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Speed
camera fines rise sevenfold
The
number of speeding prosecutions and fines has increased
sevenfold in ten years, figures obtained under the Freedom
of Information Act show.
Conservative MP Mark Field's request found speed camera
offences rose from 262,000 in 1996 to 1,865,000 in 2006.
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The Cities of London and Westminster MP told BBC 2's
Daily Politics he wanted the "pendulum turned back to the long
suffering motorist".
Road safety charity Brake says cameras help catch drivers who
endanger lives.
The number of speed cameras in England and Wales rose from under
2,000 in 2000 to more than 5,500 by 2006.
In a film for Wednesday's Daily Politics, Mr Field said cameras
were "more about money raising than safety on roads".
He says he objects to the "excessive use" of the cameras and the
"overzealous penalising of drivers".
"The use of speed cameras transformed the disqualification system
into one of Russian roulette."
The government had raised huge sums through fines, he added, and
yet, at the same time, the number of traffic officers on duty
had fallen by 20%.
The "explosion" in cameras had done little to address serious
problems such as the number of people still driving unlicensed
vehicles or not paying any road tax.
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Mr Field wants more
local authorities to follow Swindon's example - the Wiltshire borough
which has voted to stop funding them.
Swindon intends to use the £320,000 it spends on cameras every year on
road safety projects instead.
But Brake, the national road safety charity, described Swindon's decision
as "a very dangerous experiment with people's lives".
Its spokeswoman, Jane Whitham, said: "Speed cameras are an important tool
in catching drivers who insist on breaking the law and putting lives in
danger."
The AA president, Edmund King told the programme a decline in traffic
police was a more serious concern.
"A speed camera does not pick up the illegal foreign truck driver or boy
racer with stolen plates but a traffic cop can," he said.
"We need to reverse this trend and increase traffic cops not only to make
our roads safer but to make society safer."
Transport Secretary Geoff Hoon indicated recently that traditional fixed-point
speed cameras could be replaced by others which measure drivers' average
speed.
The cameras currently in use were widely regarded by the public as "arbitrary"
and "unfair", he told a newspaper.
Average speed cameras could be fairer as they encourage safer driving
and reduce fuel consumption, he added.
However, the Department of Transport has stressed any change could only
follow extensive research conducted by the police, councils and other
institutions responsible for road safety.
I was caught at Whifflet Road Coatbridge at Broughton Terrace. The Gatso fixed camera in on a pole at tree top height on a slope. Also on the M8 there are line markings for speed cameras and no cameras. The Gatso camera at coatbridge is not on the list of cameras. At the time I was caught there was no other cars on the road and it was getting dark.
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| Alastair,Hamilton |
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I was clocked (according to them) doing 37mph in a 30mph zone. Although the mobile unit was set up on the opposite side of the road trying to catch oncoming vehicles just after (30yds) the 30mph sign.
I was asked to pay for the photographic evidence! Once I received this I asked why there was only one picture which was 10yds from the national speed limit sign? I went to court to contest the fine was told I could bring any witness’s, which I did (customer from my shop)On the day I had requested the mobile camera operator to be present. On the day the operator of the camera failed to show, I was told they would adjourn the hearing! I had already lost a days work as I’m self employed & my witness could not attend again as well as I couldn’t afford to pay his wage again! I was then told I would have to pay a court appointed official £1000 to check the camera & callibration certificates. This cannot be claimed back even if I was found NOT guilty!!!! PATHETIC!! I was told to accept the £130 fine £15 victim support and 4 points. JUSTICE? I think not!
Didn’t even get the £15!!!!
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| M.Evans,Darwen, Lancashire |
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Speed Cameras are ONLY a money source. They do not, as they say "reduce accidents" , or are for road "safety".
Stopping diatnaces for cars was added to the 3rd edition of the Highway Code book in 1946, and have NEVER been amended. Cars in 1946 were :-
1 fitted with Shoe brakes all around.
2. Did not have survo assisted braking systems.
3. Fitted with x ply tyres.
4. Were heavier than modern cars.
5. Road surfaces were different.
Modern cars have:--
1. radial tyres. far more grip and cornering ability.
