My licence was suspended for three months back in January because I incurred 12 -- or more -- demerit points.
Here in Australia, you are awarded demerit points for selected traffic infringements -- the amount of points you receive is proportional to the severity of the offence.
Now, I consider myself to be a safe driver. I do all the things good drivers do, and I know how to handle a car. My licence wasn't suspended because I own a Porsche. Most of the (minor) offences were committed while I was driving other, less capable cars. It was suspended because our state government knows that strategically-placed speed cameras is a clever way to compensate for economic mismanagement -- a lot of timid people in this country have bought into the myth that speed does in fact kill.
The irony is that I sped -- and still speed -- to avoid our worst drivers, and, in Melbourne, the world's most livable city, is actually home to the world's worst.
I was without a licence for three months because our government won't pay attention to all the good, water-tight arguments being put forth for mandatory driver training in school and a more rigorous and demanding testing procedure for aspiring drivers.
Am I pissed off? No. I'm positively livid and disillusioned, to the point where I want to buy an old Bronco just so I can rip all these fixed speed cameras out of the goddamn earth.
Matt Holcomb
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