From another site. Death at a Gatso.
Discussion
Found this on another site....
Name: ade
Email:
Subject: fatality by gatso
A very sad event indeed a couple of weeks ago on the A49 near wigan. A little girl was killed by a car next to a speedcamera. I just hope that the driver focussing on the speedometer rather than the road wasn't an influencing factor
Name: ade
Email:
Subject: fatality by gatso
A very sad event indeed a couple of weeks ago on the A49 near wigan. A little girl was killed by a car next to a speedcamera. I just hope that the driver focussing on the speedometer rather than the road wasn't an influencing factor
That's always why i've been against them - you could be driving along at 35 but concentraiting on the road, but because of the camera you can't help checking your speedo and your position relative to the Gatso because at that brief moment your attention is more taken with protecting your license than observing the people on the road around you 
spnracing said: Well if you can't concentrate on driving within the speed limit AND watch the road ahead, STOP DRIVING.
This is a piss-poor excuse against gatso placement, we are all responsible for our actions when we drive no matter what speed trap devices are out there.
This is a rather blinkered response.....come on have you never lost or altered your concentration even for an instant.
Something catches your eye and you instinctively turn to see...just for a moment.
You change the radio channel/tape/CD.
Light a cigarette.
Look in you rear view mirror to see what is behind you....is this not a requirement of driving that you be aware of traffic around you.
A glimpse to check your speed/fuel level/oil pressure/water temp....as any responsible driver does.
Checking the time.
....and a million other little actions that take your attention and are part and parcel of driving.
spnracing said: Well if you can't concentrate on driving within the speed limit AND watch the road ahead, STOP DRIVING.
This is a piss-poor excuse against gatso placement, we are all responsible for our actions when we drive no matter what speed trap devices are out there.
All I'm saying is that it's a distraction - we are only human (well I am). When distracted people are more likely to make a mistake.
steve-p said: A bigger contributory factor is likely to be that pedestrians are not actually supposed to be in the road when vehicles are approaching, as it is dangerous.
But if they happen to be there, it is a drivers responsibility to avoid running them down and not to fiddle with the radio.
As a seasoned vet I found the safe speed of the A14 west of Huntingdon to be over 70mph. The distraction of potential scameras turned me from concentrating from the road to the verge. This is NOT GOOD. You may say that I was proceeding at an Illegal/unsafe rate. Well illegal is complete BS. Unsafe- its the old story of clear road, no junctions and fields to either side ie revenue generator. Pass the anglegrinder NOW.
planetdave said: As a seasoned vet I found the safe speed of the A14 west of Huntingdon to be over 70mph. The distraction of potential scameras turned me from concentrating from the road to the verge. This is NOT GOOD. You may say that I was proceeding at an Illegal/unsafe rate. Well illegal is complete BS. Unsafe- its the old story of clear road, no junctions and fields to either side ie revenue generator. Pass the anglegrinder NOW.
And what does looking after animals have to do with it?
AJLintern said: That's always why i've been against them - you could be driving along at 35 but concentraiting on the road, but because of the camera you can't help checking your speedo and your position relative to the Gatso because at that brief moment your attention is more taken with protecting your license than observing the people on the road around you
exactly, I drove through Harston the other day in the Saab with the cruise on and set at 30mph, it was quite a revelation to be able to look around and I was very much aware of how preoccupied I normally am by the speedo under these circumstances. It's a double edged sword however because it adds weight to the argument for speed limiters in cars. Ho Hum, I guess in the end the best bet is an educated driver on a safe road, we can dream.
apache said:
AJLintern said: That's always why i've been against them - you could be driving along at 35 but concentraiting on the road, but because of the camera you can't help checking your speedo and your position relative to the Gatso because at that brief moment your attention is more taken with protecting your license than observing the people on the road around you
exactly, I drove through Harston the other day in the Saab with the cruise on and set at 30mph, it was quite a revelation to be able to look around and I was very much aware of how preoccupied I normally am by the speedo under these circumstances. It's a double edged sword however because it adds weight to the argument for speed limiters in cars. Ho Hum, I guess in the end the best bet is an educated driver on a safe road, we can dream.
And as a side issue I found the first time I drove "down south" (fife to norwich) with the geodesy online it had exactly the same effect in that I was able to markedly increase my situational awareness AWAY from the verge trying to spot little grey boxes on poles and onto the important stuff of what was going on around me.............
Found this recently about a road death where the presence of a speed camera has been mentioned as a factor in causing the accident.
From the Bracknell News, March 27
A pensioner died trying to cross a busy road in heavy rain just yards from a safe crossing, an inquest has heard. She died on December 30 after being hit by a van as she walked across South Hill Road at 1:30pm.
The Coroner recorded a verdict of accidental death and said where the pensioner crossed the road was the strangest part of what had happened.
He said "The strangest element was that she had the opportunity to walk a very short distance to a properly controlled crossing, where in my view it would have been safer to cross."
The inquest also heard that the fact that there was a speed camera on the road may also have been a factor.
