Getting the message across (From The Oxford Times)
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Getting the message across
5:00pm Saturday 11th February 2012 in Witney
Children from Kirtlington C of E Primary School were out with the police to speak to drivers speeding through their village. PCSO Jason Manton looks on as William Grosvenor-Smith and Poppy Macfarlane, both aged 10, speak to John Coombes who was 1mph over
Speeding drivers in Kirtlington were being ticked off this week.
Youngsters from the village’s primary school were out in force with police officers on Thursday to catch speeding drivers.
When the drivers were caught they were pulled over into a layby where the children explained why they wanted them to slow down.
John Coombes, 58, from Stow-on-the-Wold, was caught going one mile-per-hour over the speed limit through Kirtlington, where the speed limit is 30mph.
He said: “It was good because it makes the driver think about what they are doing and gets the message across.
“The operation was very nicely done and I don’t think of it as a finger-pointing exercise.”
Nearly 50 drivers were stopped and while they were not given a ticket, the children gave them a letter explaining the effects of speeding.
Comments(12)
Man on the Green
says...
9:24am Sun 12 Feb 12
So whilst it is true that Mr Coombes wouldn't have got a speeding ticket, if he and we all can be persuaded - for example - to shift into third gear when we enter a built-up area, we could help make a significant difference to the terrible toll of RTAs, with children and the elderly being at greatest risk.
More and more councils are listening to the experts who have shown that 20mph zones in residential areas are the best way of cutting road deaths and other accidents in towns (and cut emissions to boot). May OCC sit up and take notice at last!
Englishman
says...
9:59am Sun 12 Feb 12
Darkforbid
says...
2:10pm Sun 12 Feb 12
That's an illegal stop, was this about child safety, or showing police power to kids?
LORD PETE MCVAY. OX2 6EG
says...
7:17pm Sun 12 Feb 12
Man on the Green wrote:Rubbish, so there has been a 120% drop in accidents in the city and 240% on the ringroad has there. Your post is about as silly as saying that speed cameras bring about a 50% reduction in accidents, they don't and neither do, draconian speed limits, bad driving causes accidents, and ill-informed people believe the so called experts and cry out for lower this and that all the time. What a load of nonsense and waste of money.
Reaearch by the Road Traffic Laboratory has shown that for every reduction of 1mph in average urban speeds, there is a corresponding 12% reduction in accidents.
So whilst it is true that Mr Coombes wouldn't have got a speeding ticket, if he and we all can be persuaded - for example - to shift into third gear when we enter a built-up area, we could help make a significant difference to the terrible toll of RTAs, with children and the elderly being at greatest risk.
More and more councils are listening to the experts who have shown that 20mph zones in residential areas are the best way of cutting road deaths and other accidents in towns (and cut emissions to boot). May OCC sit up and take notice at last!
iklhik
says...
10:40pm Sun 12 Feb 12
Hear hear.
Porphyro
says...
8:48am Mon 13 Feb 12
Why do some people appear to resent speed limits and the enforcement thereof? It seems to have something to do with an excessive libertarianism that persuades some individuals that their rights trump the rights of everyone everyone.
Porphyro
says...
8:56am Mon 13 Feb 12
Ellie the Bruce
says...
1:49pm Mon 13 Feb 12
Kropotkin
says...
8:04pm Mon 13 Feb 12
Darkforbid
says...
8:52pm Mon 13 Feb 12
a speed limit - just stick to it,
people. And if you don't like it, get
yourself elected and change the
law┄
Yep and the law allows a 10% margin of error. I doubt most of the people stopped were above that.
King Joke
says...
8:58pm Mon 13 Feb 12
You can't educate it out of them either; everyone knows what they do is wrong, they just hope they'll get away with it.
THe only hope you've got is to temper the stupidity out there by making sure it happens more slowly. Fatal RTAs turn into non-fatal RTAs. Serious ones turn into minor ones, and minor ones turn into near-misses and non-events.
gymrat34 says...
11:59pm Sat 11 Feb 12
That could be explained by any number of things and it wouldn't make a blind bit of difference in an impact.
I'd rather drivers were on the look out for kids and other potential 'hazards' and be 1mph over the limit than be exactly at 30mph and be looking at the speedometer more than necessary.
My point is, the article is great that it shows the good work of the Police/PSCO and the children but detracts from it by picking out someone who wouldn't have been booked for speeding under any normal circumstances.