Sick and Tired of Speed Cameras?
Then why should we continue to put up with them?
Posted by Paul Whitrow, 2nd August, 2008 | Permalink | 3 Comments
Forget your Hoodies, ignore your Lager Louts, dismiss your criminals, the biggest problem with our society today is speed cameras!
These bloody things are everywhere, and with speed limits changing all the time and around almost every bend, the "SCAMERA" brigade are making millions off the backs of us already heavily taxed motorists.
If you believe the hype about them being for our own protection, to reduce accidents and improve road safety then bigger fool you. They are solely to make even more money for the Government.
Don't believe me?
A Tory council plans to pull 400,000 pounds out of a speed camera project, claiming the devices are a 'blatant tax on the motorist'.
Swindon Borough Council in Wiltshire wants to spend the money on local safety measures, such as vehicle-activated speed signs.
Its proposal is believed to be the first time a council has publicly accused the Government of installing speed cameras to make money rather than prevent accidents.
Source: The UK Speedtrap Guide
We can only hope that other councils follow suite and start to see sense.
There is some very interesting information to be found over at The UK Speedtrap Guide, and I highly recommend you take a gander, for example:
Fight and Win
A gentleman had been sent a fixed penalty notice in regard to a laser gun speed trap but decided to fight his case (see PDF).
RESULT - He got let off... (see PDF)
See? We can win, if we have the sense to challenge. We can say enough is enough, but only if enough of us actually stand up and say that, rather than adopting the standard British approach of "Oh, let's not make a fuss".
People are already doing 'their bit' toward getting rid of these Speed Cameras (although I don't condone the methods used, I can certainly appreciate them) as is evident over at
Speed Cam
Camera vans are being dubbed Talivans because of the way they're terrorising motorists
However, It's not just the cameras we have to content with, it's also the Camera Vans (Talivans) that are popping up more and more. I have personally seen 4 in recent weeks, and all of them have been hidden, 'cloaked' (inside unmarked vehicles) or otherwise nefariously secreted away in order to snare the likes of you and I. Even in such ridiculous places as inside of a Horse box! Check this out...
Not only that, but these devices and the operators of them are prone to massive errors that get either covered up or not even acknowledged in the first place.
Take a look at this disturbing evidence from BBS's Inside Out programme:
Does the establishment really expect us to accept this behavior? From the very people who are supposed to be infallible and uphold the law? How can we possibly look up to them when we know that they are purposefully and repeatedly shafting us?
I despair as to where all this will end. Will they be happy when the roads are clear of every motorist? Probably. But what will happen then? Will public transport be able to service the complete travel and commuting needs of the entire country? Not a bloody chance.
And what about the taxes? When nobody is driving cars anymore, where will the Government recoup all the lost revenue from fuel and annual car tax? Our own personal taxes will go up that's where. Again, don't believe me? Just think back to when the Government started to ban smoking. They massively increased the cost of tobacco and made every smoker feel like a social leper, in a mass push to get Britain healthier and save all of our lives apparently. OK fine, admirable if you will, at the very least they provided a new band wagon for the sandle wearing, politically correct tree huggers to jump aboard. But what these PC Nazis failed to think of, was where will the Government get all the tax back that they will loose from smokers giving up? It was 10 BILLION in the last two years! Well lets see...
Has the cost of living raised? Check.
Has tax on fuel raised? Check.
Has road tax raised? Check.
The list could go on but you're probably getting bored by now, so I will just end with this:
We should not allow ourselves to be bent over by the Government any more. Exercise your freedom and fight back. Whenever you see one of the Talivans, ask the occupants to smile as you take a photo (and watch their reaction), then send the photo into a site like The UK Speedtrap Guide, for all the world to see. Start naming and shaming these bastards. It might not get you anywhere immediately,but at least it will make you feel better.
It's well worth taking a look at the Department of Transport's Handbook of Rules and Guidelines for the operation of the national road safety camera programme for England and Wales
And above all, DO NOT BE AFRAID TO FIGHT BACK. You never know, we might actually win.
Just to end on something a little lighter...
I ran across a site called Baddriving.com and thought it was such a damn good idea that I would post it here. Start naming and shaming!
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Comments about ‘Sick and Tired of Speed Cameras?’
7th August 2008, 2:38 pm
Hey, Tassja....I don't mean to sound horribly mean, but why was she in the road? It's not JUST the driver's fault all the time.
4th August 2008, 7:36 pm
Hi Tassja,
I understand and fully appreciate your loss. I too have lost friends.
However, I'm not saying get rid of the cameras. I actually think that they could be useful, IF they are used for the correct purpose. But there are so many now, and in places that they cannot possibly do any good, that they can only be for revenue collection, and that is just plain wrong.
Of course you have the argument about not speeding, but often you will find that these devices, and the Talivans, will be placed at points where slow moving vehicles force other motorists to overtake, and it's those vehicles that accelerate to get around them that are getting caught. How do I know? Because it's happened to me.
Some cameras have actually caused accidents. Drivers, even those within the speed limits, often check their speed several times whilst approaching a camera location to ensure they are doing the correct speed for the road. I'm sure you will agree, taking your eyes off the road at any time while driving is never a good idea and can of course lead to accidents.
There are more effective ways of reducing speed. Sleeping Policemen, chicanes, rights of way crossings etc. These all reduce speed in accident areas, while not being sneaky and collecting revenue, and that was the point of the article.
YES to reducing speed, NO to the lies, deception and blatant flagrance of the law, in order to steal more of my wages.
4th August 2008, 6:59 am
As much as you may hate it, I'm a big fan of speed cameras. None of my friends have ever had a problem with them, but that's because they pay attention to the limits and stick to them. If you don't break the speed limits then you don't get caught. Simple as that.
The price of breaking the speed limits can be a lot higher than a mere monetary fine. It can be devastating to a family.
Place yourself for a moment in another persons shoes - you're a 15 year old girl and you have stumbled into the road. The last thing you see is a car coming at you. Had it been sticking to the limit you would be severely injured but would most likely live.
Now place yourself in the shoes of her parents. Sat in the hospital being told she is on a life support machine but is brain dead, the only thing they can do is switch the machine off. Think of how it feels when they flip the switch and the girls chest stops moving. Life completely fled. Think how you would feel about the driver who broke the speed limit causing your daughter to impact with the ground with enough force to shatter the back of her skull.
Think what you'd say to her brother and sister.
Think what that loss would do to the family.
Think of her friends.
I knew that girl. She was my friend. And at 15 she was taken away by a thoughtless driver in hurry. A speed camera is at the very site where she died. But it wasn't there when she needed it.
Every time I pass the cemetery where she was laid to rest I always wave to her and wonder what life would be like if she were still here.
A beautiful person taken too soon. I still mourn her loss.
I sit here crying, holding my son close. Hoping I never have to go through loosing him like that.