2. Disk brakes on front[some are all around]
3. Survo assisted braking systems[some ABS]
4. Are lighter
5. Road surfaces are better.
I tested my 2004 Astra 1.7 TD with a friend and made it as "fair" as possible. On a 60mph road, travelling as close to 45mph he just shouted "STOP" at a point we could measure from. This was done 10 times to get a reasonably accurate figure.
The stopping diatnace for 30mph in the highway Code book is 75 feet.
My average stopping distance at 45mph was 68 feet.
I am 63 years old.
Spped cameras are another way for making money out of the motorist.
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| J Walker,Peteree |
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IVE BEEN DONE ON A CLEAN LICENCE FOR DOING 37 IN A 30 MPH,IT MAKES ME SICK ,I HAVE NEVER SPED OVER THE LIMIT AND I REALLY GENUINLY THOUGHT THE AREA WAS A 40 MPH AS THERE WERE NO SIGNS I COULD SEE AT THE TIME.HOWEVER NOT KNOWING THE AREA I WENT BACK TO CHECK AND THERE IS ONE SIGN ONLY WITH 30 ON.NOW I HAVE TO DO A SPEED AWARENESS COARSE TO STOP THE 60 POUND FINE AND 3 POINTS ASWELL.I DONT KNOW WHAT THE COARSE IS LIKE AND FEEL CONNED AS IT REALLY WAS AN ERROR OF JUDGMENT.IM MAD NOONE GIVES YOU A CHANCE TO STATE YOUR CASE
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| CAILCETA,WIRRAL |
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73 mph on a dual carriageway with central reservation only to be overtaken by a bmw 20 seconds later, £60 and 3 points gutted!
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| norm ,newton abbot |
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i was charged with speeding,42in a 30 i disputed this as i had no recollection of being in the area,or of speeding and their were diferences between photos of the speeding veichle and mine a ford van, on the 3rd court appearance in court ,i was found "guilty" i gave a good account in court and was shocked(understatement)that nothing i said in court was considered , i beleived my van had been cloned and someone was using my number plate,the courts compelling evidence was that a screw in my number plate was in the same place as a screw on the speeding veichle,i challenged this stateing that if my plates were being used on another veichle{ford transit} the screws would be in exactly the same place as they would in most transits in the last 6 years of which their would be thousands,the prosecution had no answer to this and the case moved on,when it came to the magistrates decision this is the piece they found me guilty on,i was given £350fine £175 costs+£15victim support=£540+6 points on a clean licence/its not just the magistrates that are at blame the clerk to the justices ,before the magistrates had gone to decide their verdict ,had told them how they could find me guilty on judgements from another case that had ABSOLUTELEY NO RELEVANCE TO MY CASE .i recorded most of the case on tape,and will consult a lawyer,my deep concern is that this case was decided before the case was started
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| paul,st.neots/cambs |
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There is no such thing as a speed camera.they are called cash machines for the police forces
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| bigbusman,Stapleford |
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A.C.P.O. guidelines allow the speed limit plus 10% plus 2.Tell that to a cop who pulls you for doing say 32, 33, 34 m.p.h. in a 30 zone and he/she will say "That’s just what A.C.P.O. Is, guidelines".Ask him/her where it says you have to stick to the spped limit, and he/she will probably say something like "it says so in the highway code".You then reply that the highway code is guidelines and not law. You just might get a ticking off from the officer who considers you know just as much or more than he/ she does.
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| bigbusman,Stapleford |
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Always check that the signage of the speed restriction complies with the requirements of the Traffic & Road Signs General Directive - you can access it online.
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| Stephen,Ashford |
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A Police Octavia doing 100 MPH kills young woman at a "T" junction. Has the police driver been charged????? No.!!! Instead they try and trawl all the dirt up they can, regarding the condition of her car, instead of admitting that he is guilty of causing death by dangerous driving. Is it any wonder that the public have little time for the traffic police, who sadly, have become a haven for former boy racers to drive expensive, publicly owned cars about at high speed?????
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| Stephen ,Ashford |
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SPEED doesn’t kill. Inappropriate speed for the conditions, time of day, and weather are the risk. Lack off skill, or experience are the real killers. Instead of wasting money on cameras merely to irritate and distract the motorist from driving; the money would be far better spent on training for drivers.
In no other industry would it be regarded as acceptable to pass someone as competent to operate machinery, (which is what a car is) and then NEVER EVER assess their competency again.....you are "presumed competent" unless you kill somebody.
