Anti Speed Kills Letter in Shropshire Star Yesterday
Discussion
It all helps........
Oh come on Mr AC Mitchell of Telford. You accuse me of “misusing” DfT figures to excuse speeding drivers as you put it when you have used an incorrect calculation to make your point and the so called Safety camera Partnership has been misusing them for years?
An average of 10 people die on our roads every day through a variety of causes. Latest DfT figures show that just 1 in 20 of collisions is due to drivers exceeding a speed limit. That is one person every two days not two people per day as you calculate. Furthermore it is six times less than the three people per day used by Safety Camera Partnerships to justify drivers paying their staff’s salaries. I trust you are keeping up Mr. Mitchell.
Let’s put one person every two days in perspective shall we? 22 people die every two days as a result of accidents in the home. 580 people die every two days as a result of smoking. 13 people die on our roads every two days as a result of driver error including in particular the most basic “failure to look”.
The emotive but misguided fascination with speed is killing people. “Speed kills” has been promoted as a road safety strategy because speed is easy to measure, it bears a passing resemblance to a road safety strategy, it is self funding and it is readily accepted by the gullible. However it removes focus from the 13 people or so that die every two days as a result of basic driver error not involving excessive speed - and it is the problem of variable driver skills and attitude that the authorities are failing to address.
I am not speed friendly Mr Mitchell I am road safety friendly, as I’m sure you are. But perhaps you should give some consideration how we should address the big problem of drivers who are unsafe at any speed.
Oh come on Mr AC Mitchell of Telford. You accuse me of “misusing” DfT figures to excuse speeding drivers as you put it when you have used an incorrect calculation to make your point and the so called Safety camera Partnership has been misusing them for years?
An average of 10 people die on our roads every day through a variety of causes. Latest DfT figures show that just 1 in 20 of collisions is due to drivers exceeding a speed limit. That is one person every two days not two people per day as you calculate. Furthermore it is six times less than the three people per day used by Safety Camera Partnerships to justify drivers paying their staff’s salaries. I trust you are keeping up Mr. Mitchell.
Let’s put one person every two days in perspective shall we? 22 people die every two days as a result of accidents in the home. 580 people die every two days as a result of smoking. 13 people die on our roads every two days as a result of driver error including in particular the most basic “failure to look”.
The emotive but misguided fascination with speed is killing people. “Speed kills” has been promoted as a road safety strategy because speed is easy to measure, it bears a passing resemblance to a road safety strategy, it is self funding and it is readily accepted by the gullible. However it removes focus from the 13 people or so that die every two days as a result of basic driver error not involving excessive speed - and it is the problem of variable driver skills and attitude that the authorities are failing to address.
I am not speed friendly Mr Mitchell I am road safety friendly, as I’m sure you are. But perhaps you should give some consideration how we should address the big problem of drivers who are unsafe at any speed.
It will fall on deaf ears, sadly. This sort of person rarely changes their point of view...it's a very British tradition: I've had this opinion for years and I'm damned if I'll change it now.
Bit like 'my Dad always voted Conservative/Labour, and if they're good enough for him they're good enough for me!'
Such people should be denied ANY sort of voice and any sort of power in this country - if you're too blinkered and ignorant to think, then stay out of other peoples' business!!!
Bit like 'my Dad always voted Conservative/Labour, and if they're good enough for him they're good enough for me!'
Such people should be denied ANY sort of voice and any sort of power in this country - if you're too blinkered and ignorant to think, then stay out of other peoples' business!!!
I don't care how deaf this particular individual's ears are - he provided me with another opportunity to put the point across to the public at large. My letters to the local paper have actually been mentioned in our "Safety" Camera Partnership's annual report as negative publicity in a local newspaper by a vocal minority. So I must be rattling their cage. (if I die a suspicious death please recall this 
) The newspaper itself has now become more sceptical of the cameras often referring to them as speed traps for example.
Since my first letters other people have been brave enough to air their views too.
If half the people on here put some of their energy into getting letters into the local papers rather than letting off steam in motoring forums then you would actually play a singificant part in swaying public opinion towards the truth in your county.
) The newspaper itself has now become more sceptical of the cameras often referring to them as speed traps for example. Since my first letters other people have been brave enough to air their views too.
If half the people on here put some of their energy into getting letters into the local papers rather than letting off steam in motoring forums then you would actually play a singificant part in swaying public opinion towards the truth in your county.
Edited by regmolehusband on Sunday 22 October 09:57
Well done indeed... The more bad press they get, the less tenable their lies will be.
Oh, next time you could add how many people die in UK hospitals as a result of acquired infections..... And how many SCP people they have moved to cleaning wards, after all, it is about saving lives...
Oh, next time you could add how many people die in UK hospitals as a result of acquired infections..... And how many SCP people they have moved to cleaning wards, after all, it is about saving lives...
Edited by jasandjules on Sunday 22 October 09:59
havoc said:
It will fall on deaf ears, sadly. This sort of person rarely changes their point of view...it's a very British tradition: I've had this opinion for years and I'm damned if I'll change it now.
It's not that - the problem is that these people think 'accidents' are inevitable, an inescapable hazard of modern life. They therefore think that the way to reduce KSI's is to make everyone drive slower.
When everyone is driving at 30MPH (10 in built up areas) and nobody is being K'd or SI'd in RTC's *then* they'll consider other aspects of road safety.
autismuk said:
Not sure I agree the Scamerati nonsense is accepted by the gullible ; I think outside of the usual suspects no-one believes it.
Unfortunately that's where you're wrong...I've had a few arguments at different workplaces (including Jag cars!) about them, with people who were hook, line and sinker sold on 'speed kills'.
It's why they've got away with it for so long!
autismuk said:
Not sure I agree the Scamerati nonsense is accepted by the gullible ; I think outside of the usual suspects no-one believes it.
I think that's wrong too - I would say the vast majority of ordinary people think traffic travels too fast, and practically everyone wants a speed camera outside their house because traffic goes 'racing' past.
regmolehusband said:
It all helps........
An average of 10 people die on our roads every day through a variety of causes. Latest DfT figures show that just 1 in 20 of collisions is due to drivers exceeding a speed limit. That is one person every two days not two people per day as you calculate. Furthermore it is six times less than the three people per day used by Safety Camera Partnerships to justify drivers paying their staff’s salaries. I trust you are keeping up Mr. Mitchell.
An average of 10 people die on our roads every day through a variety of causes. Latest DfT figures show that just 1 in 20 of collisions is due to drivers exceeding a speed limit. That is one person every two days not two people per day as you calculate. Furthermore it is six times less than the three people per day used by Safety Camera Partnerships to justify drivers paying their staff’s salaries. I trust you are keeping up Mr. Mitchell.
Is that 1 in 20 fatal collisions? Also, is it always 1 fatality per collision?
If not your numbers may not work.
Edited by CaptainSlow on Tuesday 24th October 09:02
havoc said:
autismuk said:
Not sure I agree the Scamerati nonsense is accepted by the gullible ; I think outside of the usual suspects no-one believes it.
Unfortunately that's where you're wrong...I've had a few arguments at different workplaces (including Jag cars!) about them, with people who were hook, line and sinker sold on 'speed kills'.
It's why they've got away with it for so long!
Yes, even morons get the vote unfortunately.
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