General Chat

My reason for disliking speed cameras is not because I am in favour of unsafe driving but because I do not believe that they have anything than a marginal impact on road safety. I have lost several friends and relatives in road accidents. In none of those cases was a vehicle breaking the speed limit. Whilst we concentrate on only on enforcing speed limits the other ninety percent of the causes of accidents go unchecked. The failure is to differentiate between absolute speed and inappropriate speed. Fifty miles per hour on a motorway in good conditions is possibly obstructing other traffic unneccessarily, especially if it's in the centre lane! Fifty miles per hour in fog or snow on the same stretch of road is dangerous. A camera at the approach to a village or junction is performing a useful function, although a sign warning of the hazard might not come amiss. One on an open road with no immediate hazards and an artificially low speed limit is only there to gather revenue.

I cannot understand why people get so upset about being punished for breaking the law. Whether or not a camera is in the wrong place is, to a degree, irrelevant. If you are breaking the speed limit for that road and get caught you have no right to complain. The same applies if you park where you shouldn't. It is not right to get annoyed with a parking attendant, or whatever they call them these days because the simple fact is YOU HAVE BROKEN THE LAW. And yes, I have been done for speeding and parking wrongly and have paid-up without complaint.

Can I just say that if a child runs out between parked cars he obviously hasnt been taught the green cross code and its not your fault if you hit him and at any speed he will be hurt!! As for the the commebts about RTA I myself have a ex partner in a wheelchair for life so I do understand what its like to watch some one fighting for their life and being spinally injured and paraplegic! A speed camera wouldnt have stopped it happening! I think its sad when someone posts a light hearted article and a fight starts. In every walk of life there will be a comment that hits home, or hurts or makes you angry and other people find it funny....thats life........if people didnt post these little articles it wouldnt be half so much fun! I bet you would larff at a story about somone with a bottle stuck in the bottom...but to someone else(the person concerned) it was a very nasty and embarrasing episode! Right got that off my chest Debbi(sticks head between knees and waits to be bombarded)

natalie you didnt start an arguement :0) friends disscuss they dont argue lol nice to air views on all sorts of subjects tina xx

I didn't mean to start an argument on here I just thought the story was funny. What some people do just so that don't have to pay. Nat

A few years ago, here in Berlin, front page news was a picture of an old man on a bike, who had been caught by a speed camera, running a red light !!!! The explanation ?? Nothing wrong with the cyclist - he'd gone over on green and the lights changed. A CAR then went through the red light, so fast, that it was out of the frame by the time the picture was taken !

didnt know i'd missed all this lol just wanted to mention road saftey im sure most of us will remember tuffty amogst other that taught us on tv about crossing the road (green man another) it always stuck in my mind but the kids today some really young seem to be allowed to play on streets and havnt a clue about road saftey if a child runs into the street for what ever reason its always the drivers fault! i watch kids all the time in my area most of the time they dont even move out of the way!! so weather your doing 30 or 40 if anyone runs out into the road there's bound to be an acciendent. i agree in camera's in the right places not for them to be used as extra tax for motorists. tina xx

Replying to an earlier point, isn't speeding bad driving?

bob,you have a knack of cheering me up! as a fan of jenson button,and remembering that the luftwaft,bombed our chip shops (they werent daft lol),i will be sending an email to michaels family,quoting ..the lancet..perhaps they can persuade him to slow down! bryan.

bryan, regarding your last post..........forward your theory to ferrari, so they can put a stop to michael schumaker.....Bob

looks as if ime out numbered ,but dont worry,ime an aries lol,we love a good fight! the faster you drive...the higher your blood pressure goes up...the higher your blood pressure increases...the lower your concentration gets...the lower your concentration...the higher the risk of you causing an accident......the lancet,feb 2002. speed kills!......bryan.