Nanny state, "risk adverse" speed limits are strangling commerce as the road network grinds slower and slower every year
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| Stephen W,Ashford |
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I got caught speeding in a 60 doing 85mph.. It went to caught got &340 fine and 5 points. Then got told someone I know got pulled over 2 weeks before me doing 86mph on the same road pulling a trailer and he got &60 and 3 points. How does that work??
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| Anon,Highlands |
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What a pity that crime detection hasn’t increased seven fold as well.I always challenge speeding fines.I had a case against me dropped in 2007.I also had a speeding allegation time out for a bus driver at work.I am now waiting to see if I get an n.i.p. for alleged speeding at 01.20.If I do, i will be challenging this as well due to the fact that the truvelo camera was on the other side of the road and does not have type approval for photographing traffic on the other side of the road.
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| bigbusman,stapleford |
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What a pity the police farces have to rely on the poor motorists to get their revenue.I have challenged and succeeded in 2 alleged speeding charges, 1 against myself, and the other against a bus driver at work.£120.00 the cops failed to get.What a pity they can’t catch the real criminals.But then they don’t get £60.00 for each criminal they catch.
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| bigbusman,stapleford |
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I have just had my speeding fine and endorsements back from court after stupidly and naively deciding to plead ’guilty with mitigating circumstances’ by post in the misguided belief that there is still some justice left in the Legal System!!
I accepted that I had been travelling at 44 m.p.h. in a 30 m.p.h. zone,if the mobile unit said so, but pleaded that I had genuinely believed I was still in a 40 m.p.h. zone after travelling through varying 40 and 50 m.p.h. zones for some distance prior to and after the 30m.p.h. zone.
For having the audacity to exercise my right to put across my explanation I received £350 fine plus £30 costs and 4 penalty points, instead of £60 and 3 penalty points if I had exercised my right to be a sheep and go mildly to the slaughter! Whatever happened to ’punishment fitting the crime’?
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| John,Swansea |
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Hate the fact that there are not enough road speed signs.new to area could see a police speed trap ahead and a 40 limit speed sign ahead,thought that was the limit as it was not a built up area,safe at 37mph,no the small stretch of road was 30mph hence £60 fine and a driver awareness course.told on course that it is the councils legal oblgation to make sure there are enough correct speed signs.they know we are not going to challange them in court as it means time off work,so you have to take it on the chin again.I WILL NOT BE SHOPPING IN WAKEFIELD AGAIN NOR WILL MY FRIENDS AND FAMILY
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| CHERYL,LEEDS |
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Seen at Gatwick today 12.08.09 0600
Police 4 x 4 at Service Station with the Driver inside the shop and the Car left with engine running on tickover outside.
Anyone want a cheep 4 x 4
Or, will the Driver report Himself and get 3 points and a fine ?
I suppose after reding this I can expect a knock on MY door any day now.
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| Ray,West Midlands |
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A few miles down the road from us is a speed camera that has a tree growing in front of it, What is the speed of a falling leaf ?
And yes, it is on a trunk road.
No more plese.
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| Ray,West Midlands |
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The following is purely my opinion and does not constitute legal advice of any kind.....
It might surprise you all to know that when a police office stops you for perhaps speeding he or she will ask certain questions of you, notably
"Are you the Driver of this Motor vehicle?" You, will probably answers Yes I am. In doing so you have unwittingly, and without full disclosure agreed to fall under his juristriction.
How you might wonder? Very Simple
A driver, in legal definitions is "one employed in conducting or operating a coach, , carriage, wagon, or other vehicle with horses, mules, or other animals, or a bicycle, tricyle or motor car" Blacks Law Dictionary, 3rd Edition
A Motor Vehicle, is legally defined as any vehicle, whether motor propelled or not carrying passengers or goods AND in COMMERCE...
Therefore, if you off to see Gran for the day and you’ve travelled a little quicker than the "LEGAL" limit you are most certainly not an employee engaged in COMMERCE on the public highway. Obviously, if you in an HGV you cannot claim you are not engaged in COMMERCE and would probably fall under the legislation as currently written.
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| James,ORPINGTON |
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After 50 years of trouble free driving I was booked,on what appeared to be a dual carriageway, in Blackpool, for driving 7mph over the 30mph speed limit. I had just left the A55.
