing it to keep you " safe"
johnf_456,
Jun 4, 8:05pm
Yup cruise control gets turned off, but to rely on cruise control to stop you from tickets is foolish. Driver control imho, so yes I do get it. If you could not turn cruise control off heck you would go hmm up the back of someone if they are going slower than you.
pollymay,
Jun 4, 8:13pm
Why is it ridiculous! Any more silly than being glued to a speedo! The car will keep a level speed, won't creep to unreasonable speeds and makes long trips comfortable. Only stupid thing is how the police enforce these laws, there are times where 104 is excessive but it isn't on a straight piece of dry 6 lane highway which is what they enforce.
It's not just the policy it's the handling of it. All stinks a bit
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