Speed cameras N.B.

[hlb]

Theres another one from the M5 to Kiderminster (I Think) There was even a write up in the local paper about it. Fast, Fast, quick, quick, slow!!

<hr width=100% size=1> No one can force me to come here. I'm a volunteer!!.

Haydn

 

[BustinAround]

If you speed you ARE a lawbreaker!

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[BustinAround]

"The problem is, that it just isn't that simple.

Speed does not kill. If it did, all formula one drivers would be dead. All trains that exceeded 100mph would explode. Aircraft would fall out of the sky."

Thats a tenous point I have to say, having come off the M1 at 70 and slammed into a lampost backwards (a complete miracle and the only way we survived) I can seriously say that another 10 miles an hour would have killed my passenger as the lampost pushed her seat fowards into the dashboard at that "low" (according to some of you) speed.

The point is that s**t happens, and when it does, the speed you are travelling at suddenly becomes very important when your wheels have locked up and you're waiting for the bang. To say that drivers are capable of risk analysis and therefore driving at the right speed is ridiculous considering most can't even reverse park properly.

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[abraxus]

I think most people agree that speed can kill, but the point again, is that it kills in much less proportion than the the attention it is given, and the general feeling is that the police take advantage of this with cameras to catch cars speeding in order to raise money.

To be honest I'd be happy if this was used to reduce council tax or something similar.

I'd also be happier if cameras were situated in areas where speeding cars represented a threat. There are many areas, such as residential streets and schools that are crying out for cameras but the police wont install them there because the revenues aren't high enough. Instead they're placed on dual carriageways, where this less danger, but a higher concentration of cars that may travel over the arbitrarily set limit.

If the govt took the same vigorous approach towards all crime as it does towards motorists then I'm sure most of us would be happy to accept it.

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[rjp]

Fair point! I accidentally hit 35 in a 30 area the other day for about 20 yards while trying to pass safely a tractor doing 15mph. Well, there goes a law-abiding life, I suppose I may as well go and rob a bank or mug an old lady now that I'm a criminal!

John

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[Mike21]

Tried not to get into this debate, but found this<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.roadsafetyuk.co.uk/DrivAdlt.htm> site </A>on causes off accidents and their answer.(Definately a goverment site).

I agree with many of the posters that speed camera's should be used in built up areas and in many cases speed limits reduced especially round schools and housing estates .
But I do feel that the placing off many speed camera's outside these area's are purely to generate revenue, and as many have pointed out have done nothing to reduce the accident rate, but do seem to have reduced dramatically the number of convictions for dangerous driving.
The present speed limits take no account of conditions, yet I could drive legally at 70mph in thick fog, but obviously not breaking the law or be driving at 85mph with no other traffic around in good condition, but many seem to deem that dangerous.
As some have pointed out their has been vast improvements in the safety and performance of present day vehicle compared to what was around when speed limits first introduced, although there does seem to be a marked deterioration in driving standards of late, possibly due to the fact that the police have all been replaced by safety(sic) cameras/forums/images/icons/crazy.gif

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[Sailfree]

It must be wrong if today there are more generally law abiding citizens getting fined and ending up in court than criminals. We all know that its inappropriate speed that kills and catching motorists on clear roads late at night breaking a speed limit should not be what the main thrust of Government making laws or the Police should be about.
This is just a revenue raising device which the government and police can be santimonious about while taking our money.
I know of too many people who are not dangerous drivers that obey the law and have now lost their licence due to cameras. I have been careful and not been caught and have changed my car to encourage me to slow down. I do 40 000mls a year. Its the people that weave in and out on busy motorways where the average speed is not above the limit that results in drivers needing to close the "gaps" to avoid going backwards in the traffic that causes most accidents and not the person doing 90mph on a empty motorway. No one objects to laws that are sensible but it the blind application of "rules" to raise money that is wrong. I regularly see the Police set up the speed traps only when the roads are clear and safe and motorists are tempted to speed and not in rush hour when we are driving under the limit and the serious accidents occur.
For "generally law abiding" read "otherwise law abiding"


<hr width=100% size=1><P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by Sailfree on 27/11/2004 16:32 (server time).</FONT></P>

 

[Joe_Cole]

Quote "yet I could drive legally at 70mph in thick fog".

I'm sure that's wrong. If conditions were as you say then you could be done for dangerous driving (or whatever it's called these days).

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[oldharry]

Re: Speed cameras are in Chichester Harbour.

