Sideswipe: March 16: 'Burger' alarm

Finally a car manufacturer taking a stand against fast-food theft in New Zealand. (Spotted in a Hyundai i20 brochure).

Last minutes on death row

A morbid show capturing the last moments of criminals on death row was phenomenally popular in China. In Interviews Before Execution the host/journalist interviews a person on death row in detail. Sometimes the criminals were recorded speaking minutes before their execution, many describing the details of their crimes, displaying remorse and even begging for forgiveness. The producers say it's not exploitation, but that these men want to be heard and it serves to warn the public and maybe future tragedies can be averted. The show's five-year run has finished in China, but other channels around the world are showing interest.

Breaking the law just a little

Last month police lowered the tolerance for speeding from 10km/h to 4km/h but readers are split on whether this is about revenue gathering or safer roads. Cameron says: "The speed limit is 50km/h, the correspondent admits doing 55km/h, ergo breaking the law. We need to get beyond this national pastime of thinking it's okay to 'break the law just a little bit'. Would we expect to not be prosecuted for stealing a chocolate bar while spending $300 at the supermarket? What if I moved my fence so that my 50m wide section was now 55m wide?"

Pinged in Papakura ...

But this reader says: "This is absolutely a revenue-gathering exercise. I was pinged (along with six others who were at the same meeting) for 55km on a quiet Papakura street. They positioned the camera at a dip in the road which meant you were likely to drift over 50km. Come on, 5km is within the margin for error. Apologies to other motorists but I now travel this 1km stretch of road at 40km/h using my cruise control ..."

Stretching the limit

"So how far over the speed limit would Kim like to go?" asks a reader. "Reminds me of the guy who complained about getting a ticket when he considered he was only 5km/h over. He was clocked at 65 in a 50km/h area which to his way of thinking was only five over what he thought he was allowed to get away with."

Ka-ching, ka-ching in the Bays

James writes: "My wife was clocked by the same camera twice in 12 minutes for doing just over the limit on East Coast Rd in Mairangi Bay. I noticed that in the 12 minutes there were 31 other tickets issued. That's a rate of more than 2.5 tickets a minute. Revenue gathering or reducing dangerous drivers, you decide!"