...to think warning other drivers about police presence is a courtesy not enabling bad drivers?

[Boomerwang]

Yesterday the police were making traffic stops near a school as it was the first day back (Sweden) and I put it out on facebook, reminding people to check over their cars, go another way if they are in a hurry and watch their speed etc. I put it in a local community group. I was roundly chastised and the thread was removed not long after. Coming from England I thought it was normal that people gave a heads up but their argument was that this way the idiot drivers and people with alcohol or drugs in their system were now warned and won't be taken off the road or fined.

I mean, I don't take drugs or drive under the influence or particularly fast over the speed limit so I wasn't considering that, but if this situation occurs again, I'd like to know what the majority think before I try to help again?

So glad it's not just me. I don't understand this acceptability of speeding, like it's OK. It isn't. It's dangerous. Don't "warn" people, let them get caught driving dangerously and suffer the consequences - a few points on their license and a day off attending a safe drive course is nothing compared to the death of a child/loved one.
I hate this "it's OK to break the speed limit" culture, it really is stupid.

But speed camera warnings are not for the speeding driver's benefit, they're to protect innocent other road users, who could end up being the victims of that driver's reckless driving. That happens too often.

However, I think penalties for speeding aren't an adequate deterrent, that should change as well.

It isn't. It's dangerous.

I suspect that if you compared the number of speed related accidents per day in the UK to the number of times the speed limit is broken per day, the chances of anything bad happening are exceedingly low.

Speeding related, that should have read.

Just out of interest, why do people feel the need to speed?

@Yerroblemom1923

Just out of interest, why do people feel the need to speed?

Arrogance

I suspect that if you compared the number of speed related accidents per day in the UK to the number of times the speed limit is broken per day, the chances of anything bad happening are exceedingly low.

I would also add that it’s inappropriate use of speed that’s dangerous. Exceeding an arbitrary figure doesn’t automatically make something dangerous.

I'm in the UK and our local newspaper publishes where the police will be doing random vehicle and speed checks during the following week so...🤷‍♀️ Not sure what the difference is, apart from OP not being in the UK.

I would also add that it’s inappropriate use of speed that’s dangerous. Exceeding an arbitrary figure doesn’t automatically make something dangerous.

Exactly. Speed limits are broken thousand, maybe millions of times every day in the UK and absolutely nothing bad happens.

@Bwlch

I would also add that it’s inappropriate use of speed that’s dangerous. Exceeding an arbitrary figure doesn’t automatically make something dangerous.

Exactly. Speed limits are broken thousand, maybe millions of times every day in the UK and absolutely nothing bad happens.

The problem is they are broken by the people least skilled to handle them and most likely to ignore the cues that grown up drivers use to gauge the appropriate speed.The driving test is a bare minimum level of competence that demonstrates the person passing it is capable of handling a car legally - nothing more.

By all means, go away and get an pass plus or whatever the advanced driving test has become these days. Only you'll find they still expect you not to speed.

The better a driver you are, the less likely you are to speed. And when we need an exception to that, we look to trained and qualified police drivers - and tragically even they can have terrible accidents.

No yabu. I hate it when I see on face book 'be careful old bill up by the cross roads in so and so'. If your not driving like a prick and your friends don't drive like a prick you dont need to be warned, let the dangerous drivers be caught ffs.

Reference the sat-navs and other devices that warn of speed traps: every year the ADAC (like the AA in UK) in Germany used to warn drivers about the regulations for driving in other European countries. Such as you have to carry a complete set of spare bulbs in Spain etc. One thing they used to warn about the fact that it is illegal to use speed trap warning devices in France and that if you can deactivate it you should because the police might confiscate the device and/or issue a hefty fine.

I mean you did “tip off” the people they likely wanted to catch out.

What do you think is most in the public interest? Preventing the inconvenience of being late or preventing dangerous drivers from roaming around?

The better a driver you are, the less likely you are to speed.

Clearly someone who’s never been in a car with an off duty/retired traffic cop. The fastest drivers I know, effortlessly smooth and yet make progress at an astonishing rate.

My god this thread got long. Everybody has gotten fixated on speeding or driving badly. I wasn't warning people who do that. They weren't speed traps they were stops. I was thinking more along the lines of 'take your driving license with you when you drop off the kids' or 'check the lights are working properly' and 'check your tyres for bulges' etc to avoid a minor fine.

Shouldn’t drivers check lights and tyres frequently regardless of police stops though? It’s a basic aspect of having a roadworthy car. Again, your warning just served to tip off idiots.

@Elai1978

The better a driver you are, the less likely you are to speed.

Clearly someone who’s never been in a car with an off duty/retired traffic cop. The fastest drivers I know, effortlessly smooth and yet make progress at an astonishing rate.

I've been in cars many, many times with off duty AND retired cops and not a single one has ever broken the speed limit because they do not think they are above the law and better than everyone else. The ones you have been with driving that "make progress with astonishing speed" are clearly the arrogant gits that give the rest a bad name and think they are better than regular people. You know speed cameras can't tell if a driver is a trained police traffic officer or a numpty, don't you?

It's gone that way because you mentioned flashed speeding drivers to warn them about speed traps, OP. I also don't agree with that, flashing should only be done if warning of a genuine hazard in the road ahead.

@Elai1978

The better a driver you are, the less likely you are to speed.

Clearly someone who’s never been in a car with an off duty/retired traffic cop. The fastest drivers I know, effortlessly smooth and yet make progress at an astonishing rate.

Sorry, but I'm not letting you get away with selective quoting to try and score a point, - literally my next sentence was:

And when we need an exception to that, we look to trained and qualified police drivers

Which I specifically wrote having been in enough cars with enough police drivers over the years to appreciate their skills.

I suspect that if you compared the number of speed related accidents per day in the UK to the number of times the speed limit is broken per day, the chances of anything bad happening are exceedingly

www.rospa.com/rospaweb/docs/advice-services/road-safety/drivers/inappropriate-speed.pdf Sorry meant to link to this the above is US