I think the police would have a difficult time defending charges if all you did was accelerate too quickly with no other car participating, and assuming the speed limit was not exceededThe relevant law would be found here,
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It might be argued that you are performing a speed trial on a public road. How fast it takes to get to certain speed.
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Or more broadly 'drive on a road furiously, recklessly in a manner dangerous to the public'.
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Is it illegal to speed to the speed limit from the traffic lights when the signal turns green?
- Thread starter mathewparet@gm
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"Any trial of the speed of the vehicle on a road" is that what that last post said. Sure sounds like it would be breaking that law.
I'd like to see them try crushing an EV with a structural battery pack! That'd surely melt the car crusher in a dazzling thermal runaway!
I think you are confusing acceleration with speed. In australia we have a ’speed limit’ on every public road. Many vehicles have speed limiting devices. As far as I know only tesla offer a user applied acceleration limiting method, known as joe mode. We have no legal acceleration limits, but do have power limits for certain licence types (in some states) to control acceleration. Speed and acceleration each have a defined legislative meaning.
There are no acceleration enforcement devices approved for police use in australia, but plenty of speed enforcement devices.
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ChooseFreedom
Member
So "trial of the speed of the vehicle" isn't the legal term for a drag start?
Because if it refers to testing the top speed, then that would be covered under the speed limit laws. Unless they want to have different charges for the same thing.
You're saying they would need a law for "trial of acceleration" to fine people accelerating too fast to the speed limit?
Joe Mode is an acceleration limitor in Australia? In the US, it reduces the various interior chime noises (for sleeping kids).
I think we're splitting hairs. How about you go drive around until you find a police car, then drive alongside it until you both hit a red light. When the light turns green, floor it but don't go above the speed limit. Then you can let us know if the officer agrees with your definition of speed.
Last time I was in this situation, the HWP Chrysler fanged it, while I stayed "chill"
Bottom line - acceleration is fine in itself, but if you "break traction" i.e. wheelspin - not gonna happen in a Tesla, or drive erratically, the worst you'll get is a gentlemanly conversation. However, if there's two of you facing off and you break the speed limit from your launch, you'll be having a more involved chat...
This is not legal advice.
Slightly off topic, but a friend of mine was given a ticket (careless driving?) because someone was running a red light, he was turning right at the intersection, and he failed to give way to this red-light person. This resulted in an accident.
I don’t know all the details, but if you go off hard at the lights and someone is running a red light, and a serious near miss or accident occurred, I suspect that you would be in a grey zone for any police watching.
Hypothetically if I were to do this risky manoeuvre, I might be looking both ways to make sure that no one is coming. Not that I’ve ever done this.
I don’t know all the details, but if you go off hard at the lights and someone is running a red light, and a serious near miss or accident occurred, I suspect that you would be in a grey zone for any police watching.
Hypothetically if I were to do this risky manoeuvre, I might be looking both ways to make sure that no one is coming. Not that I’ve ever done this.
when I explained to my wife that she has to drive for everyone around her, she stopped getting involved in regular collisions that were not her fault
I'd reckon the person running the red light would be at fault every day of the week.
Therein lies the rub - no specific aspect of AU (or indeed anywhere AFAIK) traffic law describes any acceleration limit per se. Breaking traction, street racing, speed itself, yes. But not acceleration.
Whereas it's quite explicit on running a red light.
While I *think* you're right that they don't specifically mention acceleration, there are generic blanket traffic laws that can be applied in such situations.
These were already mentioned in earlier posts. Violations like "Unsafe Start", etc.
There's no acceleration limit, sure. But there is negligent driving - failure to keep a proper lookout, in cases where you should have been able to see and avoid the red-light-runner.