Epic bad news.

[Graham]

there's no need for us to get angry at each other, we all know that losing a license is a bad thing and Josh would probably be feeling really crap about it and arguing over it won't help the situation.

I also got busted for the no P plate rule past midnight with the time restriction myself and at the same time they got me for using my phone whilst in a car.. I was at a red light and my car wasn't in motion and I was checking/responding to a text message, all was done while the light was red but little did I know that the police were next to me.

That's the only time I've been fined/lost demerits - lost 5 demerits and a $450 fine, not good

Having no license would suck, just make sure you don't drive without the license, even though the chances of being pulled over are slim it's not worth it! In WA cops can now impound unlicenced drivers cars for a maximum of 7-28 days I think it is.. you'd also get fines/loss of license for longer ontop of that too..

but hopefully it's lesson learnt and you get your license back and never lose anymore points!

[aussie027]

Well Josh everybody here has given you a serve, called you names etc.
EVERYBODY here has broken the rules by speeding etc at some point.
I don't know exactly what you did or why, you do.

I'm going to only say this, based on my28 years experience of driving and flying aeroplanes--

It only takes a small mistake or misjudgement and a split second of time to lead to an accident that can fill ambulances or body bags.


When I learnt to fly they told us,

"Learn from the mistakes of others because you wont live long enough to make them all yourself".

Flying is far less forgiving and less tolerant to errors or stupidity than driving is.
I learnt to do both at barely 17 so was full of go and "the need for speed"' etc.
I was blessed, thanks to the discipline required to learn to fly as a professional even at 17 to know that I was NOT invincible or indestructable and that an accident COULD HAPPEN TO ME in an instant if I was careless or didn't manage any risks I took correctly.

Don't put yourself in harms way by taking un neccesary risks even if you are the only one around at 3 am or in the car by yourself etc.

If anything happens to you , the police will come knocking on your families door to give them the bad news in the early morning hours.
Imagine how they would feel to be woken up to get the news you were gone forever.

I have seen it all before, very, very tragic.
I don't want you to be a statistic and your friends and family having to live with that kind of pain and loss.
So please reread what I have written and just think about it.

[Tarquin]

The first time was a stupid mistake on my part - I had 4 people in the car and I thought cops would see the P plates and lots of people and pull me over for the LNDR (Late night driving restriction) one passenger stuff. So i took them off. And promptly drove through an RBT 3 corners later. lol, fail.

Yes... These LNDR P Plate Rules are there for a reason ffs.... LNDR is when the young 18/19 year old's are influenced the most by peer pressure and potentially could end up driving with extra undue risk.... Hence the reason that rule exists....
At least you were not drinking - I'll give you that much.... You should have been expected RBT's, and you should have been respecting the 1x person rule.

...deciding i'd just explain to any cop who happened to pull me over. but the cop that pulled me over was a smart ass dick - 'you were at the shops why couldnt you just buy new ones' 'i had no money' 'why didnt you get a mate to drive' and eventually i just got pissed off at him and told him to just write the fucking ticket already.

Yet again - Direct disrespect for the law and the police who enforce it... They had every right to do and say what they did... A little over board perhaps, given the circumstances for you, yes but getting pissed at them over a P Plate, again just shows your immaturity....

For the record, worst I have been caught is speeding... 25+... and yes I was then a Uni Student in my late teens and fortunately for me, before P's were in Qld.

The people speaking out in this thread are the ones with many more years and kms driving under their belts than you, and probably (I know I am too) ones that have been directly effected by car accidents and injuries or deaths of those around them.

We saw a NEED for some honesty towards you here to try and bash the message home - which we hope you will now get.

Good luck to you and your family Josh. I hope there is not a copper at your mum's door at 4am saying their son is int he hospital, or worse, in a casket. I am still amazed at the rack of fines and demerits in only 2-3 years of driving on the road... Epic Fail indeed.....

[Josh_Emerton]

Tarquin - the 1x person rule is frankly stupid. Ever heard of a designated driver? My mate got done for it, with me as one of the passengers, and I asked the copper at the time what he expected us to do, as we all lived 20-30k's out of town, and we'd all gone clubbing. We had no money for a taxi, and we had a sober driver. Wheres the problem?

As for the rest of it - It's like they're not human. They cant take a quality reason, they just follow whats written down in their little logbooks with no regard for compassion or better still, reasoning. So yes, I disrespect them for that reason. The day one of them shows respect to me, is the day I'll show respect to them.

And well done for the rest of it - Yes, angel indeed. Only 25km/h over? Wow. I've never been caught that fast. All of my fines were less than 15k's over, just little slip ups, usually after a downhill section.

And guys - enough slurs involving my death please? I dont appreciate them.

Also - aussie027 - how do you go about getting a pilots license? i want one. lol

[Speedie]

Would like to see some of you guys drive in the areas we do up north. Why don't some of you take a trip to Cairns and drive to the Townsville casino and see if you can sit at the speed limit. Also give Josh a break most of us didn't have all these new laws to abide by when we got our licenses Late night driving with passangers, displaying P Plates, use of mobile phones.
And Tadz revving your engine while stationary at lights is still considered hooning and making undue noise

[Josh_Emerton]

Add to that you usually end up just adjusting to the speed the traffic is doing, correct? Well the traffic up here is almost always over. or 30km/h under.

[Superintendent Chalmers]

Josh, I am one of the only people on this site who has met you and chatted for half a day when we had our cruise, and I just want to point out a few things from our meeting to other people on here:
1. I can tell everyone that you don't have any kind of ego on you.
2. You are a decent person who doesn't joke about things like speeding and reckless driving.
3. You are very knowledgeable about many car issues and surrounding areas of N.Q. You showed both me and Chris blocked off roads away from all traffic to practise burn outs and skids - we took pics from that area.


