Stop!
Blunkett and Tories mess with speed penalties again... Forget speed cameras said Ted, let's concentrate on the real problems!
The Times recently brought us news that David Blunkett was thinking of reviewing the penalties for speeding. You might think that we’d be excited about the prospect of some reason and balance being introduced to the debate over speeding, but sadly it’s another mixed message that will do little to improve the lot of the sensible motorist.
Suggestions are that fewer points might be dished out for ‘minor’ offences rather than the fixed penalty of three points and sixty quid. Blunkett is quoted as saying, “A degree of sophistication is needed here and it should not be beyond us.”
The Times chooses to interpret that with the naive assumption that 90mph in a 70mph might get a 3 point penalty whilst 35mph in a 30 zone might get a single point. A fine example of how speed and its dangers can be misunderstood. Whichever side of the argument you sit you can mould the argument to suit your purposes. It would be easy to argue that 90mph on a clear motorway is far safer than speeding past a school, old people’s home or parade of shops at 35mph. The simple fact is that the danger associated with choosing a particular speed to drive at is always dependent on the situation - not always understood by the common motorist - and the degree to which someone exceeds an arbitrary limit is no real indication of the severity of the offence. For that reason alone it is not sensible to penalise by numbers.
Lies, Damn Lies & Statistics
When this Government came to power in 1997, 3599 people were killed on our roads. In 2001, 3450 were killed. Any improvement is welcome but it’s hardly on track for the 40% reduction over ten years that was targeted.
Now is the time to take stock. Everyone is too het up about speed cameras and the financial implications of their usage to pay any heed to the real issue any more - the roads aren’t getting any safer! There’s plenty of scope to reduce the number of crashes and deaths on our roads – but a new policy is needed.
The Conservatives opted for the knee-jerk vote grabbing policy of revamping the penalties for speeding. Now the Government has been spooked by the growing backlash and is fudging a new policy only a week after it wanted to add £5 to speeding offences for ‘victims’.
4500 speed cameras have made little impact on the national death count. Who is bold enough in politics to grasp the nettle now? Our roads are incredibly complex places these days and cars are more distracting places to be thanks to the huge range of gadgets within them. How any BMW driver with I-Drive doesn’t crash just trying to find Radio 4 each morning is a mystery to me. Anyone operating such complex equipment in industry is required to be suitably trained or have the Health and Safety boys round waving nasty bits of paper. It’s about time we took driving as seriously.
Almost...
Some steps in the right direction have been made with hazard awareness becoming part of the driving test – a very sensible decision. The fact remains though that we have millions of drivers on the roads who never took that test. Many drivers have no understanding, no concept nor any appreciation of the hole in their driving skills having never even been spoken to about hazard awareness or defensive driving techniques. The Government’s ‘Think’ campaign teetered on the brink of something sensible for a while. What could have become useful public information films simply became patronising mini horror films.
Driving for 80% of the population is ‘getting from A to B’ and most of them do it on autopilot. Many of them do it safely but many of them – me included – learned from mistakes. I’m still here through luck and good fortune after some silly driving in my youth. I was lucky. How many people aren’t here because of other people’s ‘mistakes’. We don’t have room on our roads for mistakes. Driving needs to be recognised as a skill, not a right and those that show it due respect should be allowed on our roads and those that don’t shouldn’t. If people aren’t up to the job then I don’t want them placing my family’s lives at risk.
What Next?
If anyone wants to make a serious dent in those 3,500 deaths and 40,000+ injuries each year then they need to get serious about driver education. The ‘Stick’ is unpopular at the moment so we need genuine carrot – a Driving Standards Agency with an interest in promoting advanced driving and financial benefits to drivers prepared to pay for their own further education. Yes, tax breaks for motorists.
Good driving is an intellectual skill not a physical one – it’s about time it received the recognition it deserves. Even if popular TV took up the cause it might help. Where are the role models? Where are the TV programmes that treat driving seriously rather than as a joke?
Politicians, a challenge: have you got the political skill to move the debate to where it should be…?
For one they have nothing to replace it with. Can you imagine the screaming noises emanating from minor pressure groups like t2000 and others if the speed camera farce was suddenly stopped?
Aside from those reasons, the cash rolling in is just too good to say no to.
I cant see an end to it if things stay as they are and people dont get vocal and active on this issue.
Basically the partnerships have blood on their hands for continually persuing a flawed policy.
Theyve done nothing at all for safety. What a damming indictment for their "road safety" policy that deaths are UP after all the extra "safety" cameras theyve planted.....
PetrolTed's Article said:
Driving needs to be recognised as a skill, not a right and those that show it due respect should be allowed on our roads and those that don’t shouldn’t. If people aren’t up to the job then I don’t want them placing my family’s lives at risk.
We don't earn the right to heave around a one ton (potential) killing machine, is has to be earnt.
If we factor into the road deaths figures the improved safety of cars - more airbags, crumple zones, etc - then it is entirely conceivable that the underlying level of road deaths is actually increasing. What is clear is that the only impact of cameras is financial.
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