| In October 2008 Swindon announced that they | | | | awareness of the danger of going too fast. Instead |
| would be scrapping the fixed point speed cameras | | | | the cameras have bred a feeling of animosity in the |
| that previously caught speeding motorists in over | | | | motoring community, and have alienated the public |
| eighty different locations. The controversial move has | | | | against road safety efforts. Drivers feel as though |
| sparked debate across the country, with some | | | | the government is trying to 'catch them out' in order |
| decrying the decision and others applauding it. By | | | | to make money rather than help them to reduce |
| November 2008 it was reported that Portsmouth, | | | | speed related fatalities. In the end, because the public |
| Walsall and Birmingham were all considering copying | | | | sees the cameras as 'the enemy', they will never be |
| Swindon but is banning the speed cameras the right | | | | effective in helping repeat offenders see the error of |
| thing to do? Nobody likes them, but let's have a look | | | | their ways. |
| at some of the arguments surrounding the issue. | | | | The fear of being caught: |
| Statistics: | | | | It's true that most people who know that there is a |
| 2002 saw the introduction of Safety Cameras in the | | | | camera will slow down for the camera and speed up |
| Swindon, and according to statistics the numbers of | | | | afterwards, but what if a driver is on an unfamiliar |
| road-related fatalities has fallen noticeably since then. | | | | road? The warning sign for a speed camera is often |
| The number of people killed or seriously injured on | | | | enough to make people check their speed and slow |
| the county's roads fell by 5% and for children it | | | | down regardless of whether there is actually a |
| reduced by as much as 33%; so is this a direct result | | | | camera or not. Although not as preferable as people |
| of the cameras? Statistics again would say not; there | | | | keeping to the speed limit of their own accord, the |
| were seventy fatalities on Swindon's streets in | | | | fact that drivers are frightened to speed on roads |
| 2007-08 and that seems to be proof that speed | | | | that might have a camera is a lesser evil than |
| cameras did not make the roads safer. | | | | speeding and causing an accident. By removing the |
| Money: | | | | cameras Swindon is removing the 'fear', and might |
| The money from fined motorists caught speeding | | | | end up seeing a lot more speed limits broken than |
| goes directly to the HM Treasury; neither the police | | | | they anticipate. |
| nor local councils profit from the cameras, yet it | | | | Ultimately we have to face the fact that speed |
| costs a council like Portsmouth £380,000 a | | | | cameras will not stop crashes completely ; only we |
| year of public money for six fixed speed cameras. | | | | as the motoring public can do that by facing up to |
| Swindon has been accused of saving money over | | | | our responsibilities and becoming better drivers. As |
| saving lives, yet if the cameras truly don't work | | | | Tony Simcock, Folkestone based driving instructor, |
| surely it's best to stop spending money on them and | | | | commented, "Speed cameras have helped raise the |
| start spending money on finding other traffic calming | | | | awareness that 'Inappropriate Speed Kills'; however, |
| measures that do work. | | | | unless motorists across the UK begin to drive in a |
| The motoring public: | | | | way that significantly reduces the risks to our |
| Speed cameras rarely work because speeding drivers | | | | children, to other road users and to themselves, we |
| simply slow down to pass them and very often | | | | will always be faced with government initiatives that |
| speed back up again afterwards. When they do | | | | are blanket measures that appear out of place or |
| catch someone speeding it is likely that the driver | | | | heavy handed." He continues, "I do a lot of driving, I |
| won't even realise until the fine arrives in the post | | | | try to stick to speed limits, have never been caught |
| some two weeks after; then because the driver has | | | | speeding, I am very rarely late for a meeting and |
| achieved distance from the offense, both literately | | | | have never been involved in an injury accident - is |
| and figuratively, the fine does very little to raise | | | | that coincidence, or good driving? |