Call to scrap speed cameras

Exceeding the limit contributed to only one in 20 accidents
Anti speed-camera groups are calling for a change in the Government's road safety policy as official figures show that driver inattention rather than excess speed is the major cause of accidents.
In the first report of its kind, the Department for Transport (DfT) published details of contributory factors to road accidents.
Covering most accidents that took place in 2005, the report said that failure by drivers to look properly was the most contributory factor in 32 per cent of accidents.
Exceeding the speed limit was the contributory factor in only five per cent of accidents and going too fast for the conditions was a contributory factor in 10 per cent.
Speed or going too fast for conditions were a contributory factor in 26 per cent of fatal accidents.
Five of the six most frequently reported contributory factors were some kind of driver or rider error, or reaction.
The Safe Speed campaign group said the Government should use the findings to scrap speed cameras.
It added that the DfT's "entire road safety policy has been based on dodgy data''.
The RAC Foundation said drivers needed to concentrate more, while the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents said the fight against speeding was "not just about cameras''.
The AA Motoring Trust called for "a greater visible police presence on the roads''.
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Old enough to know better(but)still young enough not to care

Traffic safety was always just an excuse. It's about revenue: 'sin' taxes, taking money away without causing an uproar. It's the government confiscating money from the little guy (once again!).

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well most people i know refer to them as revenue cameras anyway

one interesting thing i have noticed is the number of near misses i have seen near a camera
probably due to drivers watching speedos rather than the road ,added to the fact that some idiots do what amounts to an emergency stop whenever they see one (if the driver behind is watching his speedo when the driver in front decellerates from 40mph to 15mph in a nanosecond it cant be safe can it)

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well most people i know refer to them as revenue cameras anyway

one interesting thing i have noticed is the number of near misses i have seen near a camera
probably due to drivers watching speedos rather than the road ,added to the fact that some idiots do what amounts to an emergency stop whenever they see one (if the driver behind is watching his speedo when the driver in front decellerates from 40mph to 15mph in a nanosecond it cant be safe can it)

I think that the govm'nt has had to release this info as the speed cammera policy has been refered to to European Courts somthing to do with self incimination I think only saw the article in passing.

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Old enough to know better(but)still young enough not to care

trouble is the european courts will probably fine the government ; which means the taxpayer has to pay (translated this probably means more stealth taxes on motorists),as usual <sigh>

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Call to scrap speed cameras
The AA Motoring Trust called for "a greater visible police presence on the roads''.

Herin lies the problem, putting more Police on the roadways costs more money. Where to get it has always been the problem. So they went with 'speed cameras' instead, they catch both the rich and the poor, they don't discriminate. Of course most rich people either have 'drivers' or don't fly like the rest of us.
The idea behind the camera is, the application of them never is.
We have them in the US too, they are a controversy here too. Some Courts support them, some don't. Mostly it is becoming a hands-on job to verify the data, meaning they are no longer money makers.

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Some time back a number of these cameras were installed in my area. Though the state had ruled that speed ticket cameras were only permitted if attended by an officer, the city installed them any way.

Tickets for "speeders" are issued for travelling as little as one mile an hour over the speed limit. For the redlight cameras it doesn't matter if you run the light or not. If you are travelling over a pre-determined speed when you reach a certain point the system decides you intend to run the light and takes a picture. It doesn't matter if you stop for the light. You get a ticket in the mail.

There's a traffic camera in the Cleveland area that's become a problem, malfunctioning and taking pictures of all vehicles going through the intersection. City officials have stated that tickets will "probably" be dismissed. The company that installed and maintains the system (and keeps 75% of the revenues generated) admitted there's a problem with the computer control system at that intersection.

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Nothing travels faster than the speed of light with the possible exception of bad news, which obeys its own special laws.
Douglas Adams (1952 - 2001)

The company that installed and maintains the system (and keeps 75% of the revenues generated) admitted there's a problem with the computer control system at that intersection.

That's Hiway Robbery!

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The company that installed and maintains the system (and keeps 75% of the revenues generated) admitted there's a problem with the computer control system at that intersection.

That's Hiway Robbery!

I am suprised the camera has not caught a bullet yet. They don't usually put those things in high faluting neighborhoods, they are usually around the "hoods". At least that is the way here in Northern Virginia, main roads but still near the "hoods".

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maybe not a bullet but :)

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maybe not a bullet but :)

Goood grief, they do not like those cameras!

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Some time back a number of these cameras were installed in my area. Though the state had ruled that speed ticket cameras were only permitted if attended by an officer, the city installed them any way.

