"The Partnerships": blood on their hands...
Discussion
www.sky.com/skynews/article/0,,30000-12994916,00.html
DRIVER FEARED POINTS BAN
A trucker killed himself after fearing a driving ban when flashed by a speed camera, an inquest has heard.
Kevin Lee, 38, thought he had nine points on his licence and that the extra three would lead to an automatic ban.
But he actually only had three points and had not been caught by the camera.
Father-of-two Mr Lee was found hanged from off a bridge near the M1 in Sandiacre, Derbyshire. A coroner returned a verdict of suicide.
After the inquest, Mr Lee's wife, Jennie, told The Sun: "Speed cameras certainly had a major impact on Kevin's death.
"Driving was his life and the thought of losing his licence had ripped him apart."
Mrs Lee, from Kettering, Northamptonshire, told an earlier hearing her husband feared he would lose his job as a result of the camera flash.
But police confirmed he only had three points on his licence, the other six had expired because they were more than three years old.
DRIVER FEARED POINTS BAN
A trucker killed himself after fearing a driving ban when flashed by a speed camera, an inquest has heard.
Kevin Lee, 38, thought he had nine points on his licence and that the extra three would lead to an automatic ban.
But he actually only had three points and had not been caught by the camera.
Father-of-two Mr Lee was found hanged from off a bridge near the M1 in Sandiacre, Derbyshire. A coroner returned a verdict of suicide.
After the inquest, Mr Lee's wife, Jennie, told The Sun: "Speed cameras certainly had a major impact on Kevin's death.
"Driving was his life and the thought of losing his licence had ripped him apart."
Mrs Lee, from Kettering, Northamptonshire, told an earlier hearing her husband feared he would lose his job as a result of the camera flash.
But police confirmed he only had three points on his licence, the other six had expired because they were more than three years old.
Sergeant Ian Windmill, of the safety camera partnership, said:
"If, with these cameras, we can reduce the speed of vehicles and the consequences of that speed - the injuries and the severity of the injuries - then it has to be worth it."
"We look forward to the day when not a single ticket is issued. We don't want your money, we want to save your life," DFT spokeswoman Lisa Lee told BBC News Online.
She said of £73m raised from speed cameras by Safety Camera Partnerships - made up of police, local authorities and magistrates courts - £66m had been reimbursed to police forces to cover the cost of operating, installing and maintaining cameras.
Fines can only be used to promote road safety
And the £7m surplus had gone to the Treasury.
A DFT spokeswoman said: "Cameras aren't about raising money, they're about saving lives."
"As we've always said, we look forward to a day when not a single speeding ticket is issued," she said.
"We don't want your money, we just want you to slow down."
Malcolm Wilkes, the officer, who has received one speeding ticket himself, says people wrongly perceive the scheme as a money-maker.
"Casualty reduction is what we're being judged on, not on how many we book".
Just a small sample of the many quotes from the bloodied Safety camera partnerships" press people...
Saving lives are you? Direct responsibility for taking them it would seem.
"If, with these cameras, we can reduce the speed of vehicles and the consequences of that speed - the injuries and the severity of the injuries - then it has to be worth it."
"We look forward to the day when not a single ticket is issued. We don't want your money, we want to save your life," DFT spokeswoman Lisa Lee told BBC News Online.
She said of £73m raised from speed cameras by Safety Camera Partnerships - made up of police, local authorities and magistrates courts - £66m had been reimbursed to police forces to cover the cost of operating, installing and maintaining cameras.
Fines can only be used to promote road safety
And the £7m surplus had gone to the Treasury.
A DFT spokeswoman said: "Cameras aren't about raising money, they're about saving lives."
"As we've always said, we look forward to a day when not a single speeding ticket is issued," she said.
"We don't want your money, we just want you to slow down."
Malcolm Wilkes, the officer, who has received one speeding ticket himself, says people wrongly perceive the scheme as a money-maker.
"Casualty reduction is what we're being judged on, not on how many we book".
Just a small sample of the many quotes from the bloodied Safety camera partnerships" press people...
