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| Should the police write tickets for traffic violations? |
| Of course! Traffic laws exist for a good reason. |
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70% |
[ 19 ] |
| Maybe sometimes, but many traffic laws are a nuisance. |
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25% |
[ 7 ] |
| Absolutely not. Drivers should be allowed to drive as they see fit. |
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0% |
[ 0 ] |
| Other. |
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3% |
[ 1 ] |
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| Total Votes : 27 |
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andrewchon
Joined: 16 Nov 2008
Location: Back in Oz. Living in ISIS Aust.
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 Posted: Wed Oct 02, 2013 4:41 am Post subject: |
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I voted for 'other'.
Traffic laws ought to be enforced but cops ought not to be writing tickets. Put cameras on places and use them to catch violations. Issue fines and collect via banks. Thing to do is to do away with this driver-cop interaction for violation and fines, because that is the source of anger and violence. I don't drive any more because driving is, put it simply, not a pleasure any more. Memories of unjust tickets shoved in my face is just too much. 
However, cops will still have to deal with the blacked out plates.  |
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Weigookin74
Joined: 26 Oct 2009
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| Posted: Thu Oct 03, 2013 3:50 pm Post subject: |
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| andrewchon wrote: |
I voted for 'other'.
Traffic laws ought to be enforced but cops ought not to be writing tickets. Put cameras on places and use them to catch violations. Issue fines and collect via banks. Thing to do is to do away with this driver-cop interaction for violation and fines, because that is the source of anger and violence. I don't drive any more because driving is, put it simply, not a pleasure any more. Memories of unjust tickets shoved in my face is just too much.
However, cops will still have to deal with the blacked out plates. |
It was explained to me quite some time ago that police never pulled people because of the ajossi effect. If a young cop pulls over a black chairman with an ajossi inside, he'll yell at the cop because he's more senior and the cop would have to back away because of ingrained confucianism. That's why they use cameras instead. But, I guess the times, they a changin'.
I agree with another poster about the stupidity of the red lights here. They last forever; more than anywhere in the USA or Canada that I've ever driven in anyways. |
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Weigookin74
Joined: 26 Oct 2009
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| Posted: Thu Oct 03, 2013 4:52 pm Post subject: |
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| Just spoke to a co-teacher. She said cops often pull people over on holidays and shortly after. So, that might be all this is. Unless, of course, a cash strapped government needs money. Ha ha. |
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wintermute
Joined: 01 Oct 2007
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| Posted: Mon Oct 07, 2013 9:49 pm Post subject: |
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| Steelrails wrote: |
| Still doesn't mean that people at red lights, with clear visibility and no oncoming traffic shouldn't be able to treat it like a 4-way stop at a stop sign and have to sit for 4 minutes while it cycles through. |
My main objection to making that law would be that driving is largely a matter of habit, and getting people in the habit of driving through red lights will cause more harm than good. It's not the careful evaluation of the danger that is the problem, it's what happens when that behavior becomes automatic. I think that is a real risk. Better to keep it illegal. That way, you can still do it in exceptional circumstances to save time when you need it.
I think certainly for T-intersections, If there is no right turn from your approach, then going straight ahead in the right lane should be as legal as turning right. |
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Daelim
Joined: 18 Jun 2011
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| Posted: Mon Oct 07, 2013 10:47 pm Post subject: |
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| Steelrails wrote: |
| atwood wrote: |
There are a lot of intersections where visibility is such that even after stopping and looking you would be unable to see a car coming which would nail you as you crossed against the red.
BTW, do you think Korean drivers are going to stop and look? They don;t now, so if the law in this case was relaxed it would make things worse.
Your last statement is your typical balderdash. |
And there are lots of intersections where sight lines are fine. Those that are tricky can have signs prohibiting stop and go.
Yes, there are many bad Korean drivers out there, there are also many that drive perfectly reasonably and would be able to handle such a system. Also, the nature of the question seemed to be talking about traffic tickets in general, not just in Korea.
As far as my last statement being balderdash, I disagree. I think its perfectly reasonable to accept the idea that someone who has a license should be trusted to have the judgment necessary to be able to come to a complete stop at a red light, look all ways, and proceed if there is no oncoming traffic. That's not rocket science. The light doesn't know better than the driver whether or not its safe to go.