The van driver told the Coroners Court "I thought I saw someone on the other side of the road and it never occurred to me they were going to run in front of me. It was raining really heavily and I looked down at my speedometer, which I always do when I go through the cameras, and saw I was going about 30mph. Your vision can be impaired by doing that and with the
windscreen wipers going as well it was hard to see. "Everything was fine up until then and she just suddenly appeared in front of me. I keep going over and over it all the time. Even now I keep saying to myself 'why didn't I see her' and that's one question I
cannot answer."
The pensioner was profoundly deaf but refused to use a hearing aid or use a pelican crossing just 50 feet from the site of the accident. A neighbour said "I would see her walking to the shops and she would just
step out into the road. I saw her have a few near-misses, in my mind it was an accident waiting to happen."
The Coroner said "The driver did say that he glanced down at his speedometer, which is something we all do when confronted by speed cameras, and that may have been a factor in his reaction times. Another
significant factor was the weather conditions and the very heavy rain which was unusual, even for this country. It was also darker than normal, and double windscreen wipers do have a distracting element."
From the Bracknell News, March 27
A pensioner died trying to cross a busy road in heavy rain just yards from a safe crossing, an inquest has heard. She died on December 30 after being hit by a van as she walked across South Hill Road at 1:30pm.
The Coroner recorded a verdict of accidental death and said where the pensioner crossed the road was the strangest part of what had happened.
He said "The strangest element was that she had the opportunity to walk a very short distance to a properly controlled crossing, where in my view it would have been safer to cross."
The inquest also heard that the fact that there was a speed camera on the road may also have been a factor.
The van driver told the Coroners Court "I thought I saw someone on the other side of the road and it never occurred to me they were going to run in front of me. It was raining really heavily and I looked down at my speedometer, which I always do when I go through the cameras, and saw I was going about 30mph. Your vision can be impaired by doing that and with the
windscreen wipers going as well it was hard to see. "Everything was fine up until then and she just suddenly appeared in front of me. I keep going over and over it all the time. Even now I keep saying to myself 'why didn't I see her' and that's one question I
cannot answer."
The pensioner was profoundly deaf but refused to use a hearing aid or use a pelican crossing just 50 feet from the site of the accident. A neighbour said "I would see her walking to the shops and she would just
step out into the road. I saw her have a few near-misses, in my mind it was an accident waiting to happen."
The Coroner said "The driver did say that he glanced down at his speedometer, which is something we all do when confronted by speed cameras, and that may have been a factor in his reaction times. Another
significant factor was the weather conditions and the very heavy rain which was unusual, even for this country. It was also darker than normal, and double windscreen wipers do have a distracting element."
They most certaily do not save lives. There is a camera not far from me on a one way street of all places.
The council put in chicanes and build-outs and made the road totally dangerous.
Id say its one of the most dangerous ones ive ever seen, but that didnt stop them.
Cameras save lives....yeah sure...tell it to the hand, cos the face aint listening.
There was a fatal crash just yards from the "safety camera" a coupla days ago.....ive got a message for the plods, the t2000(bc), and all the "speed kills" freaks: It aint friggin working you nobheads.
Why the hell dont you listen? Whats wrong with your puny minds, that common sense gets ridden over roughshod, by the likes of you morons?
YOURE the ones that are KILLING people. Wake the Fcuk up, before someone else dies in front of your "safety cameras".
Oh btw, there was only one fatality on that road before the camera went up, and that was a drunk on a motorbike who came off on the long straight, preceeding the now useless "safety camera".
>> Edited by deltaf on Saturday 5th April 23:29
The council put in chicanes and build-outs and made the road totally dangerous.
Id say its one of the most dangerous ones ive ever seen, but that didnt stop them.
Cameras save lives....yeah sure...tell it to the hand, cos the face aint listening.
There was a fatal crash just yards from the "safety camera" a coupla days ago.....ive got a message for the plods, the t2000(bc), and all the "speed kills" freaks: It aint friggin working you nobheads.
Why the hell dont you listen? Whats wrong with your puny minds, that common sense gets ridden over roughshod, by the likes of you morons?
YOURE the ones that are KILLING people. Wake the Fcuk up, before someone else dies in front of your "safety cameras".
Oh btw, there was only one fatality on that road before the camera went up, and that was a drunk on a motorbike who came off on the long straight, preceeding the now useless "safety camera".
>> Edited by deltaf on Saturday 5th April 23:29
Well its not a suprise that allegations are being made about "safety" cameras being distracting. I suspect that most drivers automatcally check their speed and keep their eye on their speedo as they pass a camera. With some cameras alledgely triggering at around 33mph its no suprise that people will keep an eye on the speedo as no one wants a fine or points.
My own view is that driving slowly within the speed limit is for me, more dangerous, than driving at my prefeered speed, which may be under or over the limit depending where I am. When tootling along knowing I am in the limit, my mind wanders, as I know I have no need to keep an eye out for cameras, speed traps etc. When driving at my own speed I know there is a danger I may break the limit and am therefore more alert
My own view is that driving slowly within the speed limit is for me, more dangerous, than driving at my prefeered speed, which may be under or over the limit depending where I am. When tootling along knowing I am in the limit, my mind wanders, as I know I have no need to keep an eye out for cameras, speed traps etc. When driving at my own speed I know there is a danger I may break the limit and am therefore more alert
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