- (1) a Satellite G.P.S.
system
known as 'Intelligent Speed Adaption' which would physically prevent
vehicles from exceeding speed limits. [2007: EU seems to have
modified their ambitions of having every vehicle fitted with this
system by 2010. Now saying that there would be some kind of
manual over-ride if needed... i.e. they don't want to accept
responsibility when things go wrong]
|
- (2) an 'Electronic
Vehicle Identification' system... 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: Road Tax Evasion... [could also be used for... Road Pricing
and Congestion Charging.]
|
- (3) or it
could just
come in a more simple form such as blanket coverage of the roads by a
multitude of different kinds of Speed Cameras.
|
| I |
| or any
combination of the above. 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. 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. None are likely to be
very effective. [Example (2) also gives the State the power to
accurately monitor all your movements.] |
| I |
| So... if
you really don't like the idea of the 'State' taking physical control of your vehicle...
punishing you for every minor infraction of the law... or monitoring
your every move... help us to devise
a better alternative. Have a look at the 'Help
Us' section... or simply make a 'Donation'.
|
| I |
| Systems
trials... are underway in Britain and the
Netherlands. Previously, trials were carried out in four different
towns in Sweden, using four variations of a systems known as "Intelligent Speed Adaptation"
Read. |
|
| It was been reported that this system could be
compulsory right across Europe by 2010 although that particular ambition
seem to have fallen by the way-side... Read. |
|
|
I |
| Professional
Drivers. |
| I |
| Experience in other
countries shows... when Speed cameras are used to excess, those who are
most at risk of losing
their licences [and their jobs] are those that drive for a living: [either
directly: i.e. truck drivers: or indirectly: i.e. sales reps. who spend much of
their time out on the road] or any 'High Mileage' drivers. These may be some of the best drivers around,
good experienced drivers who haven't had an accident or been fined for anything
in years, but by virtue of the fact they spend so much time on the road... they
will be at risk. Imagine driving 30,000 miles a year, plus... especially
if on
unfamiliar roads... looking for road signs or street names... passing hundreds of
speed cameras and you only need to be caught in one per year and you'd be on the
point of losing your livelihood. |
| I |
| [Article: Speed Cameras: life savers or cash
cows?] |
| I |
|
Even being the safest driver in the world will not save you from the speed cameras because safety is, primarily, about how you
'Interact' with other road users...
it means concentrating on what is happening all around you and altering your speed as circumstances
change. Many of the worst offenders just drive around their own local
areas and get to know the exact location of every fixed speed camera... so are
therefore very unlikely to be caught out by them. |
| I |
| With
the Road Supervisors system... there is no reason
why Professional drivers would be at risk if they were
consistently driving in a safe: considerate: and courteous manner. By
contrast, in Britain... the authorities have announced plans to increase the
number of speeding tickets from 2 million to 3 million for the coming year,
[and a huge increase in the number of speed cameras,] and
many of those will be issued to good, safe drivers who are not doing
anything out of the ordinary. |
|
I
I |
| Driving
Enthusiasts. |
| I
|
| There are many
people who really enjoy the driving experience... it is a hobby, or even a passion. You could find them in
any type of vehicle, but typically...
high performance sports cars: motorbikes: or older 'classic cars.' While speed cameras might dent
their enthusiasm, Satellite control could take it away completely. No
Legislation has been passed on this issue so it is not known what
effect it would have on older 'classic' and 'vintage' models. If the
modern electronics prove to be incompatible with these older vehicles
there are two possibilities... either they are squeezed off the road... or they
are exempted.
|
| I
|
|
|
| I |
| If
these older vehicles are gradually forced off the roads by
'unreasonable' regulations: [such as major modifications to the original
specifications,] then they would probably lose much of their
value. If they are exempted... this would create a bizarre situation
where old cars were driving around much faster than newer and safer
models... which means their value would probably increase
substantially. |
| I |
| Many
'enthusiasts'... are experienced,
responsible drivers... with the Road Supervisors system there is no reason
why these enthusiasts should not continue to go out and enjoy the open
road, so long as they do not create problems for other road users.
Safety and enjoyment do not have to be incompatible!
But, in future... drivers will need to accept more responsibility for what
happens on the roads
or technology will do it for them. Any plan which just involves maintaining
the 'status quo', is probably doomed to failure in the long run. |
|
I
I |
| Employers. |
| I |
| For whatever
reason drivers who use company vehicles have a higher rate of
accidents than those who driver their own vehicles. Not only can
employees cost you a lot of money if they cause an accident, but, [if you
have your company's name on the side of the vehicle] they can be
generating bad publicity for you on a daily basis. Satellite
navigation will not help with either of these problems... while speed
cameras are just as likely to end up banning your good drivers as
identifying you bad drivers. |
| I
|
| Basically...
as an employer, you just need to know what is going on with your drivers
while they are out on the road. Some employers do take part in
various 'How's my driving?' type schemes which gives them some feedback,
and has produced reductions of up to 22%. |
| I
|
| A
Road Supervisors scheme... would
just mean making this type of system official, it would operate on a
much bigger scale and provide a whole range of options to deal with the
problems. |
|
I
I
|
| New
Drivers... Old Drivers.
|
| I
|
| New Drivers... in Britain
there is a move to change the age you can take your driving test from 17
to 18. It would still be possible to start learning at 17... and as
many drivers are close to their 18th birthday by the time they take their
tests anyway... it might not make that much difference: [in which case the
whole exercise will be a waste of time.] A range of other
restrictions are also being considered... [no night driving, compulsory
lessons, minimal number of hours 'logged'] because there is a problem with
'teen drivers'... so rather than target the individuals concerned... the
Authorities want to put restrictions on everyone. Inevitably... the
worst offenders find ways to circumvent the rules... and the law-abiding
majority pay the price of the lawless minority. With this system
problem drivers would be targeted... and new drivers would not have as
many restrictions placed on them unless they themselves became a problem.
|
| I
|
| Older Drivers... are
increasingly becoming a problem. Firstly, because there are more of
them/us... and secondly, because a lot more of us are living longer.
