Road safety research canned
Because it conflicts with speed camera policies
Gatso
In May 2005, the government decided that the side effects of blanket speed camera usage warranted investigation, following pressure from road safety safety campaign Safe Speed and others. In December of that year, the transport department discovered that neglect of a statistical bias had exaggerated the main benefit of speed cameras by 400 per cent. The claimed '100 lives per year saved at speed camera sites' was downgraded to 25 lives saved.
In June 2006, it discovered that a beneficial trend in road crash serious injuries was just a feature of the way these crashes are reported. Hospitalisation statistics didn't, and don't, show the same trend. Road deaths don't show the same trend.
In September 2006, the proportion of injury crashes involving any speeding vehicle nationally was found to be only five per cent -- not one-third as previously claimed.
And now Safe Speed has learned via a Freedom of Information request that the speed camera side effects research, announced in May 2005, had been axed.
According to the campaign: "it is inconceivable that the side effects don't cost more than 25 lives per year, meaning that speed cameras are making road safety worse. But the Department for Transport doesn't want to hear this, which is the only possible reason for axing the most important research."
Campaign founder Paul Smith said: "Speed camera policy has failed catastrophically. Department for Transport knows that it has failed but won't admit its deadly mistake and pull the plug. Officials seem to be hoping that speed cameras will fade away over the next five years, yet they know that the policy isn't working and is costing lives.
"If that's not a reason for road users to get angry, I don't know what is."
More details and suggestions for further action on Safe Speed's Web site.
That is because you can use "statistics"* to show you are hitting "targets" and actually doing something...
A bunch of lies, or data misrepresented, ignoring that which shows you are not hitting the target after all
Because, as with other things (specifically global warming), the message has gone out that speed kills, speed is wrong, speed is bad etc etc and people are now getting brainwashed. If you report something which may show that not to be the case then you are going to be ridiculed and told you are "off message".
BURY IT!!
That seems to be the governments policy.
They'll probably make a public statement around budget day.
Absolute wankers.
Actually, the Government's policy is to have a major "terror alert" immediately preceding the announcement of the bad news, hence relegating it to page 7. Any bets on where this one will be?
BURY IT!!
That seems to be the governments policy.
They'll probably make a public statement around budget day.
Absolute wankers.
Expand on that: anything that opposes a policy where by the government would have an excuse to charge us more in tax etc is labelled as complete bull sh*t. Climate change for instance- do the government ever inform the public of all the opposing views of these scientists: no, why, because they would have to debate who was right rather then how much extra tax we need to have.
It did make quite a bit of news on Wednesday. Sun. Guardian. Daily Mail. Talksport. Sky News website. I lost count of the local radio interviews I gave. Unfortunately it got rather bumped by a lot of news about Trident. Mostly the BBC ignored it wilfully. As they do.
The speed camera war has been won. DfT's claims are destroyed and they know it. They know camersa don't make the roads safer. But they aren't confessing to their deadly mistake.
I have systematically destroyed their claims one by one and there's nothing left. Literally nothing left.
Pistonheads folk have provided valuable financial assistance that has enabled me to work on it full time for four years now. But the job isn't done yet and I need more help.
PLEASE see the current front page on www.safespeed.org.uk and help if you can. Send the web link to your friends.
At least please sign the petition at: http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/scrapcam
The speed camera war has been won.
Yes but there's still the peace to be won and unless it's championed by, say a high profile entity, ie Tories/Libs (as if!!!)rather than just a newspaper, the PR machine will roll on and Mrs Housewife will still believe they're for the best.
Actually isn't highway robbery still a hanging offence in this country????
I watched a report on Digital TV coming to Cumbria (I think) soon and everyone interviewed knew nowt!!! For god's sake how much exposure has there been? I honestly think the nation has been brainwashed so much that no free thoughts to question, enquire challenge and learn exist anymore?!?!?!?
Apathy in the UK!
M
Because, as with other things (specifically global warming), the message has gone out that speed kills, speed is wrong, speed is bad etc etc and people are now getting brainwashed. If you report something which may show that not to be the case then you are going to be ridiculed and told you are "off message".
Spot on, every time there is something on the news or TV generally about road safty there is never a discussion about 'why' there are accidents. The items/sories simply refer to speed being the cause. The implication is that the brainwashing exercise has been so successful that the Goverments original exagerated claims that a third of all accidents were caused as a result of speeding have become irrelevent (and the truth totally lost).
The same is now happening with CO2 emissions, there is no longer a healthy debate, simply a conclusion and then increased taxes (like that'll help).
What troubles me is the general populus' willingness to do nothing, and when I say nothing, I mean even question these issues. Most look blankly at you if you even mention the two subjects, which are becoming intrinsically linked.
If you do get a response its nearly always, that speeding causes accidents and CO2 causes global warming (sorry to drone on about the later, but I believe we are truly being manipulated on a grand scale for enormous political gain).
I'm starting to think that speed cameras aren't about revenue. The reason the Government won't climb down is entirly political in as much as no Government can ever admit that it was wrong, particularly on a topic that is so in the public eye, it cannot allow itself to 'loose face'.
Sadly the loss of life and mass manipulation of the populus will continue.
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