Speed cameras are perfectly alright if they are situated in the correct places. There are far too many of them that are placed just to catch out motorists. e.g. a line of them down the M1. It can often be the lack of speed that kills as well. The motorists that insist on driving at 40 where the limit is 60. Most people are happy to drive at 60 and get frustated at being behind a "slow dodder". They then can take risks to overtake. Perhaps there should be a minimum as well as a maximum speed limit. If they were kept to built up roads and accident black spots etc. I am sure people would not moan about them so much. Perhaps more cars should be fitted with those devices that detect speed camera's. If you are going to fast you get an audible warning to slow down. No chance then of not knowing what the speed limit is. Janet

Yes speed kills...................children have been killed in a driveway while reversing into a garage!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Innapropriate speed is dangerous, conditions change therefore the safe speed changes. inattention kills.........slowing traffic down encourages bunching/ tailgating..............you cannot run traffic without gaps..........try entering a 70 mph road from a sliproad when you are at a stand still.....IMPOSSIBLE,you must be at the correct speed to join the existing traffic..........also have you noticed that they will install a ridiculous speed limit on a perfectly open visible road..........and then revert to the national limit on a road that it it so dangerous, to be unbelievable and so on..........Bob

SPEED KILLS.....NO MORE TO SAY! bryan.

I think speed cameras could be improved. It must be possible somehow to be able to monitor someone's speed through a series of cameras over a certain distance. That way those morons that think the speed limit only applies to the white measurement markings on the road by the camera and then put an extra 5 to 10 miles an hour on top can be fined. Anyone who can absorb information must know by now that doing 35 mph significantly increases the chances of killing, say a pedestrian, as opposed to 30mph, where although badly injured the chances of survival are reasonable. A car is a lethal weapon. Anyone who is not able to use it sensibly should be banned for life on the first offence. After all, you don't get three points and come back to life after six months do you? Sorry if the extreme view is a bit hard to swallow but so is standing beside an ITU hospital bed, treating an unconscious RTA victim, with their family standing by thinking that they will get better. Abigail

The people living alongside the Stamfordham road have been asking for a camera for years.We have cars and bikes ,and lorries most of which DO observe the speed limit,but we have a few each day doing in excess of 60 mph in a 40 zone.I,m sorry but i have to agree with Judith,a bairn has been killed ,the second fatallity on the same stretch of road and NOW we are to get the camera,but it,s a bit late isn,t it? the council could have put it in long ago ,but couldn,t afford it,yeah right,but they can put speed ramps all over the place that don,t do a thing to slow the nuggets down.Sorry folks ,the camera ,and a hefty fine is the only solution.I got caught in wales last year doing 38 mph in a 30 zone[i thought 40] but i make no excuse i should have watched for the signs a bit better.Fred.

JUDE WELL SAID, THEY WOULDN'T BE NEEDED IF PEOPLE DIDN'T SPEED, TO MANY LIVES ARE LOST OR SERIOUSLY INJURED, SORRY BUT I DON'T THINK ITS FUNNY TO DISABLE SPEED CAMERAS, IF YOU DO YOUR CRIME DO YOUR TIME AND PAY UP AND STOP SPEEDING. MY 16YTR OLD LOST HER 5 FRIENDS IN THE BRIGHTON CRASH, SHE WILL NEVER GET OVER IT. SANDRA WHO AGREES WITH THE CAMERAS!!

In a recent survey it was noted that mmost speed cameras are Not at accident blackspots but sited where they earn the most money!! The most ridiculous one I have seen is on the inside lane of a uphill section of a dual carriageway in the middle of nowhere. When you have a old diesel it needs winding up to get to the top and with the camera halfway up it seems you just got going then you have to take foot of accelerator just incase you pass it slighty ocer the limit which then means you crawl the rest of the way. With lorries filling inside lane you have no choice but to put up with the rude gestures when you fimnally reach the top and those behind pass. Hope I explained that right. Debbi

I loathe the things. The more that get pinched, burnt, ripped out or have chewing gum stuck in their locks the better.

"good old boy"!!!! thats wat i say im sure there are a lot of people out there that would love to do the same .if only they had the nerve!! lol i know hubby would! susie