35MPH in a 30MPH zone

bosseyed

As a mildly interesting point on the 'mobile camera/cash cow' debate, I was driving through an estate near me recently where a mobile camera van is often parked (behind a tree I night add - far be it from me to suggest it was parked deliberately obscurely to avoid detection) - one local resident knowing full well the camera was there hand wrote a large sign with 'CAUTION MOBILE SPEED CAMERA AHEAD' or something along those lines.

The result? Everyone was well aware the camera was there, stuck well under the speed limit - job done. So why did the police make a special effort to leave their van and remove the hand written sign? Surely if safety was the name of the game, the fact that everyone slowed down should equal a successful day for the speed van - but clearly lack of revenue being raised informed the decision to ensure the camera van stayed hidden by removing the sign.

So, the obvious conclusion is that its generally hard to have an issue with fixed cameras - put them by schools, blackspots, whatever, they're fairly obvious so drivers will slow down, job done - those that get caught pay the fine, learn the camera is there, slow down in future at that spot - job done. Its clearly mobile cameras that are massively biased towards making money, and I think to argue against that would be daft.

sarahg1969

Of course it's a scam. They don't want drivers to slow down. They put cameras where they know that most drivers speed. Most drivers speed in those places because it is generally safe to do so.

There was an article in the news the other day that a speed camera caught 1000 people in just one week. If speeding is as dangerous as they say, you would have expected a significant number of accidents during that week, would you not?

bitemebankers

sarahg1969 wrote: »

They put cameras where they know that most drivers speed.

You say that like it's a bad thing. The job of the police is to stop people breaking the law. I'd be concerned if they weren't concentrating on the areas where there is most law-breaking going on.

kriss_boy

shandypants5 wrote: »

And cause all the traffic behind you to bunch up, drive too close to each other, get annoyed, make it difficult for pedestrians to cross the road due to lack of "gaps", and possibly cause frustrated drivers to try dangerous and stupid overtaking manouvers.


But none of that is your fault, you drive as slow as you like.:cool:

No.

I have this thing called a brain. It tells me when and when not to drive slower than the limit.

But more often than not in built up residential areas its wise to air on the side of caution and do 27mph instead of 33.