Without wishing to offend the do gooders out there who think that defending yourself against speeding infringements is akin to heresy, it is about time that Australian motorists woke up to the fact that they are considered nothing but a cash cow to senior police and various state government authorities. Remember that as citizens we are obliged to act within the confines of the laws of our country and these laws apply to the police as well.
On Tuesday {29TH May 2007] in an interview on the John Laws 2UE radio program, Scott Cooper challenged the NSW Government over the infringement notices issued in the Sydney Lane Cove tunnel. This particular piece of road has long been a bane of contention to motorists who have been sent camera related infringement notices claiming road works were in progress with associated 40kmh speed signs. The problem is that said motorists did not see the 40kmh signs and many of these tickets were issued in the early hours of the morning when roadworks had finished hours beforehand. Not to mention that the overhead lane signs showed the road was clear and to proceed as normal.
Scott Cooper told John Laws and his nation of listeners that there was much more to the problem than lack of signage and confusing overhead green arrow lane markers. Quoting directly from confidential Standard speed Enforcement Operations manual, the bible that the police are obliged to act under, he revealed that the whole thing was nothing but a huge cheat. That operations manual states clearly,
“Speed cameras must only be used in accordance with the original site criteria. If any of the conditions of the road change significantly, such as;
- Speed zone;
- Roadworks
- Number of lanes;
The speed camera is not to be used for enforcement purposes.
The transport Minister and the Police knew this rule and yet they deliberately broke their own laws and ripped off Australian motorists to the tune of millions of dollars!
If you consider that each time a police officer issues you with an infringement notice and berates you for breaking the law that he is only doing so for safety purposes then consider why each confidential Standard Speed Enforcement Operations Manual, and this is the bible the police and government don’t want you to see, contains the following paragraph.
“Speed cameras, Lidars, and mobile radar shall not be used at any location or in a mode that would give rise to criticism or a complaint that the operation is only a means of raising government revenue”…..
Australian motorists please wake up! If you knew the full extent of just how the police themselves break every one of their own rules in their insatiable rush to book as many motorists as possible just to raise revenue….you would be truly horrified.
This is particularly true of legislated safety procedures the police are supposed to carry out whilst engaged in speed enforcement operations.
Just as a sample did you know that when you are pulled over by a policeman using a Lidar/Laser gun, the following rules must be adhered to by that policeman. It states clearly and I quote;
“At all times a fully marked Police vehicle is to be positioned on the roadway at the stopping location to provide early warning and a corridor of safety for motorists. The roof message bar and/or warning lights of the police vehicle must be utilised.”
When was the last time you saw that happen? They hide behind bushes and bustops, park their vehicles around the corner or up on the footpath behind those bustops creating havoc for pedestrians, use unmarked vehicles and deliberately operate from the reserves in between major freeways. They hide up elevated off ramps, in road works, in fact everywhere their own laws declare they are not allowed to operate in!
If Australian Motorists knew just where they are not, and I repeat not, allowed to operate speed cameras, you would never pay a camera fine again….
The point to all this dialogue is that Australian motorists are being relieved of millions of dollars every year by believing that the policeman who has just issued you the speeding ticket has operated correctly and that you, the motorist,are totally in the wrong.
The truth of the matter is that in the majority of cases motorists are not being booked according to anyone’s law.
The rules set for the police are there for a very good reason and most of them are for safety reasons and to offset the possibility of their speed equipment giving false readings.
The commonality of research around the globe is that better driver education and increased police presence on the roads is perhaps the only way we are going to keep the road toll within acceptable limits. The majority of police do a wonderful job looking after us but when their own commanders and in fact government agencies bully them into becoming revenue raisers in their unlawful urge to fill government coffers….then it is only the actions of the people themselves that can force them to back off and, like us…obey the law. |
