Gatso's useful or not?

[Trevrev]

I'd rather see more police patrols on the road. I think most people would.

 

[BentMikey]

I'd rather see more police patrols on the road. I think most people would.

Yeah right, until it actually happened, then everyone would be moaning about how the goverment is stealth taxing them, how they should have been given a second chance, it's not inappropriate speed, it's not dangerous to drive on the phone.

 

[jonny jeez]

Average speed cameras seem to do the trick ...

+1

 

[ufkacbln]

Well I have never owned a car but gatsos don't stop drink/drug/dangerous driving or some clown using a phone.

I've been in a cab and he knows exactly where to slow down to avoid setting the thing off.

The thing is they don't need to, that is not their task, what they are doing very well however is catching a number of motorists who are breaking the law.

Now what we need to do is take that bit more seriously. There is a lot of evidence that speeding is an indicator for more serious problems. Speeding can be a sign of a risk taking behavior, and that in turn closely links with other driving anomalies like tail gating, aggression, failing to act appropriately at junctions and dangerous overtaking.

Instead of a paltry fine, lets take a closer look at why the driver is speeding and their driving...... that way these cameras would be catching ebven more dangerous drivers than they do now.

 

[GrasB]

The big problem in the UK is there's basically social acceptance of speeding, +5mph on the speed limit is seen as the norm & is expected. I find that most of the time I'm driving on the limit, even though I know the speedo is accurate to about 2.5% on both cars, I'll have people driving on my back bumper because I'm doing almost exactly the speed limit not limit +5mph, it is infuriating.

I also think we get too hung up on speed limit policing rather than driver behaviour policing (improve driver behaviour & I think speeds will drop), but as Cunobelin said the politics behind doing this is very bad. TBH even though both of my cars can easily break the 160mph barrier (their standing mile TVs are higher!) I don't give two hoots if they up the fines & points for speeding because I know I'll be very unlucky to be caught speeding.

 

[Trevrev]

You still haven't explained how fining drivers for voluntarily breaking the law is a scam. Please explain, and without the 1mph comment, because 1mph over the limit won't set off a camera.

Ok Paul.......I'm man enough to say i can't answer your question. As you've put your argument over well.
That's not a back down by no means.........I'm not a fan of dangerous driving, as much as i'm not a fan of speed cameras. I'm not a speeder, thats not the reason i dislike them before you assume. I spend most of my week on my bike, and the times i do drive it's carrying around my young family and they are my world, and there is no way i'd ever put their lives at risk.
Maybe i put my point over badly.......I accept that.
The cameras are a way of reducing patrols on the road that would deal with the drunk, mobile phone users, unsafe cars, uninsured drivers.
The lack of patrols is a huge saving for the government, and the cameras are massive revenue. It's all win......There are still too many bad drivers on the road that are getting away with more dangerous eliments of driving.

 

[snorri]

I don't care how fast people go past me, as long as they don't hit me.

Well, I care.
The faster the cars pass, the less able will the drivers be to cope safely with any unforeseen situations.

 

[Chrisz]

I wish some of you guys on here drove the same route I do most days on my commute - you're all so perfect that the drive in/home would be bliss

 

[Trevrev]

Well, I care.
The faster the cars pass, the less able will the drivers be to cope safely with any unforeseen situations.

I'd have them speed past me safely while breaking the limit, rather than driving slower while applying make-up, or steering with their knees with a mobile in one hand and rolling a fag in the other!!

 

[Nortones2]

I don't like Gatso cameras, but only for the reason that they are easily circumvented by the anti-social, with an industry to fund opposition to more effective measures. What is really needed is the presence of police patrols, plus covert, non-flagged speed traps. As has been said earlier, habitual speeding is an indicator for other offences. Unfortunately the police seem to believe the minority, vociferous view that motorists are a victim class. No effective strategy exists to take out the minority of dangerous drivers. Burglary, street crime, drugs - there are driven plans, to identify and pursue and take out of action. Bad and in the most part, unregulated driving, seems to be an orphan in comparison, despite the toll of KSI and the deterent effects of criminal behaviour on non-motorised road use.

 

[ufkacbln]

The cameras are a way of reducing patrols on the road that would deal with the drunk, mobile phone users, unsafe cars, uninsured drivers.
The lack of patrols is a huge saving for the government, and the cameras are massive revenue. It's all win......There are still too many bad drivers on the road that are getting away with more dangerous eliments of driving.

Untrue... There is not a great reduction of Police in favour of cameras, another myth.... Traffic Police have been cut in the same way as all Police. In fact with Camera Partnerships actually paying for Police in some areas they are increasing the number of Police on the roads.

 

[hackbike 666]

Strangely enough it was one van with four cars following behind this morning.Speeding I suspect but not as bad as yesterday and at least some gave me a good bit of room and even the bad ones wern't that bad.

 

[Sheffield_Tiger]

You realise that just *screams* MOTON!!! right?

It's completely wrong of course. At most speed cameras are a tax on the very stupid. It's easy to avoid a speeding ticket by not speeding.

It's not that easy (and I speak as someone with a clean licence, never a speeding ticket) in some areas I feel that they are a danger

Staffordshire, in the area between Leek and Stoke, I find myself distracted from the road by the sheer prevalence of speed cameras. I do honestly feel like accidentally creeping up a couple of mph would be safer that driving wth one eye constantly on the speedo

I don't object to speed cameras per se, but sometimes I feel they are over-used.

From a cycling POV, rather someone passed me at a safe gap at 50 than someone clip me at 30 because the cameras made them too fucused on their instruments

 

[BentMikey]

On the contrary, speed cameras are SERIOUSLY UNDERUTILISED. We need thousands and thousands more of them, and we need them to become stealth cameras so that nobody knows where they are.

 

[Sheffield_Tiger]

On the contrary, speed cameras are SERIOUSLY UNDERUTILISED. We need thousands and thousands more of them, and we need them to become stealth cameras so that nobody knows where they are.

I actually prefer the average speed cameras as used on motorway roadworks.

That way no-one is looking for a camera and so on....AND if someone is driving safely they are not going to be penalised for creeping over the speed limit on one patch momentarily.