Speed cameras don't necessarily make the roads safer. (Speed Cameras and Speed Limits)

Member Name: pilchierox

Product:	Speed Cameras and Speed Limits
Date:	24/11/08 (54 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: May reduce accidents in hot spots.

Disadvantages: Cause bad drving from the speed freaks challenging the cameras.

Let me start by saying I don't have a problem with speed cameras. I think in certain circumstances they serve a purpose but I do think that purpose may have been overtaken by financial income. Where I live there are hoardes of them. My father can't get over it when he comes to visit and he lives just outside London but doesn't have that many in his area. Not all of them are in areas that have had accidents and some of them seem to be placed to catch you just where the speed limit goes down, certainly some of the mobile ones.

I have 6 points on my licence, once for doing 34 in a 30mph limit going downhill on an empty road and I didn't brake hard enough and the other was from a mobile camera placed just where the limit went from 40 to 30 and I was doing 36mph. At the end of the day whilst I don't think it's necessarily fair that I get the same fine as someone doing 50 or 60 down the same road the fact is I was speeding. I have learned my lesson. The thing that annoys me about the speed cameras is that they are not always put in accident black spots, don't always work and can serve to create a challenge to some people. How are they reducing accidents when someone drives down the road like a bat out of hell, overtakes all the cars behind you and goes roaring past you only to then slam their brakes on to avoid the speed camera? I've seen that happen on many occasion particularly with cameras at roadworks - everyone's going along at a steady pace getting into one lane and some idiot comes roaring down in the outside lane passing everyone then pulls into the one lane and slams their brakes on cos we're about to reach a speed camera. They then roar off again until they come to the next speed camera and it happens again. I've seen this happen on urban roads too and everyone behind has to stop quickly. These idiots seem to think it's fun to drive in this manner and they don't seem to get done for speeding.

As for the punishment, I think that needs to be standardised nationally. When I was speeding I got 3 points each time on my licence and a £60 fine each time. That's fine, I deserve the punishment. I have a friend, however, who has recently been done for speeding and has no points on his licence as he was offered a hazard awareness course instead, although he still has to pay the fine. The letter said this is not offered to everyone so the question is - who decides who it's offered to? If that's going to be offered it should be offered nationally.

I fully agree that there should be speed cameras in place but I do think their positioning should be for the benefit of public safety and not for the benefit of the government's coffers and I think the punishment should be re-evaluated and not the same for someone doing 4mph over the limit as someone doing 30mph over. Making roads safer doesn't just mean reducing speed, it means safer driving.

Summary: Speed cameras are a valuable tool reducing driver's speed but don't abuse their use.