New intelligent speed camera just an invasion of privacy?

It is standard behaviour for most drivers to apply thier brakes when passing a speed camera, and then look down to check their speedometer. Unfortunately, many experienced drivers will know that a) all speedometers are optimistic, to varying amounts, and b) the cameras have a certain amount of discretuion, ie are set at a few miles per hour in excess of the speed limit. Hence many drivers will not slow down by the same amount as others – which will give rise to bunching and a possible infringement for tailgating for a few shorty seconds. Is this a good idea?

In any event, we will not get away from the fact that speed cameras are a form of tourist tax. The locals know their location and will normally slow down, whilst the out-of-towners may not, and get caught. Is this fair? What is more, some local radio stations announce the sites of mobile radar trasp on a daily basis. Again, a good service for the locals, but unfair to the “tourists” who are not tuned to the local station.

Another little thing, if the camera really can spot whether or not you are wearing your seatbelt it must be taking a picture from the front, so I hope that everybody is only driving with who they are supposed to be.

My experience of motorway driving has become more of a worry over the years due to the really terrible driving of many. The normal practice nowadays seems to be to see how close you can drive to the car in front at speed. Very, very few keep their distance and this has to be one of the biggest cause of accidents there is. As to talking on a phone or similar well it beggars belief – I just cannot understand how anyone could do something so dangerous. I am absolutely in agreement with a camera that can spot any hazard that is potentially life threatening and also intelligent enough to catch anyone without the proper insurance. The public have recently been encouraged to inform the authorities of any bad driving practices but this is impossible when you yourself are also driving and having nobody with you to note registration numbers etc. So, yes please, the sooner this is put into practice the better and I would hope that everyone can see the huge benefits of this. I cannot see any negatives as it is an impersonal operation and I assume would only ‘flag’ any driver not complying with certain rules/regulations of driving and so would not ‘infringe the rights’ of the majority (this being a common complaint).

Rightly or wrongly many will feel these cameras go too far which will just increase the resentment felt by many motorists towards the police, “justice” system et al. But who could object to a camera, perhaps on the busiest roads, the only purpose of which is to check that drivers have tax and insurance. The UK does not have to use all the cameras’ potential for them to be useful. Dealing with these issues must benefit us all as well as potentially paying for the cameras and their operation. Having said that, a few years ago parking attendants here reported details of all untaxed cars in the city’s car parks to the police for many months. Nothing was ever done, the same untaxed (and probably uninsured) cars continued to appear daily in the same car parks – so the scheme was abandoned. With such a disinterested police force will detecting tax/insurance offenders by a different method have any better results?

The more we can use cameras to stop bad driving the better. Using this type of camera and the data it produces will find those who persistently speed, tailgate etc and they can be prosecuted . Someone who breaks the law once should be cautioned. We already have cameras that identify numbers and hence discover whether you are driving without being MoT’d, taxed and insured, and I am in favour of them too. As for costs, one serious accident costs the community many times the cost of a camera, and fatalities cost the community millions, so anything that cuts speeding and other dangerous practice must be good economics, never mind the grief for those affected by deaths from dangerous driving.

I’ve mixed feelings about APNR cameras, on the one hand they’ve been very useful in tracking down a variety of criminals, from road tax evaders to sex offenders, but there’s disturbing evidence of misuse. The police using them to track and harass people who have done nothing more than attend a peaceful anti-war demonstration for example. It seems to me we need tighter regulation on what the information can be used for and who has access to it – not to mention the repeal of the anti-terror act.

The nostalgic preference for the friendly traffic cop who somehow senses you’re a good driver who just made a one-off error and will let you off with a warning frequently crops up in these debates but I’m afraid that in this target driven age he (or she) has become extinct. From what I’ve read on other forums you’re more likely to have one or more fixed penalty notices slapped on you for unconnected or even non-existent offences. One driver was given a fixed penalty for not carrying his V5 and MoT with him in the car and another for using his car for business purposes after he admitted he was delivering a parcel for a friend. Putting more traffic police on the roads is fine but the police, or at least certain forces, have to stop treating the general public as their enemy. The monthly targets officers are given should be abolished too.

The French experimented with a camera that would record who was sitting in the front seats a few years ago. Such were the protests against a device that could reveal who was sitting next to the driver that it was quickly abandoned! (A bit like when Giscard D’Estaing’s government tried to introduce licensing laws preventing the sale of alcohol before 9am – abandoned because of anger from the ‘cognac on the way to work’ French public.)

Unfortunately those who drive like boy racers, have no insurance, use their mobiles whilst driving, are basically not only dangerous, but costing responsible drivers/riders lots of money should in my opinion be taken off the public highway. If this equipment does this, then I am all for it, as it will free up police highway patrols and reduce the carnage irresposible drivers cause.

I feel it is certainly not all about safety as I know of numerous speed camera’s that are positioned just before an increase in speed sign. Is this for safety reasons or just hoping to catch out the motorist and filling the councils pockets?
Secondly I feel that I have to watch my speedometer all the time as I will be fined if I drive just over the allowed limit, which cannot be as safe as me watching only the road.
Having speed camera’s that invade even more cannot be a good thing. It certainly seems to be more about taking money of motorists. However those that are the biggest offenders usually have no means of paying and will probably just carry on driving (allowed or not) in a bad way.
Other than this I agree fully with Alan.

Many years ago, I was snapped at a TS (traffic light) junction on A40/M leaving London. The weather condition was wet and dull lighting. I had a tailgater and the lights were on amber so I made an instant “human” decision to go through the junction box as to stop on amber would have caused the car behind to run into the back of me…remember wet conditions mean longer breaker…SO…I got snapped as I exited the junction as the light had turned red by then. I was not speeding. I got a TS10 fine and 3 points – I wrote in to challenge the facts but the police refused to back down – THEY had photo-evidence and I was going to have to pay – end of story – not bothered about the tailgater. I have been against road cameras ever since – and I *HATE* tailgating b******s – I slow donw and allow them to overtake; I have also seen drivers on mobiles driving past police stations!! These locations must be the safest places for them to NOT GET CAUGHT!!