A comment made to me by a Blackpool resident; "That camera catches everyone out". smacks of deliberate mal practice by the responsible authorities.
I must point out that I drive carefully observing speed limits on all types of road, much to the amusement of my family, who say,the grandchildren especially, that I am a hazzard.
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| Peter,Consett |
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SPEED KILLS, BUT I WONDER WHY SOME DRIVERS DO NOT OBEY THE LAW!
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| MFON KOKO,ABUJA |
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Why can’t people just take responsibility for their own actions? We have speed limits in this country for a good reason and if people want to break them (regardless of the time of day or the weather?, then they just need to accept the consequences - both financially and physically.
I’ve been caught speeding on 2 occasions, I’ve also been in a close-to-fatal car crash as a result of my speed on a motorway (it was dark and rainy which made things a lot worse James from kidderminster) I didn’t speed again.
speeders and aggressive, irresponsible drivers cause accidents and kill people - Fact. and Lou from Portsmouth - what a silly and selfish comment, a crime is a crime and the law is the law i’m afraid.. If your such a good driver you’d have spotted the camera on the Bridge infront of you and reacted with enough time to slow down.
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| Luke,W Mids |
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Why are all drivers not offered the "Drivers speeding awareness coarse"?
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| eddie,Chester |
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How often have we been told more accidents happen in the home,so why is there not a Policeman/Safety expert guiding us through our daily routine in this glass case cotton wool mentality mold that politicians would love us to be wrapped in.That way they can sleep at night knowing there are no adventurers,risk takers,go getter,you know, more like sheep than individualists who would dare to question their authority.
A pat on the head society, conditioned to accept officialdom,to timid to afraid to...speak.Not unlike the way we are at present...although there are still a few out there,but how long will they last.
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| John,Swindon |
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No matter what the motorist does the Government/Police will widen the goal post to make us pay.If you want to do something positive then start a political party by motorists,after all three quarters of the population either drive or are driven by relatives who own a car.
Motorists are the back bone of the economy,both local and national,if we were to park our cars up for a week,no work,shopping or socializing.There would be chaos,we have always had the power to change things if only we would work together instead of moaning amongst ourselves,just how the authorities like/want it.
the power is two fold,one stand for election,two is very easy all you have to do is vote.
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| John,Swindon |
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Irate van driver,normal 3.5tonne van. Doing 58mph in what i thought was a 60mph dual carriageway but was classed as a singlecarriageway because there was no central reservation so it should have been 50mph. Also they reduced the camera speed from 60mph to 50mph to catch out trucks and vans especially as they knew people like me WOULD think it was a dual carriagewy. The following morning i seen the same camera flashing cars,vans and trucks on my way in the opposite direction,more waste of money but eh? they get it back of us law abiding tax paying citizens...oh and for the record,it is another clean license of 20 years gone down the swanny!! Anyone for a rebellion of clearer laws and signs for different classes of vehicles!?!?!? Grrrrrr
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| John ,Winsford |
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I have just recieved a speeding fine. I have been drivng for 7 years and have always paid my Tax, Insurance and MOT.
I want to know how anyone can justify hiding on a bridge on a motorway at 6.45am and jumping out on unsuspecting drivers. It was like watching something from "You’ve been framed".
Come on have some dignity!!! catch some real criminals!
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| Lou,Portsmouth |
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Just let your number plate get so muddy it can’t be read - never been stopped for it !
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| Muddyplate,London |
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Isnt speed cameras about stopping people from speeding? They are so why not have more all it does is make the world a safer place!
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| Stephen,Manchester |
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The whole point of speed cameras is to stop people speeding right? Then, taking points off the license of the offender is fair enough... BUT, TAKING £60 AS WELL IS THEFT. Also, in north wales, there are cameras that are trained to catch people doing over 20 miles per hour
THIS IS YOUR NEW ’DICK TURPIN’ HIGHWAY ROBBER. Cameras should just take photos of every passing vehicle and just ’DO’ them for no mot tax or insurance or disqualified/unqualified drivers.
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| paul,widnes |
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I got caught speeding last week. 34mph in a 30 zone. It was dark, raining and the camera is put behind a tree. I hate driving in them weather conditions expecially when you do not know the area.
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| James,Kidderminster |
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