AA and safety camera warnings.

[mickle]

I cant be the only person who thinks its morally reprehensible that the AA - along with TomTom and others no doubt - include in their route maps 'warnings' about where speed cameras are located. Its totally the wrong message - 'Watch out you might get a speeding ticket'.

Id like to protest about this but not sure the best way of going about it. Ultimately id like to see the law changed that allows the location of cameras to be published and displayed on satnavs.

Should i start one of them there pertitions?

 

[mcshroom]

You could try but it wouldn't get very far ae apparrenty these cameres are part of an unjust war on the poor law abiding motorist who pays for the roads and everything honest!

My personal belief is that cameras should be camourflaged and put up without warning so that people actually stick to the limits rather than just slam the brakes on for the camera. If you can manage to still he breaking the law on speeding after being warned with a big camera sign and a bright yellow box then quite frankly you deserve everthing that's coming to you.

 

[BrianEvesham]

I hate speed cameras, no loathe them and their stealth tax abilities. If there is a local problem send mr PC down with his hand held speed camera.



This should get interesting (-;

 

[mcshroom]

How is fining people stupid enough to break the law a stealth tax?

 

[Lee_M]

I cant be the only person who thinks its morally reprehensible that the AA - along with TomTom and others no doubt - include in their route maps 'warnings' about where speed cameras are located. Its totally the wrong message - 'Watch out you might get a speeding ticket'.

if you look at it another way, the cameras have been put in place to get people to slow down. If people know where they are and slow down then job done, whereas if they dont know they dont slow down.

As a revenue collection you want the latter, for the former then surely the former is better?


I know a police officer (now a CI) who used to email the location of mobile cameras to people as that was more effective way of slowing them down

 

[mcshroom]

I'd prefer people to think they could be snapped by a camera at any time in any place. Otherwise the camera only works for the very small section of road it actually covers. For Motorways I'd be in favour of having timer cameras along the entire road. You'd only need a gantry at each junction to implement that and it would be safer and more environmentally friendly than the current situation.

I can't understand why many drivers are happy to sign up to an agreed licence to operate in accordance with the rules of the road, then feel it is their right to break any of those rules that they don't like. We all signed the forms, if you don't like the rules then feel free to hand your licence in at the next convenient opportunity.

 

[BSRU]

The "draconian" ways of really slowing down motorists are:-
Install a black box with GPS that prevents a car from exceeding the speed limit on any given road.
Install a black box with GPS that records positions and speeds, which can be downloaded during the MOT or by the Police when required to check for any speeding offences. Although the punishments must be regraded, a few miles an hour over the limit a fine, then points with large fine then for more than 20% over a limit automatic ban.
Have more officers with speed cameras, reduce the points total to 6 in order to automatically loose your licence and make the fine punitive, related to a persons pay.
Tyre spikes fitted in the road which activate when a speeding car approaches
Of course none of the above will happen due to costs and the governments fear of upsetting the motoring lobbies.

 

[growingvegetables]

I hate speed cameras fines for burglary, no loathe them and there their stealth tax abilities.

FTFY

 

[DRHysted]

They are not speed cameras, they are Safety cameras. They are fitted in areas that have proven the required number of accidents (although the joke is with one placement, one of the accidents that was counted was a pedestrian falling off the bridge).
As such their placements are advertised to warn road users that there is an accident black spot ahead.
Personally I don't care, I have never been caught speeding by a camera.

 

[oldfatfool]

. For Motorways I'd be in favour of having timer cameras along the entire road. You'd only need a gantry at each junction to implement that and it would be safer and more environmentally friendly than the current situation.
.

When someone can explain to my satisfaction why it is unsafe to travel above 70mph on a three carriageway motorway in Britain, but perfectly safe to travel at 200mph on a duel carriageway in Europe then I will believe in blanket average speed cameras as a safety measure and not another money making scam and an excuse to reduce the number of physical police on the roads, who are much better at reading situations and spotting a variety of infringements a damned site worse than n+10%+2.

Now red light cameras, those I would have on every junction, and I would prosecute cyclists as well.

 

[GrasB]

I hate speed cameras, no loathe them and there stealth tax abilities. If there is a local problem send mr PC down with his hand held speed camera.

Somehow despite driving past cameras 100s if not 1000s of times, also despite the fact I don't slow down or take any avoiding action when they come to my attention I've managed to avoid this stealth tax. This is all done with me owning 2 cars which can easily reach twice the UK NSL on dual carriageways & are far faster than the majority of cars on the road, I employ a secret technique which most people don't know.... ... I keep to the speed limit

 

[Alun]

I cant be the only person who thinks its morally reprehensible that the AA - along with TomTom and others no doubt - include in their route maps 'warnings' about where speed cameras are located. Its totally the wrong message - 'Watch out you might get a speeding ticket'.

Id like to protest about this but not sure the best way of going about it. Ultimately id like to see the law changed that allows the location of cameras to be published and displayed on satnavs.

Should i start one of them there pertitions?

You might want to consider where the AA and TomTom get their information from in the first place.
http://www.derbyshire.police.uk/Safety-advice/Road-Safety/Speed.aspx

 

[BrianEvesham]

They're not a stealth tax. They're an idiot tax - as you have to be a selfish idiot to be caught by one.

That's assuming your are deliberately breaking the law.

They are not speed cameras, they are Safety cameras. They are fitted in areas that have proven the required number of accidents (although the joke is with one placement, one of the accidents that was counted was a pedestrian falling off the bridge).
.

I disagree. We have two sites in my area which do not fit the criteria. Both are long straight stretches of road that have no history of accidents which used to be 40 mph limits, they were reduced to 30 mph and Cameras then installed. But I do accept that they are the only answer to genuine accident black spots.

Yes I have a clean licence! I am More likely to get fined for going too slow!

 

[oldfatfool]

The thing you seemed to have failed to grasp is that the law doesn't have to be explained to your satisfaction. It's the law - full stop.

And you can expect no sympathy if you get caught breaking it.

Never said I don't understand or accept the law old love, just said I don't accept the bullshit around safety cameras. If they call them what they are and the reason they are in place, then hunky dory, but don't give the left wing guardian reading munchkins another soapbox to stand on. They are not safety cameras, they will do no more to stop the 16 yo chav in his stolen corsa from mowing down a ped or cyclist than a fart in the wind.

 

[BrianEvesham]

My what is deliberately breaking the law?

The fact is, that it is your responsibility as a driver, to know what the speed limit is for the road you are on and to drive at or below that limit (which is of course a maximum - not a target). There is no such thing as 'accidentally' breaking the speed limit.

I was just trying to differentiate between the occasional "lost" motorist and a deliberatly speeding/racing motorist.