In towns and in the countryside, I see 4x4s and pick up trucks driven without care or conscience. It’s a Magafication of transport, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot
""The local police commissioner has warned that reckless drivers “will face the full force of the law … including seizure of your vehicle and imprisonment”. But are the courts listening?
Of the three men convicted at Birmingham magistrates court, one received a suspended sentence, a £272 fine, 150 hours of community work and a two-year driving ban. Another was handed a £1,275 fine and seven penalty points: in other words, he could step out of the court and back into his car. The man who did over 90mph in a 30mph zone got a £253 fine and a 56-day driving ban. He’ll be back on the roads in November. All appear to have kept their cars.“”
Same thing happens in Poland. Police stops reckless drivers and court takes away their driving licenses. They keep driving, get stopped, and judges forbid them from driving. One guy was forbidden to drive over 30 times. No jail or nothing. Just a slap on the wrist.
And no one really knows why. Some of those people are well connected but not all of them. Judges simply don’t think it’s a problem that should be solved for some reason.
It’s a bit better in Spain. Where I live police is actually tracking social media and using drones to find and stop illegal races. It also looks like judges are trying to help as I’ve seen cases where suspended jail time was handed out in first offense cases or reckless driving. It is still barely making a dent. I think the main problem is that idiot drivers are very determined. They will not stop meeting, driving like idiots and making noise because they got a fine or two. You would have to prosecute and jail thousands or people to stop it.
Singapore is fighting street racing culture and it’s taking a lot of work including raids on car workshops and prosecutions of mechanics doing illegal modifications. They are getting some results but it’s not easy.
As with everything the solution would have to be more drastic and affect everyone: mandatory speed limiters in every car, immediate confiscation or cars surpassing noise and emission limits. Of course most people will not agree to it so what’s left are some half-measures that limit the issue but never really solve it.
""The local police commissioner has warned that reckless drivers “will face the full force of the law … including seizure of your vehicle and imprisonment”. But are the courts listening?
Of the three men convicted at Birmingham magistrates court, one received a suspended sentence, a £272 fine, 150 hours of community work and a two-year driving ban. Another was handed a £1,275 fine and seven penalty points: in other words, he could step out of the court and back into his car. The man who did over 90mph in a 30mph zone got a £253 fine and a 56-day driving ban. He’ll be back on the roads in November. All appear to have kept their cars.“”
Same thing happens in Poland. Police stops reckless drivers and court takes away their driving licenses. They keep driving, get stopped, and judges forbid them from driving. One guy was forbidden to drive over 30 times. No jail or nothing. Just a slap on the wrist.
And no one really knows why. Some of those people are well connected but not all of them. Judges simply don’t think it’s a problem that should be solved for some reason.
It’s a bit better in Spain. Where I live police is actually tracking social media and using drones to find and stop illegal races. It also looks like judges are trying to help as I’ve seen cases where suspended jail time was handed out in first offense cases or reckless driving. It is still barely making a dent. I think the main problem is that idiot drivers are very determined. They will not stop meeting, driving like idiots and making noise because they got a fine or two. You would have to prosecute and jail thousands or people to stop it.
Singapore is fighting street racing culture and it’s taking a lot of work including raids on car workshops and prosecutions of mechanics doing illegal modifications. They are getting some results but it’s not easy.
As with everything the solution would have to be more drastic and affect everyone: mandatory speed limiters in every car, immediate confiscation or cars surpassing noise and emission limits. Of course most people will not agree to it so what’s left are some half-measures that limit the issue but never really solve it.