Chichester harbour patrol carry radar speed detectors, and use them, having acheived a number of succesful prosecutions last year, resulting generally in fines in the order of six hundred quid a go in Chi Magistrates Court. Yotties are after all wealthy people.... though I understand the offenders were mobo types grossly ignoring the limit.

So be warned - the day of the seagoing speed gun is already here.

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[oldharry]

12 People killed in boating disaster...!

A headline like that would catch the National, or even International press.

Yet statistically that number have been killed on UK roads since this thread started 24 hours ago.

Some of them may get a mention in their local paper.

Any traffic Policeman is aware of the effect of speed, so do not expect any sympathy at all from them over any attempt to control us when we think we know better (and yes I was probably doing 80 on the way to work this morning).

But speed camera statistics show an interesting trend when placed at an accident Black Spot: Initially yes there is a reduction in accidents and fatalaties, but after a while the accident rate creeps up to HIGHER level than before - identifiably as a direct result of people paying more attention to the speedo than the road ahead.

So speed kills. So do speed cameras.

But lets stop being so cavalier about the carnage on our roads. If sailing claimed that number of lives each day our sport would very soon be banned.



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[BustinAround]

Re: 12 People killed in boating disaster...!

"So speed kills. So do speed cameras."

No, people kill, if they just obeyed the speed limit then:
a. We wouldn't have any speed cameras anyway
b. They wouldn't to cause accidents by slamming on their brakes in front of the speed cameras.

Following up on the cavalier attitude people have to road deaths, I think the standard of driving is universally awful, and everyone I've ever ridden in a car with does dangerous things regularly and thinks nothing of it.

How many of you check your blind spot when pulling in on the motorway?

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[jimi]

Re: 12 People killed in boating disaster...!

Think you must be driving with strange people cos I'm happy to fall asleep in the passengers seat with most of my acquaintances, and yes Ive driven over 1,000,000 miles on British roads, only had 2 accidents, once rammed by white van at traffic lights and once shunted a volvo due to diesel on a wet road at a roundabout. Only ever stopped by police on empty roads, once when doing 115 mph held hands up and police was very nice and wrote ticket out for 99mph. Another time for 95mph, police were apologetic and said they'd a job to do but they'd followed me for some time in a unmarked car and were impressed by the standard of my driving. Told me to stick below 85mph in future.

This was responsible and effective policing.

However the ticket for 39mph at midnight on a dual carriageway in a 30mph zone was a just a joke. Have no respect for that.



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[tcm]

Re: A13

Thta is quite amazing isn't it. Go out there ealry/late and observing the speed limit feels dangerous - you'll be backended or stopped for a breath test...

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[halcyon]

Totally agree that inapproptaite speed being a killer, the other one that gets me mad, is the driver that plods along at 40/45 mph in a general 60 limit, comes to a 30 mph limit and carries on at 40 mph. Must mean that why there is a speed limit is totally lost on them.
On local radio Devon or Dorset ? no sure, raise £3,000,000 from the cameras last year.

Brian

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[Mike21]

Re: Dangerous driving?

If you were driving within the speed limits in thick fog, unless you were involved in an accident,then it might be possible to prosecute for dangerous driving,but don't believe the police could do anything otherwise,as it would then be down to personnel opinion whether you were driving dangerously or not due to the conditions, especially as for the police to pull you over they would require to be going faster than you to do so.

IMHO I think speed limits on motorways should be increased, but with the use of variable speed limits to control speed when driving conditions are poor or with heavy congestion

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<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by Mike21 on 28/11/2004 09:06 (server time).</FONT></P>

 

[BustinAround]

Re: 12 People killed in boating disaster...!

"However the ticket for 39mph at midnight on a dual carriageway in a 30mph zone was a just a joke. Have no respect for that."

Maybe its 30 to reduce traffic noise for local residents? You're lucky they didn't give you an ASBO for it!

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[jimi]

Re: 12 People killed in boating disaster...!

Not a residential area .. many on the Forum will know it it was the revenue raising camera on the A27 in Fareham. 39mph 5 minutes to midnight on a wednesday on a totally empty road ... no real policeman would have even given me a second glance.

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[ubuysa]

Wow, my first posting to get over 100 replies! Thanks all.........ermmm, does this mean I'll now get an invite to join the "over 100 club" and can I put FOHPS (Fellow of the Over a Hundred Posts Society) after my name???

Tony Cross FOHPS.

<hr width=100% size=1>Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.......

 

[oldharry]

Nice one! Now try and get your second century with a boaty topic....!?? (Personal record is 35...)

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