Tickets for "speeders" are issued for travelling as little as one mile an hour over the speed limit. For the redlight cameras it doesn't matter if you run the light or not. If you are travelling over a pre-determined speed when you reach a certain point the system decides you intend to run the light and takes a picture. It doesn't matter if you stop for the light. You get a ticket in the mail.

There's a traffic camera in the Cleveland area that's become a problem, malfunctioning and taking pictures of all vehicles going through the intersection. City officials have stated that tickets will "probably" be dismissed. The company that installed and maintains the system (and keeps 75% of the revenues generated) admitted there's a problem with the computer control system at that intersection.

The red light cameras here have to have a police officer review the pictures. They have to take 2. The first if you cross the balk line at more than 5 MPH, and the second just past the middle of the intersection. Both have to show the license plate and the red light in order to get a ticket.

I don't really know about elsewhere, but around here I have seen traffic crossing through on the red a good ten seconds after it changed green the other way.

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BOINC WIKI

The company that installed and maintains the system (and keeps 75% of the revenues generated) admitted there's a problem with the computer control system at that intersection.

That's Hiway Robbery!

I am suprised the camera has not caught a bullet yet. They don't usually put those things in high faluting neighborhoods, they are usually around the "hoods". At least that is the way here in Northern Virginia, main roads but still near the "hoods".

The city of Cleveland started with twenty cameras, some of them for red light enforcement and some of them for speed enforcement. Legislation authorizing them used the accident rate in downtown Cleveland as justification but oddly enough not one camera was placed downtown. Not one was placed at an intersection used as an example of the need for the cameras.

One of these speed only cameras is just a few miles from my home. It's an area there are few accidents but a large enough volume of traffic to insure a profit.

It came as no surprise when some time back it was disclosed that the former mayor and other city officials and police officer vehicles were photagraphed committing violations, but the tickets were dismissed.

In the first few months of operation the number of traffic accidents increased by over 60%. So much for cameras making intersections safer.

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Nothing travels faster than the speed of light with the possible exception of bad news, which obeys its own special laws.
Douglas Adams (1952 - 2001)

I don't really know about elsewhere, but around here I have seen traffic crossing through on the red a good ten seconds after it changed green the other way.

Here in Northern Virginia too.

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I don't really know about elsewhere, but around here I have seen traffic crossing through on the red a good ten seconds after it changed green the other way.

Here in Northern Virginia too.

10 seconds is a long time.......

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When I lived down in Kent, they installed speed camera within the section of log term M2 roadworks between the Chatham and Gillingham exits, every week they put up how many cars were being caught by this one camera, within three months the figure had reached over 30,000 cars caught speeding, that was when the highways agency were told to remove the sign. Now just to remind you that the fixed penalty is £60 (and 3 points on your licence) and that there were no accidents on that stretch of road, one can only assume the camera was there purely to generate revenue as road safety was not the issue...

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In Germany, the cameras take 3 photos. One approaching, one from the rear, and one from the driver's side... so you can't claim someone else was driving your car!

Here in Aussie, a red light camera was recently STOLEN from it's post, and has not been recovered.

IMHO, "tailgating" causes most accidents here, and speed makes the damage to person and property worse. Hit the tailgaters with a heavy penalty, force people to leave a safe gap between vehicles, and accidents will automatically reduce. Stop people speeding, and the severity of crashes will reduce.

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In Germany, the cameras take 3 photos. One approaching, one from the rear, and one from the driver's side... so you can't claim someone else was driving your car!

Here in Aussie, a red light camera was recently STOLEN from it's post, and has not been recovered.

IMHO, "tailgating" causes most accidents here, and speed makes the damage to person and property worse. Hit the tailgaters with a heavy penalty, force people to leave a safe gap between vehicles, and accidents will automatically reduce. Stop people speeding, and the severity of crashes will reduce.

In my area only one photo is taken, and it doesn't matter who the driver is. The owner of the vehicle is responsible for the $100 to $200 fine. There are also late fees of $20 to $60 for those who don't pay within the specified time period. The city is also considering a plan to impound vehicles belonging to individuals who fail to pay the camera tickets.

http://www.cleveland.com/search/index.ssf?/base/cuyahoga/1147595588110160.xml?ncounty_cuyahoga&coll=2
http://www.thenewspaper.com/news/10/1092.asp

I was mistaken about the number installed in my area. It was 42 cameras, 30 for traffic lights and 12 for speed traps.

http://www.clevelandredlightcameras.com/

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Nothing travels faster than the speed of light with the possible exception of bad news, which obeys its own special laws.
Douglas Adams (1952 - 2001)