As we age... our driving skills, eyesight, reactions... all start to
deteriorate and the chances of us having an accident begins to increase...
quite dramatically in some cases. So, inevitably, a system will be
required to examine? re-test? remove? older drivers. This system
would try and help older drivers to maintain their independence for as
long as possible... but once identified as a real problem... retired
before they caused an accident. This is a delicate situation that
many of us will face in the future... and this way, you would be judged on
your ability to drive rather than some arbitrary age limit... or a
doctor's examination.
|
I
I
|
| Manufacturers. |
| I |
| Any big changes
will inevitably
create some winners and some losers. In this case the obvious
winners would be those involved in the creation of Satellite Technology and the
losers would be those who manufacture high performance cars and
motorbikes... plus their shareholders: employees: sales outlets: service
personnel: etc. Drivers sacrifice seating and storage space for
performance... but if it becomes physically impossible to use that performance, why
would anyone pay out large sums of money for these vehicles? |
| I
|
| While speed
cameras might not help sales of some cars and motorbikes... the
compulsory implementation of Satellite Technology may be a threat to the
very existence of some manufacturers. It is quite possible for
cheaper cars
to have the same basic styling as a fast expensive car... but if they can only travel at
70 or 80mph, they
can do without all the expensive engineering. There are some
Manufacturers who obviously need to take stock and evaluate the size of
this threat as a matter of urgency... i.e. find out exactly how many of
their existing customers would continue to buy their products if
restricted by this new Satellite Technology. |
| I
|
| Two stories
highlight the problem. May 2005: the European Union's
energy commissioner Andris Piebalgs calls for a compulsory 62mph
(100kph) speed limit to be imposed across all 25 member nations...
in order to reduce accidents and conserve energy. July 2005: BMW,
Audi and Mercedes announce that they were withdrawing from a
voluntary agreement to limit the top speeds of their cars to 155mph
(250kph.) They say they must be able to compete with the likes
of Porsche and Ferrari who do not use electronic limiters on their
cars. So... how do these companies think they will compete
when their cars are restricted to 70mph? |
|
| I
|
|
| Even successfully
opposing the introduction of a Satellite control system might just result
in a whole load of legal problems...
|
| I
|
- If a National speed limit was 70mph.
|
- The Manufacturer was selling vehicles which were capable of
130mph+
|
- Someone was killed be a driver doing 100mph:
[or possibly exceeding any
speed limit]
|
- The Manufacturer had opposed the introduction of measures
which would have restricted the speed of their vehicles... for purely
commercial reasons...
|
| I
|
| It is not difficult to imagine a
scenario where a
Manufacturer is held partially responsible for the reckless behaviour of
one of its customers... and ends up having to pay out massive damages in a Court
case.
|
| I
|
| With
the Road Supervisors system... there
is no threat to Manufacturers. Just because someone owns a fast,
expensive car, or motorbike, which is capable of travelling at 130mph+ it
doesn't mean they are not going to be careful and responsible
drivers. Many of the worst offenders are fairly young and cannot
afford expensive, high powered vehicles... but that doesn't stop them driving
in a reckless way. If it came to Court... in their defence a
Manufacturer could at least take the position... "We manufacture some
of the safest vehicles on the roads... but it is the responsibility
of Governments to control the behaviour of its citizens. That is why we have been supporting this
type of scheme... but unfortunately
Governments have not been listening". |
|
I
I
|
| Who should support this Project?
|
| I |
| Anyone interested in road safety
issues... but more specifically, any campaigning group which has
reached its natural level of effectiveness, slowly ground to a halt or
completely 'hit a brick wall'.
People concerned about the quality of life in their own
neighbourhood. Truckers: Taxi drivers: delivery drivers: sales reps:
any Professional or high mileage drivers. Motoring enthusiasts... those who want to enjoy the
'Freedom' of the open road.
Those who use 'special needs' parking places. Cyclists:
Motorbike riders: Employers: Parents worried about their children:
Horse riders: the Police. Those who hate Speed Cameras... and
anyone who abhors the very idea of having their vehicle taken over and
controlled by a Satellite!! |
| I
|
| The
Road Supervisors scheme. On the other
hand... if you happen to be a complete maniac...
consistently break the law... or generally, tend to leave a trail of misery in
your wake... you might want to give
this a miss!! |
|
| I
|
| Of course there
would be a lot of opposition for this type of system... not just from
maniac drivers who would come off badly... but others who will inevitably
compare this to the work of 'The Nazis'... the 'KGB'... 'The Stazi'...
'Big Brother'... or
something similar... where everyone goes around spying on everyone else...
and you end up worrying about getting reported for every little
mistake. Whereas a more valid comparison might be something like
Neighbourhood Watch. For anyone that drives around in a reasonable
manner... getting a report should be a very unusual occurrence.
|
I
I
|
| The
Bottom Line. |
| I
|
| At present we are
heading towards the situation of having a huge increase in speed cameras
of every kind, and in the not to distant future... having vehicles
physically controlled by Technology. Some people will support these
measures simply because its the only plan on offer. Our objective at Road
Supervisors is... to develop and promote a totally different concept... to
create a viable alternative... as laid out in this website. So, if
you don't want the 'State' taking control of your vehicle, help us devise
a better plan... take a look at the 'Help Us' section... or simply make a 'Donation'.
There is absolutely no chance of us succeeding without your assistance!! |
I
I
I
|
