John MacDonald: Our speeding fines are a joke

If I asked you how many demerit points you have right now, reckon you’d be able to tell me? 

If you could, then you’re better than most people. Because, unless you get enough demerits to have your licence suspended, then I think most people don’t care. 

And a study out today is telling us that we do need to care if we want to make the roads safer. 

The people behind the study are telling us that most of us won’t care until we have tougher penalties for speeding. And I’m with them. Because, if we keep on doing things the way we do, not much is going to change. 

Here’s the gist of what this study connected with the University of Canterbury is telling us. It's found that drivers ticketed for speeding are nearly three times more likely to be involved in a crash. 

And you know why that is, don’t you? It’s because the fines for speeding are so piddly that people just take their chances. 

The speed cameras don’t help, either. Because, if you get ticketed by a speed camera,  you don't even get the demerit points. Because it can be difficult to prove who was driving. 

So, while the speed cameras are useful, they're not going to do much in terms of slowing people down if, the only impact, is paying a piddly fine and still keeping your licence. 

Which is why I like the idea that these researchers are floating today. That if you get a speeding ticket and keep on speeding, you get a higher fine each time. 

I’d go a step further than that, though, and say that the fines themselves need to be way higher than what they are now. 

As one of the people involved in this study is pointing out today, it’s crazy that you can actually pay more for a parking fine than for a speeding fine. 

So rank up the fines each time someone is caught speeding - but sting people for a lot more than we do at the moment. 

The other idea that these experts are putting out there today is, essentially, means testing people when they get fined for speeding. 

Which might sound like a good idea. But it’s not.  

Because someone who speeds is just as much of a menace on the road whether they’re driving some sort of Flash Harry 4-wheel-drive or whether they’re driving a Demio or a clapped-out old Toyota. 

Besides which, when you drive too fast on the road you are breaking the law. So I think giving speeding fines to people on how rich they are, or otherwise, makes no sense. 

Not to mention the fact that it would be an absolute nightmare to run. 

Can you imagine getting pulled over by a cop? Getting some sort of ticket. Then having to go home and submit your income details and whatever else they’d need to determine what means you have to pay the fine. 

It might sound like a great idea when you’re writing your research paper at university and trying to “push the envelope” a bit. But it would be a disaster. 

Although, to be fair to Dr Darren Walton at the University of Canterbury, he hasn’t just plucked this idea out of thin air. He says, in Switzerland, speeding fines are scaled to wealth. 

But I don't see how that would encourage someone with plenty of money to slow down. They’d just go “pfft” and pay the fine. 

And I don’t buy this argument that speeding fines need to be “equitable”. That’s what the university guy is saying. You speed, you get caught, and you should pay exactly the same fine - whatever your financial situation. That’s what I think. 

But, if this research is telling us that drivers ticketed for speeding are nearly three times more likely than other drivers to be involved in a crash, then something does need to change. 

And I do like the idea of scaling-up the speeding fine system. So that, each time you get a ticket, you have to pay a higher fine. 

What do you think?&nb

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the carry Wood of morning's podcast from
news Talk said, b.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
If I said this to you all right, well, I'm
saying it to you now. But if I said to
you how many demerit points you got right now, reckon,
you'd be able to tell me. If you could, or
if you can tell me, then you're better than most people.
I reckon, because unless you get enough to merits to
lose your license or to have your license suspended, then

(00:33):
I think most people don't care. And a study that's
out today is telling us that we do need to
care if we want to make the roads safer. And
the people behind the study are telling us that most
of us we won't care until we have tougher penalties
for speeding. It on with them. I'm with them, because
if we keep on doing things the way we do well,

(00:54):
not much is going to change. A here's the gist
of what the study, connected to the University of Canterbury
is telling us. This research has found that drivers ticketed
for speeding are nearly three times more likely to be
involved in the crash. Can't deny the numbers. And you
know why that is, don't you. Well, this is what

(01:15):
I think it's down to it's because the fines for
speeding are so piddly people to take their chances, Oh,
might get caught, might not. And the speed cameras no,
don't help either because, as you know, if you get
ticketed by a speed camera, you don't even get the
demerit points on your license. Why because it can be
difficult to prove it was driving. I wasn't driving that car.

(01:36):
Prove it there we are can't get the demerit points,
Which is why I like the idea that these researchers
are floating today that if you get a speeding ticket,
and if you keep on speeding, you get a higher
fine each time some play I would go a step
further than that, and I would say that the finds
themselves need to be way higher from the start. As

(01:59):
one of the people involved in the studies pointing out today,
it's crazy, and think about this. It is crazy that
you can actually pay more for a parking ticket than
a speeding ticket. So yep, I agree, rank up the
fines each time someone's caught speeding, but thing them for
a lot more than we do at the moment right
from the start. The other idea that these experts are

(02:20):
pointing out there today, which I don't like is what
it's essentially means, testing people when they get fined for speeding,
which you know, probably possibly sounds like a good idea,
but it's not. It's not a good idea. Well, I
don't think it is. Anyway. You might think differently, because
someone who speeds is just as much of a menace

(02:42):
on the road, whether they're driving some sort of flash
hairy four will drive or Lamborghini, there as much as
a menace as the person driving an old Demi or
clapped out old Toyota. Besides which, when you drive too
fast on the road, you are breaking the law. So
I think giving speeding fines to people depending on how

(03:03):
rich they are or otherwise makes no sense to me,
not to mention the fact. Can you can you imagine
what a nightmare it would be to run? Can you
imagine getting pulled over by a cop? You get some
sort of ticket, it's a half harder ticket, there's no
fine details on there, there's no dollars there. Then you

(03:24):
had to go home. You got to submit your income
details and whatever else, whatever else they would need to
determine what means you have to pay the fine, as
I say, might sound like a great idea when you're
writing your research paper at university and trying to you know,
how do we push the envelope of that. Oh, I know,
I know means test, but it would be a disaster.

(03:44):
Although to be fair to doctor Darren Walton at the
University of Canterbury, he hasn't just he hasn't plucked this
idea out of thin air. He says, in Switzerland, speeding
fines are scaled to wealth. But I don't see how that.
I just don't see how that would encourage someone with
plenty of money to slow down. They would just go
to they pay the fine. And I also do I'm

(04:07):
buy this argument that speeding fines need to be equitable.
That's what the university guys say. You know, we need
an equitable fine system. Sorry, mate, you speed, you get caught,
and you should pay exactly the same fine whatever your
financial situation is. That's what I think. But if this
research is telling us today that drivers ticketed for speeding

(04:29):
are nearly three times more likely than other drivers to
be involved in the crash, then something does need to change.
And I do like the idea of scaling up the
speeding fine systems that each time you get a ticket,
you get a high fine. I don't like means testing though,
but what do you think?

Speaker 1 (04:46):
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