Your prior discrepancies have really come back to pay a hefty toll. One point here, another there, it all adds up. It isn't like you were going 50kms over the speed limit and are now facing a court hearing. You're 18, probably don't see the big picture yet, but you one day will.
I think people have acted out the way they have because they think to themselves - "What if I had been an inncocent driver who pays some kind of a price for someone else's stupidity" You do the time now, sit back and hopefully realise that a license is a privaledge, not a right! We'll have a cruise after Feb 4th 2010. Good luck dude!

(I remember that you were the one who pointed out a speed trap on the way back from Kurranda to me - not that I needed to worry, but you could spot one from far away)

And one more quick thing........Obviously the points have changed for P Platers. Back 10 years ago, you only got 4 points, not 12 or 13. How long has this been the case???? Like Speedie said - so many rule changes, I wouldn't be able to go through it all over again.

[Speedie]

Thats true I will set my cruise control on 115 and have people go flying past most of the traffic will sit between 110 and 120 in the 100 zones but then you'll catch a road train doing 80 and after 5ks of not being able to get round it you get a break and wind the speedo to 160 to get past the bastard before your stuck there for another 20 or so ks

[Josh_Emerton]

P platers are still on 4 points Azza. But thanks for that. And Speedie.

[SIR-VRX]

Josh mate, I wasn't calling for you to be banned!!

"Pics or BAN" is a common saying on forums that's all. It wasn't meant to come across as a ban request.

Perhaps I should have said something like "Pics or it never happened" then. Next time I will.

Sorry about that mate.

---

Also turboS ? As in 2? I'd seriously like to know how you managed to fit 2 turbos down in that small space??? Serious question, no being a smart arse.

---

Also the story with my mate, I believe it was a wet road and he was taking a corner, and had to swerve for a object on the road. I was not there myself (thank God) so I can not confirm nor deny this, but that is the scenario that has been described.

Also in another incident, my old neighbour lost control killing his younger brother. But I know that it was on a corner and in the wet, however in that case I believe speed could have been a factor, but once again I was not there. But I know the corner well and it is local to me so I do know it was raining that night.

---

Also, I have had my full licence 5 years this year, 0 speeding offences. I've also only been pulled over twice, flagged down 3 times. All RBTs, never recorded a single digit. That's in 5 years with a licence.

I do speed sometimes I will admit, but not excessively nor when the conditions do not allow it.

Adrian.

[Josh_Emerton]

I dont know exactly but yes, as in 2. Ones installed now, one to-be-installed upon arrival in Townsville on (Sunday now, postponed AGAIN). Work is being done by an outfit called Ray Hall Turbocharging, Anderson St, Cairns. They are also sponsoring me and my mate for the event.

Ok I'm not going to go into sob stories of mishaps some unfortunate souls have been in. Theres many other factors including RWD/FWD, speed, terrain, striations in road surface, camber, etc etc, I'm NOT an idiot.

And ok, perhaps you are an angel - I've just hit a run of bad luck then, because that one sentence:

I do speed sometimes I will admit, but not excessively nor when the conditions do not allow it.

mirrors me exactly.

I guess cops are more stringent in Cairns. Smaller population, greater chance of getting caught? Maybe? I dont know. I just know I've never drink drove, I dont speed EXCESSIVELY in my opinion (I admit the obligatory 10k's over that comes with living in FNQ), and I try to leave so as I'm never 'running late' and thus tempted.

[SIR-VRX]

Ok, sounds interesting indeed.

I was providing those stories to give examples of what CAN happen in a situation in which bad decisions are made. Not looking for sympathy for me or the people involved, just sharing stories. And considering I have none directly involving myself, I provided those.

I'm no angel. I'm happy to say that. And the chances of getting done down here are probably less than up there, but it's not like I don't see cops with radar guns, 4WD camera units etc. I see heaps but I don't get done, as I'm usually not speeding or driving in such a way that attracts attention.

[squala]

It's tough luck to get your licence suspended but at least no one got injured in the process.

Because of bad driving a colleague of mine (hopefully girlfriend soon) got involved in an accident and broke her wrist (I swear this wouldn't have happened if I were driving). She's likely to miss work for a few weeks. For sure someone was driving faster than they should. While I'd probably be encouraging her to replace her car with a CJ, she will have to gain her confidence back and drive again soon, hopefully with my own inputs.

This is certainly a warning shot for me as well and have more presence of mind on the road. The Platinum would pretty much do its part with 5-star safety and driver aids galore, but the rest is still up to the one behind the wheel.

We don't live in Germany so speed limits are there to be followed no matter what. The fines are hefty yet you stain your licence by going over (punished twice for one offence). Let this be a lesson of driving more responsibly before someone gets hurt.

[bye2u]

wow must be the first 4B11TT soon to be then! interesting cant wait for pics ..

[Bandit]

Hi Josh - my posts came out of frustration. I am a professional driver and see so much stupidity on the road, both in front of me (driving a heavy vehicle that can't stop as well as a car) and beside and behind me. I'm afraid you caught the brunt of my frustration as your sitation provided an outlet for me.

I sincerely hope you learn a lesson from this - and hope that other younger blokes/girls on the forum also learn from your experience. It's not good enough - you can make all the excuses you like (downhill, bad cops, whatever) but the fact is, you are on your Ps and points on Ps are limited for a reason - being reduced experience of the driver. You knew the restrictions when you got your licence.

One other question - and this is a legitimate one, not being a smart arse - you can't afford to buy P plates, but you can put 2 turbos on your car???