Speed Cameras

[Denny Crane!]

Speed cameras are a good idea?

Speed cameras are a bad idea?

Discuss.

[Tom Paine]

Some ways, good. They regulate how fast people drive in their vicinity because people don't want to be fined. However its only in their vicinity...

[Yorkshireman]

Another money making scheme for the local authorities. I can understand them in built up areas or accident blackspots but on the dual carriageways there's more problems when everybody suddenly brakes to avoid getting flashed by the cameras. Where I live it would be quicker to travel by pony-trap than it is to negotiate all the traffic calming measures, speed humps, lights and cameras.

[Denny Crane!]

Did you know the only county that lowered the death rate in england from car accidents in 2004 was County Durham which had no fixed speed cameras bar one.

I think I just got caught today 31/32 MPH I was going down a hill at the time in a built up area noticed the nose sticking out of an alley.

Peter

[Tom Paine]

31/32 in a 30? They don't even catch that, its 35 or over I think.

[Denny Crane!]

31/32 in a 30? They don't even catch that, its 35 or over I think.

Used to be a 10% margin of error for inaccurate speedometers that has now been removed.

Peter

[Tom Paine]

Really? I'm still somewhat sure they aren't accurate to 1/2 miles per hour...

[imb39]

Me... I fully support them. If the speed limit wasn't being broken, there would be no problem. I simply do not understand how people can object to them. It's like saying that alarming your house should be frowned upon... Quite ridiculous. Having said that I am amazed I have never been caught speeding. Of course, I rarely do it now... If I did get caught, it would be entirely my own fault.

What gets me is that many of the papers etc. whinge incessently about it and then harp on about law and order... Double standards as this affects the middle classes too and that's what they don't like.

[Nasheim]

They're annoying pieces of junk, just a way for the government to milk more money from us. As "cowen70" said, in County Durham, where they have barely any speed cameras, there's the least road deaths. Says a lot about them really, they're incredibly distracting, as well as those stupid signs that flash at you what speed you're doing. Half of them don't even have film inside them, sometimes not even a flash.

Then you get those annoying police who sit by the road with a hand-held camera trying to catch people speeding. I think the police should be more concerned about rather more important crimes such as murder, gangs, drugs, rape etc.. maybe there'd be a bit less of it if they were... well and if they weren't totally bogged down with political correctness, human rights, shed loads of paperwork and various other red-tape.

I think possibly a wiser solution to the road death problem would be to make a law saying that everyone must re-take their driving test say... every 10 years. It was recently proven that something like 75% of people who have already passed their test years ago would fail if they took it again due to picking up various bad habits etc...

[hsimoorb]

I think possibly a wiser solution to the road death problem would be to make a law saying that everyone must re-take their driving test say... every 10 years. It was recently proven that something like 75% of people who have already passed their test years ago would fail if they took it again due to picking up various bad habits etc...

Well, I'm only 19, and I'm sure I would fail the second time around. That is if I took the test. Time, however, has proven that I can avoid accidents, shouldn't that be enough? Maybe only the people with moving violations should have to do it? INcluding the fine they're already paying of coarse.

[Nasheim]

Yeah that's a fair point there. What's odd is that I have this hatred for speed cameras and the like yet I can't even drive. I'm 21 in August and I've not even had a driving lesson yet lol

[David Deas]

Its the speed limit that needs to be fixed.

Insurance companies would have you to believe that if it weren't for speed limits people would kill themsevles on the freeway for lack of self preservation instincts. Which is ridiculous.

[stop-3]

Speed cameras are a fraud. I hate motor car madness as much as anyone and if I was a dictator I would take immediate steps to stop all this driving about in great big motor-cars (crazy innit - the more slowed down in traffic the more higher-horsepower cars people want?).
Nearby where I live is a dual carriageway, where no-one crosses and there is a downhill bit where a speed camera lurks. Yet on the other side (where I live) about half a mile away there is Dewsbury Road where loads of people cross a very long downhill slope of a dual carriageway where cars speed up to beat the traffic lights and it is deadly. I'm surprised that there arn't bodies all over the place where I cross. You have to have you wits about you. No speed cameras there, yet there are on the other where one walks with no need to cross the road.
Beaurocratic ineptitude I hear you ask? I think not. The camera placed on Horbury road is a deliberate attempt to catch out motorists who naturally can't help speeding up a little as they cross the brow down the hill where there are no crossing points (houses on only one side - wall for a park on the other - NO ONE CROSSES HERE).
Beaurocrats are inept of course but they are also very very nasty.

[mike^_^]

I'd rather have speed cameras than highway patrol and local cops sitting on the side of the road pulling people over searching their cars like serfs, and check points stopping people asking for their papers like we're a bunch of criminals. they're the criminals! nanny police "what ya doin? where ya goin? mind if I search your car?"

but i agree with everyone else, this is just another step in the implementation of the control grid

[andym]

I drive over 35,000 miles a year.These revenue generators need to be removed.If you want to Police the streets and roads you need POLICE!only on Monday i drove through an accident of 6 cars.At the point of impact in a layby(hidden)was guess what?Yes,a "Road SafetyCamera" van.Ok ,it was caused by speeders braking (hard) to avoid being snapped by said van,but had the van not been there,no accident.They are more a menace than a help.If you get done by a copper actually doing his job,fair enough,thats cricket.i have a Huge smile each and every time i see a trashed Scamera(not that i condone wanton destruction of property),maybe the powers that be might take the hint if they had to replace them on a regular basis!While ranting,i hate those small camera signs at the side of the road when there is NO way a Van can be used on the road!Surely they arent legal?Tha ABD does have a spot on their website where you can report "Inapropriate" Camera positions.They have regulation as to where they are placed but they dont seem to follow them at all!Rant over!

[Kanaric]

Their are none near our house, only if you blow a red light or a toll booth.

This is only a plan that Law Enforcement has so they can be even more lazy and do even less of a job than they do now. Seriously, i think law enforcement in urban areas are by far the most laziest fools in existance. The only time they ever act is if some -inapropriate word removed- shoots people or robs someone.

People can drive as insane as they like on the express way and go over 100 mph simply because they absolutely refuse to do their job. They would rather eat doughtnuts at some place and wait for someone to get shot so they dont have to look for trouble, trouble will call them.

[David Deas]

I got robbed. Stereo in my sister's car was stolen while I was using it. They didn't even come out. They just took my information over the phone. Next day got pulled over and ticketed for a seatbelt violation.

[mike^_^]

yep. see the police aren't allowed to do actual police or detective work. most of them would probably enjoy it more than writing tickets. they're the nanny cops pulling people over, giving them tickets for not having their seatbelt on, searching cars, running check points

welcome to the symptom society

[Drunken]

From what ive seen where I live, people speed around where ever they go. Not excessivly so, but faster than the speed limit.
All the speed cameras make them do is slow down to 30mph for about 10 seconds whilst they pass the camera, then they carry on speeding.

I think they are in general a bad idea. People speed and will not be stopped by a small box, because as Ive said, they can just slow down whilst near it.

[Ahlerich]

why not castrate cars instead? i mean if max speed is eg 120km or 170km/h why not dummy down cars to that speed at least :-/
and in countries like canada where 100 mph is highes speed or 120 i dont even know, why not make cars not go faster???

hm would limit the freedom of breaking the law i guess haha