If the light is green and a truck is barreling through with no sign of stopping, do you still go ahead? No, you wait until the truck passes through and then make sure its safe before proceeding under the green light. Just because the light is green, doesn't mean its safe to go. Just because the light is red, doesn't mean its unsafe to go. It's not the light that makes the decision, its the driver. The light is there to assist and regulate the driver during normal driving conditions and traffic flows. An empty street at 3AM is not normal conditions. A guy speeding through a red light is not normal conditions. In both cases, the judgment of the driver should supplant that of the traffic light.
Now is what I wrote above unreasonable balderdash? |
i don't know about other areas but in Gwangju all traffic lights flash red in the early hours of the morning and drivers are allowed to use their judgement and proceed if clear. |
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atwood
Joined: 26 Dec 2009
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| Posted: Mon Oct 07, 2013 10:48 pm Post subject: |
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| wintermute wrote: |
| Steelrails wrote: |
| Still doesn't mean that people at red lights, with clear visibility and no oncoming traffic shouldn't be able to treat it like a 4-way stop at a stop sign and have to sit for 4 minutes while it cycles through. |
My main objection to making that law would be that driving is largely a matter of habit, and getting people in the habit of driving through red lights will cause more harm than good. It's not the careful evaluation of the danger that is the problem, it's what happens when that behavior becomes automatic. I think that is a real risk. Better to keep it illegal. That way, you can still do it in exceptional circumstances to save time when you need it.
I think certainly for T-intersections, If there is no right turn from your approach, then going straight ahead in the right lane should be as legal as turning right. |
I was a passenger in a car at a T where the driver decided not to stop. He had a manual transmission, missed his shift, and we were hit by an over the road truck at full speed. I had my seat belt on so was OK but the passenger in the rear ended up with a broken collar bone and assorted bruises. The driver had a concussion and who knows what else.
But I totally agree with your remarks on habit. |
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frankhenry
Joined: 13 Mar 2007
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| Posted: Tue Oct 08, 2013 12:32 am Post subject: |
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| wintermute wrote: |
| Steelrails wrote: |
| Still doesn't mean that people at red lights, with clear visibility and no oncoming traffic shouldn't be able to treat it like a 4-way stop at a stop sign and have to sit for 4 minutes while it cycles through. |
My main objection to making that law would be that driving is largely a matter of habit, and getting people in the habit of driving through red lights will cause more harm than good. It's not the careful evaluation of the danger that is the problem, it's what happens when that behavior becomes automatic. I think that is a real risk. Better to keep it illegal. That way, you can still do it in exceptional circumstances to save time when you need it.
I think certainly for T-intersections, If there is no right turn from your approach, then going straight ahead in the right lane should be as legal as turning right. |
I totally agree with driving is a matter of habit. I have had two close friends die in traffic accidents due to drivers continuing through red lights. One was on a motorcycle and got broadsided by a car. The driver of the car said he didn't see him and it was common for people to stop and then go through that light because their usually wasn't in traffic that time of the morning. The other friend's situation was a little different. The light was red. His father didn't see anything coming, because it was foggy. The father made the right turn and, wham! A big transport truck.
You can probably figure out which bubble I clicked. |
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The Cosmic Hum
Joined: 09 May 2003
Location: Sonic Space
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| Posted: Tue Oct 08, 2013 3:09 am Post subject: |
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| Who's Your Daddy? wrote: |
Don't you think Laddie? Stick it up your ass.
I don't know you, you don't know me, get some manners. |
In a thread about social behavior, this post is awesome. |
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chungbukdo
Joined: 22 Aug 2010
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| Posted: Tue Oct 08, 2013 5:09 am Post subject: |
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| Saw a scooter get ticketed for roaring up our pedestrian busy sidewalk and he was absolutely shocked. I'm sure he didn't know he couldn't do that. It would be good if people got ticketed just enough so that drivers here would begin to learn the laws, and maybe feel slightly bad for almost mowing me down in an intersection they sped up through. It is hard to watch a motorcycle for longer than 5 seconds without seeing them violate at least one law, which is why I cheer when these hooligans get hit. They have no care for human life, so why should I value theirs? They are in fact a major danger and disvalue to me, so I should clap when they get smashed. |
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coralreefer_1
Joined: 19 Jan 2009
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| Posted: Tue Oct 08, 2013 5:37 am Post subject: |
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I dont know about others, but I have been living and driving here long enough to change into what "some" might call a "local" driver.
And from my point of view, even though I know the laws and such, when I see professional, government supported drivers of buses and taxis breaking the law not even in a sneaky way, but plain out flagrantly...I feel little incentive to obey it myself.
