Speed or Greed?

The UK government has recently made a major u-turn on the decision to deploy more speed cameras in the North East of England until a full study into their effectiveness is complete.

There is misconception amongst some drivers and many non-drivers that speed cameras reduce speed, and therefore reduce road deaths. This was backed up by a government lead campaign a few years ago, SlOA, Speed leads tO Accidents.

Speed only leads to accidents if the driver is not in control of the vehicle or is not taking the necessary care and attention whilst in control of the vehicle.

A driver could be in full control of a vehicle, on a motorway, and paying full attention to the road conditions and the surroundings - at speeds in excess of 100mph and never have an accident. At the same time, a driver may be driving in a built up area, at only 20mph and be involved in an accident as a result of not paying enough attention to the conditions around them.

There are many statistics available which will contradict what I've said here but, there are also many more which backup my comments.

A survey carried out by Car Parts Direct has revealed that over 268,000 drivers are now banned from driving and millions of pounds are being paid out in speeding fines. Thousands of motorists are losing their jobs, freedom and ability to earn a living.

82% of speed camera victims thought they were driving safely at the time of their conviction and were just unfortunate to be doing a few miles over the limit.

65% thought their speeding ticket was totally unjustified and felt cheated.

With this in mind, what is the real issue here?

Speed or Greed?