Saving lives are you? Direct responsibility for taking them it would seem.
deltaf said:
Sergeant Ian Windmill, of the safety camera partnership, said:
"If, with these cameras, we can reduce the speed of vehicles and the consequences of that speed - the injuries and the severity of the injuries - then it has to be worth it."
"We look forward to the day when not a single ticket is issued. We don't want your money, we want to save your life," DFT spokeswoman Lisa Lee told BBC News Online.
Fines can only be used to promote road safety
And the £7m surplus had gone to the Treasury.
A DFT spokeswoman said: "Cameras aren't about raising money, they're about saving lives."
"As we've always said, we look forward to a day when not a single speeding ticket is issued," she said.
"We don't want your money, we just want you to slow down."
Malcolm Wilkes, the officer, who has received one speeding ticket himself, says people wrongly perceive the scheme as a money-maker.
"Casualty reduction is what we're being judged on, not on how many we book".
Just a small sample of the many quotes from the bloodied Safety camera partnerships" press people...
Saving lives are you? Direct responsibility for taking them it would seem.
How, exactly, does a camera save a life?? It is a box which measures speed, and is usually sited at a fleece spot, and not a black spot/vulnerable area?
Are they outside schools? On dangerous roads? In heavily pedestrianised areas?
(Wildcat is being silly!)
If they do not want our money, but want to "save our lives" - why place them in fleece spots, and why try to keep them as invisible as possible? (Behind signs, trees, bus shelters.....!)
Does it make us "slow down?" Not at all, judging from the mumbers getting fleeced!
They do not want to issue speed tickets? Why have a target of 3 million? It is business - provides jobs for these little Stasis! Bet they really want to visit the jobcentre - and would I want to employ any of them? Er? Do I want Stasi-mentality in my company?
"Fines can only be used to promote road safety"
- Spent on more scams to generate more cash to buy more scams....
Road safety should be about providing those awareness courses we keep banging on about! Proper road safety advert campaigns - like the ones we used to see (the old 2-second rule ad; motorway lane discipline; amber gambler etc), and a better education campaign for cyclists, pedestrians and horse riders! That is what this money should be spent on!
On the A1 just east of Edinburgh this morning there was a car stuck in the crash barrier, dead straight bit of dual carriageway in a 70 limit, but the crash was about 50m after a gatso. I would have taken a picture, but it would have been a bit dangerous (and illegal) to stop. It seems that this particular camera is certainly preventing accidents.
Giles
Giles
gilesM said:
On the A1 just east of Edinburgh this morning there was a car stuck in the crash barrier, dead straight bit of dual carriageway in a 70 limit, but the crash was about 50m after a gatso. I would have taken a picture, but it would have been a bit dangerous (and illegal) to stop. It seems that this particular camera is certainly preventing accidents.
Giles
Sounds like the guy was going heavy on the loud pedal, spotted the camera, panic braked and locked the wheels and lost control of the car as a result. Which, if this was the case, would mean that the camera was partially to blame for the accident. No wait, that can't be right! Scamera's prevent accidents, don't they?
Dick Dastardly said:
Why not wait for confirmation that you've got the points before killing yourself? This guy clearly wasn't all there
That is an excellent point, however all of the arguments against speed cameras are defended by emotive methods this just happens to be ours. Never mind what might have been. The speed camera was the catalyst that tipped him over the edge. Therefore the speed camera killed him. No, there is no argument to be had I believe.
Dick Dastardly said:
Why not wait for confirmation that you've got the points before killing yourself? This guy clearly wasn't all there
I think this is "reasonable", but I don't think you think reasonably in these circumstances. The pressure and resulting depression from the knowledge of the prosecution being waged against you is enough to remove reason from the situation.
Deplorable as the use and location of many speed cameras are, the "safety" partnership who set this one up can't be blamed for the poor bugger's suicide. There must have been a whole hell of a lot of stuff in this guy's life that wasn't going right, or mental illness, if the thought of losing his licence tipped him over the edge. People lose their jobs all the time. I've been in depts that have been axed and thereby turfed a bunch of middle aged blokes with no usefully transferable skills out on the street. No chance of getting a similar job again. Did they top themselves? No. Bit of an insult to this poor guy to attribute his suicide to the fear of three more points.
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