Any laws that are passsed/enforced more regularly should start with those two groups. They are the ones that are the menace on the road, either by their dangerous actions, or otherwise the "culture" their actions have caused to evolve in other drivers. |
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denverdeath
Joined: 21 May 2005
Location: Boo-sahn
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| Posted: Tue Oct 08, 2013 10:44 am Post subject: |
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| coralreefer_1 wrote: |
I dont know about others, but I have been living and driving here long enough to change into what "some" might call a "local" driver.
And from my point of view, even though I know the laws and such, when I see professional, government supported drivers of buses and taxis breaking the law not even in a sneaky way, but plain out flagrantly...I feel little incentive to obey it myself.
Any laws that are passsed/enforced more regularly should start with those two groups. They are the ones that are the menace on the road, either by their dangerous actions, or otherwise the "culture" their actions have caused to evolve in other drivers. |
I somewhat agree, but also believe a lot of those idiots, especially bus drivers, drive the way they do mainly because people park in the bus lanes and they(the drivers) are also worried about making their money. Money, money, money.
Anyway, I'm not a perfect driver, but I try my utmost to avoid being like a lot of Korean drivers, especially the taxi and bus drivers. When living in Canada, I had one minor accident when I ran into a snowbank after spinning out of control on a sheet of ice from a broken water main. One other friend was in one accident. That's it. Here, I've seen at least a dozen. Two of them, I'm pretty sure were fatalities. One that I had, the older dude completely lied about what happened and was also calling my wife all kinds of nasty things. Cops still deemed it a 70/30 in my favour...would've easily been 100/0 in Canada.
Anyway, it's a bit better to drive like a grandma here, or anywhere. The ones in a big hurry to kill themselves will go around you. Remember, the kids and other pedestrians, along with the other (good) drivers, deserve to get where they're going alive. |
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The Cosmic Hum
Joined: 09 May 2003
Location: Sonic Space
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| Posted: Tue Oct 08, 2013 6:12 pm Post subject: |
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| denverdeath wrote: |
| Anyway, it's a bit better to drive like a grandma here, or anywhere. The ones in a big hurry to kill themselves will go around you. Remember, the kids and other pedestrians, along with the other (good) drivers, deserve to get where they're going alive. |
Agreed that others deserve to get where they're going alive.
Not agreed that driving like a grandma is good here or anywhere.
Drive like a professionally competitive, competent driver.
Stay alert and focus on what you are doing at all times. |
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wintermute
Joined: 01 Oct 2007
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| Posted: Wed Oct 09, 2013 4:00 pm Post subject: |
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Back home it seems that you can't make even the most minor traffic infringement without some flashing lights appearing in your rear view mirror. The traffic cops are constantly prowling, scanning plates, following people and will jump on any infraction they see. There are red light cameras and speed cameras. It's a pain in the butt, and a significant drain on income if you have a tendency to play fast and loose with the road rules. It is so bad I actually changed from a habitual speeder to a law abiding driver.
It's a huge relief to not feel like you are constantly being scrutinized here, or that some camera is going to hit you in the wallet because you drifted a few k's above the speed limit, but i do think drivers here need to be given a bit of fear and a bit of education.
The things that annoy me the most:
1. Tow truck drivers are a MENACE. I think I first saw this vid from a link on this site, but here it is again: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QC0aOZZDjq4
Their income relies on them getting there first, so they have souped up trucks and drive like lunatics. There's gotta be a way to improve that system. Oh - and if you see one, watch out, there could be others.
2. Indicating is very underused. The worst is when a speeding driver will come up close behind you then overtake without indicating. If you are about to change lanes yourself, in between you checking your mirrors, indicating and starting to change, they have already zipped around into your blind spot. If they had indicated, you would have seen it when you checked your mirrors. It's lazy and inconsiderate.
3. Generally, at a busy intersection, people will not wait for the other side to clear before entering it, just hoping they will not be caught in the middle when the lights change. It's so selfish. They hold up whole lanes of drivers just so one person can save a few minutes.
I wait until I can at least see the traffic on the other side start to move, but half the time some idiot will see the space between me and the person on the other side of the intersection and swerve over into my lane. It is illegal to change lanes in the middle of the intersection back home. I'm assuming it is here too but I could be wrong. Either way, they are going to get me up their backside with a jammed down horn until they move to a different lane or we clear the intersection. |
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TheUrbanMyth
Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Location: Retired
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| Posted: Wed Oct 09, 2013 11:12 pm Post subject: |
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| Who's Your Daddy? wrote: |
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Don't you think Laddie? Stick it up your ass.
I don't know you, you don't know me, get some manners. |
Oh the irony here...one couldn't make this up.  |
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