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| The
Introduction.
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| Introduction.
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| The
Problems.
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| The
Concept.
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| The Project.
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| The
Articles.
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| The
Bottom Line.
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| Introduction.
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| The
Internet... Information technology... and modern Communications... offer
us a unique opportunity to tackle old problems in totally different
ways. This website outlines a Road Safety Concept which we believe
has the potential to significantly
reduce the level of accidents... by utilizing the power of the
Internet. Our aim is to refine, develop and promote this Concept
further as part of an online, interactive Project... which we would like
our visitors to participate in. [Although based in Britain... the
Problems... general Concepts... and possible Solutions... under discussion
are not specific to any one country.]
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| New
Technology.
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technologies... such as satellites, barcodes, black-boxes, radio chips,
V2V information and Cameras will inevitably bring about some very radical
changes. Both the State and Insurance companies will use this Technology
to... monitor your journeys for road pricing schemes... pay-as-you-go
insurance policies... to control your vehicle for "elf &
safety" reasons... and as a more efficient means of punishing road
users. These changes may come in the form of...
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- (1.) A system known as 'Intelligent Speed Adaptation' which
uses satellite G.P.S. technology to prevent vehicles from exceeding
speed limits. [A system the E.U. stated that it would like to
see introduced in all member States.]
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- (2.) A system known as 'Electronic
Vehicle Identification' which would mean fitting every
vehicle with a microchip. Road sensors linked to a central
computer would allow drivers to be automatically prosecuted for a wide
range of offences, including... speeding, illegal parking and road tax
evasion... [could also be used for... road pricing and congestion
charging.]
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- (3.) It could just come in a more
simple form... such as blanket coverage of the roads with various
kinds of Speed Cameras. [Or any combination of the above.]
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| All the afore
mentioned... are examples of Technology being implemented 'Big Brother'
style. Example (1.) gives a centralized 'State' the power to physically control the behaviour of its
citizens... [but without taking any
responsibility for the consequences when things go wrong.] Examples
(2.) and (3.) enable the 'State' to control the behaviour of its citizens
through fear of Punishment. All focus on a very narrow range of
behaviour... all are incredibly expensive for a whole country to
implement... none are likely to be
very effective. [Example (2.) also gives the State the power to
accurately monitor all your movements.] |
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| Pro-car... anti-car.
If you enjoy driving... none of these systems are
going to enhance your driving experience. If you hate some
aspect of driving... [or just cars in general] none of these systems
are going to solve your problem. At best, they may slightly
reduce one or two problems... at worst, they'll just create a whole
set of new problems you'll have to contend with. |
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| The
Problems.
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| Road
accidents happen for a lot of different reasons, like...
adverse weather conditions... poor road construction, layout, signage or maintenance...
unroadworthy vehicles... a lack of policing... poor training... fatigue... bad
habits common to the prevailing road culture... one-off mistakes by
ordinary, low-risk
drivers... and finally,
the most common reason... accidents which are caused by the most serious and
persistent offenders... because of a pattern of
high-risk behaviour which has been allowed to develop and continue unchecked
over a period of time. If an accident was
due to... an uncharacteristic error...
a lapse in concentration... or an unpredictable set of circumstances... then there probably
wasn't much you could have done to prevent it. If it was due to any pattern of
'high-risk' behaviour... then there probably was!
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| Most
of these new technologies do not really target any particular problem...
they may be very good when it comes to monitoring or controlling the
law-abiding majority, who are not a problem... but totally ineffective
against the very people who need to be brought under control.
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| The
Concept... |
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| known
as 'The Road Supervisors Scheme' [which has been laid out in detail
throughout the following pages] has the potential to significantly
reduce Road Accidents... without costing a fortune. This is a
pro-active Plan that relies on People participation and new
Technology. It utilizes the power of the Internet in order to...
identify any pattern of high-risk behaviour... and then takes a systematic
approach to rectifying that behaviour. This is a system that... |
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- uses 'Information' as the principal
force for changing driver behaviour... rather than simply relying on
various forms of 'Punishment'... which is the principal force used at
present.
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- uses motivation, deterrents, targeted
education, social pressure, enforcement and punishment... to raise
standards and reduce the level of high-risk activity.
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- is flexible enough to target any
problem, whether it is... a single high-risk individual... some bad
habits within the general road-culture... or some part of the physical
road environment which is contributing to inter-driver conflict.
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- would empower the law-abiding
majority... experienced drivers working with the Authorities...
targeting illegal drivers and any high-risk individuals.
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- allows Technology so do what it is
good at... number crunching... collecting, processing and
disseminating Information.
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- allows the Police to concentrate on
serious offenders and emergency situations... rather than penalising
sensible people... who are doing perfectly reasonable things.
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- could revolutionise 'Road Safety' by
empowering the users... in a way that social networking sites like...
eBay, Facebook, YouTube and MySpace have done.
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| At
Road Supervisors...
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we firmly believe that 'drivers' are our greatest asset... and where
possible, new
Technology should be implemented in ways that harness their experience and
complement their skills... that empowers individuals so they become active
participants in their own Society... working with the Authorities...
rather than just passive onlookers being monitored, controlled and
punished by an all powerful State. When the State tries to claim a
role for itself that it cannot play... and tries to give Technology a job
that it cannot do... there is very little chance of success.
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The Project.
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The basic Idea and Philosophy behind 'The
Project' is the same as for 'The Concept'. That is... "the most
valuable asset that we have are people". They have an infinite
amount of... Talent: Experience: Energy: and Ideas... which could be tapped
into. The Internet now gives us the opportunity to harness those
Talents, wherever they may be... exchange Ideas... and Communicate with
large numbers of people very quickly. What exactly can be achieved in
this way has yet to be determined.
