>     " The rule to go slow only when children present
>       is one of the examples of a "responsible restriction" "
>
> In reality, it seems it has to do with the *much* stiffer
> fines imposed as the penalty for such a violation (deduced
> from having talked with those who live in abject fear of
> seeing such a fine imnposed).
>
> It's also the *prime* reason I observe those speed
> restrictions. (It always seems that there are *no*
> kids in sight 4 out of 5 times I'm proceeding through
> those zones too.)

It makes sense that children aren't present most of the time.
And this of course greatly raises the risk to them when they are present.
It's the old "familiarity breeds contempt" principle - if we almost always
find the danger isn't there (especially if it is a danger to someone else
and not to us) then after a while we tend to dismiss it as irrelevant and
ignore it. Not MANY children die at schools due to cars. Arguably (and some
will argue) even one is too many.

The only successful way found to deal with human nature seems to be to
ensure both that a danger is ALWAYS present and that the danger is to the
driver - hence the draconian penalties involved. From what people have been
saying here, it works. Ideally a more sensible solution should be available
but human nature tends to work against it.

Having said that, interestingly, in this country we do not have such
regulations at school crossings.
Maybe this confirms the excessive nature of the regulations in other
countries or maybe driver behaviour is different?
School patrols with swing out signs and compulsory vehicle stopping are
almost universal before and after school and this seems to produce the
desired result. Woe betide the driver who crosses a controlled crossing when
the school patrol signs are out! Why this should work here and not require
extra restrictions I don't know - I doubt that we value our children any
more or less here than elsewhere.

We do have regulations re overtaking stopped school buses and the occasional
tragedy when these are ignored.



regards


            Russell McMahon

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