On Sun, 26 Oct 2003 22:38:02 +0000, Andrew P Smith wrote:

In article , Nick
writes
Is there any evidence that these cameras reduce injuries or deaths?

No.

They don't have them in Germany and accidents there are decreasing at more
than the rate here.

They do have cameras in Germany but they are targeted at specific
problem areas, not used as a revenue raising tax as they are here.

The main road near my house is long, straight and wide. Many drivers use
excessive speed along it, especially at night. There have been several
pedestrian accidents now on that road, including at least one death (of a
child), and so speed cameras have now appeared. Whether we see any more
deaths on this road only time will tell, but the reduced speeds along the
road certainly make life more pleasant as a pedestrian, bus user and
driver.


Mark

--
Mark Etherington

"John Rowland" wrote in message ...
IMO every SPECS camera in the country should be linked, and whenever you
pass one your number should be transmitted to every other camera in the
country along with a "discard-by" time, and if you are busted if you arrive
at any other camera before your number is discarded by that camera. It would
also bring an instant end to license plate cloning, because the system would
see these cars as travelling at 1000s of miles an hour, and the police could
instantly be alerted to the location of both cars.

And whats the next phase in your Big Brother scheme? Record the faces of the
drivers in the cars which can be matched by a facial recognition system?
How far does this go? If speed limits were reasonable I wouldn't mind these
bloody cameras but a lot of the time they've been set deliberately low just so
as to catch as many drivers and hence raise as much revenue as possible.
2 prime examples spring to mind - the 40mph limit on the 6 lane north circular
at many points and the cameras on the A45 coming out of Birmingham.
Fortunately the latter are backwards facing cameras and I've solved the
problem of getting anymore tickets by permanently removing my front license
plate. Did that a year ago and despite driving past many plods have yet to be
stopped for it and I'd recommend everyone else who is fed up with being
extorted by the police do the same.

B2003

"Nick" wrote in message ...
Is there any evidence that these cameras reduce injuries or deaths?

The police come out with spurious statistics that they have a habit of doing
but knowing the reliability of police stats and the amount of spin
they always have I'd prefer to see an independent survey done before I
believe a word of it.

Plus if the real reason for these things was to reduce deaths they'd put them
in local streets and outside schools where most fatal accidents happen. But no,
they put them where they make the most money , ie on high speed roads where
a greater percentage of drivers speed but the least accidents happen.

The Aussies regard them as an extra tax on the motorist.

And thats exactly what they are.

Andrew P Smith schrieb:
They do have cameras in Germany but they are targeted at specific
problem areas, not used as a revenue raising tax as they are here.
Oh i wish that were true...
Yes, you get speed cameras in problem areas, but, germans do use speed
cameras as a revenue generating device, too, they just don't say they do.

Mike Bristow wrote:
In article ,
Boltar wrote:
2 prime examples spring to mind - the 40mph limit on the 6 lane north circular

... this is a gray area because of the relativly high volume of
unprotected pedestrian traffic in those areas.

There are houses too. Try standing on a 50mph section. The noise is
colossal, and a real disincentive to walking there. Safety is not the
only reason to limit speed.

Colin McKenzie

In article ,
Boltar wrote:
And whats the next phase in your Big Brother scheme? Record the faces of the
drivers in the cars which can be matched by a facial recognition system?
How far does this go? If speed limits were reasonable I wouldn't mind these
bloody cameras but a lot of the time they've been set deliberately low just so
as to catch as many drivers and hence raise as much revenue as possible.

I can think of perhaps 2 locations where this is true, but...

2 prime examples spring to mind - the 40mph limit on the 6 lane north circular

.... this is a gray area because of the relativly high volume of
unprotected pedestrian traffic in those areas.

at many points and the cameras on the A45 coming out of Birmingham.

Never seen the road, so can't comment.

--
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sneaky eating each other.
-- FW (should I worry?)

Is there any evidence that these cameras reduce injuries or deaths?

Not what you were asking, but there is evidence that speed is a killer.
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On Mon, 27 Oct 2003 22:40:16 +0100, Gunnar Thöle
wrote in :
Andrew P Smith schrieb:
They do have cameras in Germany but they are targeted at specific
problem areas, not used as a revenue raising tax as they are here.
Oh i wish that were true...
Yes, you get speed cameras in problem areas, but, germans do use speed
cameras as a revenue generating device, too, they just don't say they do.


I remember coming down a long winding descent out of the
Schwarzwald into a little village with progressively lower speed signs.
There was a whole line of us including me on the bike, stuck behind this
very big semi (artic) who had to go slowly because of the descent and the
twisties. At the bottom were two Polizei with a radar gun, scowling in
frustration as we all crawled past...

--
Ivan Reid, Electronic & Computer Engineering, ___ CMS Collaboration,
Brunel University. Room 40-1-B12, CERN
KotPT -- "for stupidity above and beyond the call of duty".

If you look he

http://www.abd.org.uk/prosecutions.htm

you'll see that whilst the amount of drivers caught by speed cameras appears
to be going up exponentially the amount of deaths on the road have remained
constant, so I suppose the answer is no, there is no evidence that cameras
reduce injuries or deaths.


"Nick" wrote in message
...
Is there any evidence that these cameras reduce injuries or deaths?
They don't have them in Germany and accidents there are decreasing at more
than the rate here.
They have many more of them in Australia and their accidents are going up.
The Aussies regard them as an extra tax on the motorist.

"mjw1" wrote in message
...
What is the acronym for those road speed cameras they have on the A14 -
not
the flashing Gatso ones, but rather the type that record your number
plate
as you approach and then measure the time taken until you pass the next
one?

Are they scheduled for a more wider roll-out within London?

As people can't just 'dip' their speed as they pass them, making them
harder
to 'cheat' that the Gatso type, are they not likely to be favoured by
the
police?

Mike

In article , Gunnar Thöle
writes
Andrew P Smith schrieb:
They do have cameras in Germany but they are targeted at specific
problem areas, not used as a revenue raising tax as they are here.
Oh i wish that were true...
Yes, you get speed cameras in problem areas, but, germans do use speed
cameras as a revenue generating device, too, they just don't say they
do.

That's news to me as there are so few of them.
--
Andrew
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