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Many of these new Technologies will be
introduced over the coming decades. They will bring about changes...
and those changes will have an effect on your life. Whatever country
you live in... the Internet makes it possible for you to become an active
participant rather than just a passive bystander. It's your Society...
it's your life... so, get involved... have your say! One person really
can make a difference.
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Law-abiding? In the UK...
the Government is planning to change the points system so drivers
could get up to 6 points for one speeding offence [i.e. doing 94mph+ on a
Motorway]... or for "failing to identify the driver" as of
24/09/07. That means there will be 1-2 million law-abiding
drivers just one offence away from losing their licence.
Meanwhile... there is now something in the region of 2 million
people driving around who have not... registered their vehicle...
got an MOT... Road Tax... Insurance... a licence... or have been
banned from driving. This group are up to 9 times more likely
to commit some offences than the average driver... and what are the
Government's plans for dealing with them?
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Invitation...
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We would invite our visitors... to
read/scrutinize this Concept... then give us some feedback... good or
bad. This is not a Concept which is set in stone, it is just an Idea...
everything is open to discussion... so help us to refine and develop this
Concept further by submitting your own... ideas, comments and opinions. We would particularly like to know...
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- Firstly... whether you think the basic Concept is
workable? If not, why not? Are there other strategies
which could be used?
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- If it is workable... is it a system drivers
would want to live with? Do drivers want more responsibility...
or should it just be left to the State?
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- Is this simply a 'busy-body's
charter? Is the behaviour of other drivers your legitimate
concern... or should you just keep quiet until after they actually
splatter you across the Highway?
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- What you think of the present system?
Do the police go for easy targets? Should they be concentrating on
the more serious offenders?
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- What you think about the EU's
plans for controlling all vehicles using GPS? Would you be
happy with a satellite taking control of your vehicle?
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- What do you think of plans to
effectively, increase the driving age to 18 in the UK.
Increasing the average training time from 100hrs to 500hrs before
taking a driving test. [See Daily Mail campaign...Raising
the Driving Age to 18.]
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- What kind of
developments would you like to see? Not just in the area of road
safety, but... parking, road pricing, enforcement, speed cameras, etc.
etc.
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Finally... we would invite you to
have at look at the 'Help Us' sections to see exactly how you can get
involved in the other aspect of this Project... its Promotion and
Implementation. If you abhor the very idea of the 'State' taking
control of your vehicle... of Insurance Companies monitoring every journey
you do... are fearful of losing your licence under the present system...
worried about losing your job... sick of the Government going for easy
targets instead of serious offenders... then help us to devise and promote
some better alternatives. [Help by...
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| The
Articles...
and Resources.
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website also includes links to outside Articles which are relevant... that
help to explain some of the problems... and why something like a
RoadSupervisor scheme could be a solution. Our own in-house Articles
will also help to explain the benefits of this kind of system from
different perspectives. You will also find some Resources which
might help you to fight a Ticket... and stay on the road... like Legal
Tips and Template Letters.
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| Drivers
not only need to know the 'Rules of the Road'... they also need to know
the Law of
the Land! Rightly or wrongly... for many people...
the 'Law' is no longer seen as something which will protect them... but
something that they need protecting from!! The Authorities do not
just concentrate on the worst offenders... they go for easy targets... and
that could be anyone. Those that get justice are those that can
afford it. [See Legal
ebooks.]
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| In the UK...
if you have Insurance then you are currently being charged about
£30-£60 per year to cover the cost of damage done by uninsured
drivers... while the Fine for those caught with no Insurance is
going to be reduced... to about £175 average. Un-Taxed
drivers have risen from 1.34 million in 1999 to 2.17 million in
2006... while prosecutions have fallen from 204,606 in 1999 to
103,108 in 2006. Let's face it... the
law-abiding majority are being taken for a bunch of Mugs!! So,
if you're getting sick of it... let us know... what changes would
you like to see? What do you think about the present
system? What do you think about this new Concept? Should
citizens be actively involved? Should we leave it all up to
the 'State'? Take a few minutes and let us know. Give us
your Comments... give us your Ideas... give us your Opinions!
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| The
Bottom Line.
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only thing we are saying is... that people
should be given a say. Whether it's on the issue of Road Safety...
or something like Road Pricing: [1.8 million people signed a petition to
say they are against Road Pricing, but are simply ignored.] And that
it would be much better to get a general consensus before making any
fundamental changes... rather than impose changes against the wishes of
the majority. So, at this point... we are not saying that some
kind of Road Supervisor scheme should be introduced... because we
don't know if this is something that people would want.
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| Therefore...
our main aim is simply to put new innovative ideas into the public domain
and find out what people really want in the future... and if the majority
don't want something... that should be their prerogative. In the
mean time... there is absolutely no chance of us influencing the debate
one way or the other without some assistance! You will find as many
ways to participate in this Project as your... time, energy, resources
and talents will allow!!
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Please note...
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If this website does not have a banner and navigation bar... Click
Here to make them appear.
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- If you would prefer to view the pages
as they are, then note... all pages can be accessed by clicking 'Site
Plan' at the bottom of each page.
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- For those with very limited time...
if you only want to read a couple of pages to get the general idea...
click on 'The Problems'
and then see 'The Concept' [If
you don't read these two pages first, then the rest of the site
probably won't make much sense!]
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Roadweb... is a loose association of
approved internet sites promoting road users' rights and supporting car
and road use in the UK. Click to visit the hub where you will find links
to all member sites.
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| Back
to the Top
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Home.
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Site Plan.
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The
Problems...
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