Speed cameras are not for road safety

[c_r]

Originally Posted by Escapee

How am I contradicting myself, xaccers could understand my post without any problems.

Normal driver 'A' 90% of motorists drive down a straight road with no speed camera at a speed he feels safe, he is possibly exceeding the speed limit and slows down to a safe speed when approaching the hazzardous junction. Installing a speed camera catches a percentage of driver 'A' 500 yds before the hazzardous junction because he does not see the camera or have any warning device.

Driver 'B' 10% of motorists using his camera detector warning device or whatever, slows down for the camera 500 yds before the hazzardous junction, once past the speed camera he is able to speed up to an unsafe level to pass the hazzardous junction.

Would it not be better to site the camera at the exact spot where there is a hazzard, then there is more chance of saving lives, catching the 10% of unsafe drivers and not annoying 90% of drivers who drive sensibly.

Placing the camera at the blackspot will not catch any more unsafe drivers because they are warned or know of the camera, it will however catch a lower number of sensible drivers who have slowed because they see a hazzard and use common sense.

Ah I see what you mean, now you've put some percentages in. Is this really what's going on then? In the situation you've described one would expect to see an increase in the number of accidents at the blackspot which the cameras are sited around. Have you any evidence that this has happened?

[rogermevans]

Originally Posted by c_r

Surely it doesn't matter where they site the cameras though? Anyone going over the speed limit anywhere is breaking the law and liable to punishment. Presumably they site them in the places where they think they'll catch the most people because that's the idea of it - to catch and punish people breaking the law.

but thats not what they are for they are ment to reduce accidents and over all they dont

[Escapee]

Originally Posted by c_r

Ah I see what you mean, now you've put some percentages in. Is this really what's going on then? In the situation you've described one would expect to see an increase in the number of accidents at the blackspot which the cameras are sited around. Have you any evidence that this has happened?

I would of thought the answer is common sense, the same as extending the lower speed limit on a staight piece of road out of a village will raise more revenue.

[trevortt]

Originally Posted by Stuart C

You have proof, I take it?

Well look on your news, you always hear the driver gets points and a fine yet the criminal behind the wheel who does not have a license, has no insurance & tax is let off with a 6 months community order.

I would prefer to do a community order than to be stuck with 3 penalty point on my license for as long as i can drive.

Now i would call that unfair.

[dragon]

Originally Posted by goldoni

This is a cynical ploy by the Government to fool the electorate that detection rates are up, but you score as many points for solving a shoplifting case as a murder. If the Government was remotely interested in road safety, it would invest more of the excruciating levels of tax it extracts from the road system. Instead, we are forced to endure increasingly dangerous road surfaces, neglected signs and ridiculous levels of congestion that have deliberately been engineered into our transport system. The clear objective is to make motoring such a miserable experience that people will be forced to take public transport.

Except there isn't any "public" transport because the government sold it all off to private companies.

[lostandconfused]

Originally Posted by trevortt

Well look on your news, you always hear the driver gets points and a fine yet the criminal behind the wheel who does not have a license, has no insurance & tax is let off with a 6 months community order.

I would prefer to do a community order than to be stuck with 3 penalty point on my license for as long as i can drive.

Now i would call that unfair.

they are only on there for 4 years, unless its related to drink driving or dangerous driving

[Derek S]

Originally Posted by trevortt

Well look on your news, you always hear the driver gets points and a fine yet the criminal behind the wheel who does not have a license, has no insurance & tax is let off with a 6 months community order.

And as usual the news doesn't report the full story. I wouldn't say criminals get dealt with less harshly than (aside from speeding) 'law-abiding' road users.

[rogermevans]

motorists speeding are use to massage figures now not reduce accidents

a policeman i know was told to go out and get his ticket quota up not to reduce accidents but to get the stats right

he went and ticketed a load of cars for dangerously parking the wrong way at night on the high way with out parking lights ( suposedly according to some these must be criminals as they were breaking the law to )

bosses then were pleading for him to drop them he refused but as he said at least they dont nag him to go wait on a nice safe straight road at night to get his quota up