Speed cameras ....

[waynne]

Are they a necessary evil? Should they be banned? Should points and fines be different when issued from a camera rather than the Police on the streets.

Make a case either for or against them or propose guidelines on their citing in this thread.

Heres my take - they do help reduce accidents. They keep drivers speeds down. They are also very distracting and cause people to over compensate and brake to below the speed limit. We should be told the threshold for a fine along the lines of +3mph+10% so we can feel confident that we can pass one in a 30 zone at 33 mph without it going off. Points from a camera should be lower and the fine higher - 2 points and £80 fine for example. If you speedo is broken or poorly calibrated and under reading you can get a ban passing as little as 3 junctions on the M25!

They should be cited on proven accident blackspots and not hidden around bends. Traffic light jumpers should all be prosecuted without exception so i approve of putting cameras on traffic lights - jumping lights is a big danger to other motorists.

Let the arguements ensue.....

[Rudders666]

I agree with the lights on camera's completely Waynne! it just f*cks me off when people jump lights! Nearlyhad a few in the past, i generally try to scare 'em by driving straight at them.

It's proven that speed camera's definitely do not decrease road deaths as Jeremy Clarkson rightly proved on Top Gear a while back. He read out a list of areas and the amount of speed cameras put up, and yet with increases in deaths on every single area. I imagine they will be caused by too many people staring at their speedometer's rather than the road and what's going on around them. It's stupid!

Therefore i am fully against speed cameras. It's not as if they make any difference as people slow through them and then boot it out the other side and drive even faster because they've been slowed down by a speed camera.

[aswearing]

cameras at the lights are a good idea as jumping lights is obviously dangerous as stated before, but cheekily hiding speed cameras within red light cams is naughty.

spped cameras in general are okay, the method works and those endangering others are proscecuted for it, people over compensating also causes dangerous driving to those behind.

to be honest the only people that get flashed by a truvelo or gatso must not have been paying attention to see a yellow box and grey pole by the side of the road, let alone tell-tale marks on the roadway.

specs i see as a revenue for the government as many other factors must be taken into consideration like what waynne mentioned.

i am neither for or against speed cameras, they help reduce speeding, they also make fines appear through your post as well as 3 points on your liscence, they worry road drivers into halving the speed limit, they are everywhere in wales, i do believe that there is too much roadside furniture at the minute and new initiatives should be taken that rehabilitates rather than penilises.

thankyou and goodnight (although its daytime)

[k3ogh]

my view on cameras is like aswearing said its revenue for the goverment, like they dont get enough revenue from fuel etc!!!! there is a lot of cameras round tameside gtr manchester but on closer inspection they all look burnt out and dead. has any one seen that bloke on t.v who has a wee gang that goes round the country burning them out lol

[Prince]

I don't know any road user that likes speed cameras! And why should they? All they are is easy money for the government! Let's be honest, we're speeding, we see the camera, so we slow down, we go past the camera, so we speed back up! There is still no proof that they actually work. Whilst in certain areas accidents have decreased, other areas have seen an increase in accidents. When you approach one, you have to make damn sure your not speeding, which means slowing down to about 25 mph (in case your speedo is wrong), and keeping 1 eye on the speedo!

Personally I hate them, and I'll buy anyone a beer who vandelises them!

[k3ogh]

yea i feel the same burn them all out !!!!!!!!!!!

[Prince]

I've got a 'meet' idea! We all meet up at the most southern point of the country, at like 1am, then travel round the country buring down every single speed camera, until we reach the most northern point. A list of things we'll need:
- matches
- petrol
- masks (so we can hide our identities!)
- some kind of police radar detection system
- weapons (just in case we get seen by pro-speed camera groups...they'll need a good beating!! lol)

p.s. everybody be careful not to get caught speeding!

[waynne]

I bet the cameras will be protected by other cameras: idea where roundup so much by the fact that traffic slow up to well below the specified road speed whenever they pass a speed camera.

[Pixel]

Originally Posted by aswearing

they are everywhere in wales

"Everywhere" would be an understatement. A simple journey from my home to University which is about 5 miles takes me through 5 (FIVE) speed camera's.

[Pixel]

Originally Posted by Prince

I've got a 'meet' idea! We all meet up at the most southern point of the country, at like 1am, then travel round the country buring down every single speed camera, until we reach the most northern point. A list of things we'll need:
- matches
- petrol
- masks (so we can hide our identities!)
- some kind of police radar detection system
- weapons (just in case we get seen by pro-speed camera groups...they'll need a good beating!! lol)

p.s. everybody be careful not to get caught speeding!

I'm in.

Give me a date, time & location! :P