Wednesday 4th January 2006

Lawless drivers compromise safety

Scamera fines reveal huge underclass

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Don't register and you're immune

A number of stories in recent days, including those from the Telegraph, the BBC and the Independent, have highlighted disparities in speed camera 'conversion rates' from notices to fines in different parts of the country.

For instance, London and Manchester -- large urban areas -- have the poorest conversion rates. The stories express outrage that the chances of being caught vary, depending on where you are.

But the real story, according to road safety campaign Safe Speed, is that it's indicative of the numbers of untraceable vehicles in use in these areas.

Campaign founder Paul Smith said: "The problem that concerns me here, as highlighted by these figures, is that people are finding themselves better off outside the law. If your vehicle is not properly registered, then you are close to immune from speeding, parking and congestion charge fines. While the public perceives these fines as onerous, more and more people are deliberately neglecting proper vehicle registration. This is one important factor in the low 'conversion rates' in certain areas of the country.

"If this trend continues -- and while we police by camera and computer it will -- the risk is that we will lose control of the entire vehicle registration process. We are not far away from such a situation already. A professional bailiff, talking with me on Talksport Radio earlier in the year, told me that of 100 congestion charge non-payment follow-ups, 99 were untraceable. This is already the reality of policing by camera and computer, and it can only get worse.

"The vast majority of responsible citizens should feel that registering their vehicles will be a benefit and not a curse. Policing by camera and computer simply does not and will not work - too many people just find their own individual ways of working around the system.

"The only answer is to police the roads properly. We need to get police out from behind their desks and statistical returns and put them on the roads again looking for all manner of bad driving. It's part of the proven formula that gave us the safest roads in the world in the first place."

• www.safespeed.org.uk

[GTRene]

"The vast majority of responsible citizens should feel that registering their vehicles will be a benefit and not a curse. Policing by camera and computer simply does not and will not work - too many people just find their own individual ways of working around the system.

"The only answer is to Police the roads properly. We need to get police out from behind their desks and statistical returns and put them on the roads again looking for all manner of bad driving. It's part of the proven formula that gave us the safest roads in the world in the first place."

I think most of the problems come with giving points on a driverslicence when the license is taken in...you still wanted to drive! but you can't get insured because of no license? so they drive without license and insurence and papers!
So for only speeding(not always real danger) leaf the license alone, only a fine, that way you will see more people are insured again and more people will have proper papers!
Only when they can't realy drive so very dangerous all the time then take the license in or lock them up when still driving, other way nly let them pay finé's that way they are still recordeble and you can find them back, other wise more and more people drive without papers and license and insurance I say...
GTRene

[eccles]

when you insure you car, your driving license has nothing to do with it, apart from how many points are on it.

i understood that a new law has just come into force (or is about to), with an offence of having an incorrectly registered vehicle.

[ohopkins]

That has to be the world most unenforcable law !

Think about it.....if the car is not registered , where do you send the fine ? frankly its hilarious.

And since the DVLA is 40% wrong, no policeman would prosecute you for it. The Police laughed at the DVLA when they stopped me and the car was registered somewhere else.

[james_j]

"...Campaign founder Paul Smith said: "The problem that concerns me here, as highlighted by these figures, is that people are finding themselves better off outside the law..."

Quite and not just on the road either.

That's what happens when the people the laws are supposed to protect are the ones monitored and generally harrassed while the scrotes are able to avoid it all.