TAXI DRIVERS QUITTING OVER CAMERAS 'RISK'
Discussion
TAXI DRIVERS QUITTING OVER CAMERAS 'RISK'
BY STEVE GRANT
11:00 - 11 November 2003
A Taxi firm boss says 15 of his 17 drivers have had their previously-clean licences endorsed since the beginning of the year after being caught by speed cameras. The co-owner of the South Gloucestershire company, who asked not to be named, said drivers were now quitting rather than risk further fines and points.
And transport firms themselves were being put at risk as insurance companies increased premiums as a result of rising numbers of speeding convictions.
The taxi boss said: "At the beginning of 2003, all 17 of our drivers had clean driving licences. Now, all but two have got penalty points. One driver has just got another three points and is packing the job in."
The driver was just 3mph over the limit when caught by a camera, he said.
Insurance for a licensed taxi already costs between £900 and £2,000, said the company boss, but insurance companies were adding to their woes by increasing premiums to keep up with the rising number of convicted speeders.
He said: "We have a taxi business that relies on good, reliable, sensible drivers.
"To get a Hackney Licence you have to take a knowledge test, pass a medical, take a test on the Highway Code, then pass a driving test usually carried out by an ex-policeman. Your background is then checked by the police.
"All our drivers are over the age of 45. Our drivers are chosen due to the nature of our work, which in addition to taking the public from A to B, includes ferrying the disabled and elderly. We are also contracted by the local council to transport children to school and home again.
"None of us are the reckless speeding maniacs that the Safety Camera Partnership says we are.
"Without exception each of our drivers was photographed on wide open roads at locations such as Coalpit Heath, Gypsy Patch Lane, and the A38 dual carriageway at Filton, driving just over the limit.
"From our wide experience, mobile Safety Camera Partnership vans are never used in pedestrian areas or around schools.
"The opinion generally in our company is that all drivers are treated like fish in a barrel, just waiting to be picked off.
"This whole Safety Camera Partnership speed trap situation is just a scam set up to fleece the public."
Mark Canniford is chairman of a North Somerset Council panel which is monitoring the operations of the Safety Camera Partnership.
He said the partnerships were at risk of putting people out of work "for the sake of £240" - the amount in fines a driver would be charged in the process of amassing 12 points on his or her licence, triggering a ban.
Increasing numbers of cameras were leading to drivers who drove for a living racking up multiple points, he said.
"They are going to put people out of work for the sake of £240 but the Government is going to lose thousands and thousands of pounds these people paid in tax. It is also going to have to pay these newly unemployed people benefit."
Edmund King is executive director of the RAC Foundation, which has launched a campaign calling for revenue from speeding penalties to be used for driver education rather than more cameras.
Mr King said: "If this really is about safety, why not put money into the re-education and training of motorists? All the academic research shows it has a beneficial effect, which fines and points do not."
BY STEVE GRANT
11:00 - 11 November 2003
A Taxi firm boss says 15 of his 17 drivers have had their previously-clean licences endorsed since the beginning of the year after being caught by speed cameras. The co-owner of the South Gloucestershire company, who asked not to be named, said drivers were now quitting rather than risk further fines and points.
And transport firms themselves were being put at risk as insurance companies increased premiums as a result of rising numbers of speeding convictions.
The taxi boss said: "At the beginning of 2003, all 17 of our drivers had clean driving licences. Now, all but two have got penalty points. One driver has just got another three points and is packing the job in."
The driver was just 3mph over the limit when caught by a camera, he said.
Insurance for a licensed taxi already costs between £900 and £2,000, said the company boss, but insurance companies were adding to their woes by increasing premiums to keep up with the rising number of convicted speeders.
He said: "We have a taxi business that relies on good, reliable, sensible drivers.
"To get a Hackney Licence you have to take a knowledge test, pass a medical, take a test on the Highway Code, then pass a driving test usually carried out by an ex-policeman. Your background is then checked by the police.
"All our drivers are over the age of 45. Our drivers are chosen due to the nature of our work, which in addition to taking the public from A to B, includes ferrying the disabled and elderly. We are also contracted by the local council to transport children to school and home again.
"None of us are the reckless speeding maniacs that the Safety Camera Partnership says we are.
"Without exception each of our drivers was photographed on wide open roads at locations such as Coalpit Heath, Gypsy Patch Lane, and the A38 dual carriageway at Filton, driving just over the limit.
"From our wide experience, mobile Safety Camera Partnership vans are never used in pedestrian areas or around schools.
"The opinion generally in our company is that all drivers are treated like fish in a barrel, just waiting to be picked off.
"This whole Safety Camera Partnership speed trap situation is just a scam set up to fleece the public."
Mark Canniford is chairman of a North Somerset Council panel which is monitoring the operations of the Safety Camera Partnership.
He said the partnerships were at risk of putting people out of work "for the sake of £240" - the amount in fines a driver would be charged in the process of amassing 12 points on his or her licence, triggering a ban.
Increasing numbers of cameras were leading to drivers who drove for a living racking up multiple points, he said.
"They are going to put people out of work for the sake of £240 but the Government is going to lose thousands and thousands of pounds these people paid in tax. It is also going to have to pay these newly unemployed people benefit."
Edmund King is executive director of the RAC Foundation, which has launched a campaign calling for revenue from speeding penalties to be used for driver education rather than more cameras.
Mr King said: "If this really is about safety, why not put money into the re-education and training of motorists? All the academic research shows it has a beneficial effect, which fines and points do not."
And, of course, less available taxis means more drunk drivers on the road. However, since drunk drivers can't be detected by camera, it probably doesn't matter to the cash-collectors anyway.
When drink driving deaths increase there will be a criticism of the Police for not doing something, with no appreciation of the fact that the average experienced TrafPol would like nothing more than to be allowed to do so. It's the over-ambitious and under-experienced Chief Constables who are causing the problem, together with their Home Office masters, by relying on P.C. Gatso to do almost all the traffic policing.
When drink driving deaths increase there will be a criticism of the Police for not doing something, with no appreciation of the fact that the average experienced TrafPol would like nothing more than to be allowed to do so. It's the over-ambitious and under-experienced Chief Constables who are causing the problem, together with their Home Office masters, by relying on P.C. Gatso to do almost all the traffic policing.
madant69 said:
And, of course, less available taxis means more drunk drivers on the road.
I despair sometimes, I really do.
What gives you the impression that the entire population of Britain would say, "Aaargh! No taxis!! Must drive pi55ed!!"
The entire population wouldnt, but itll lead to an increase of those who will.....a bad situation.
Mon Ami Mate said:
"To get a Hackney Licence you have to take a knowledge test, pass a medical, take a test on the Highway Code, then pass a driving test usually carried out by an ex-policeman.
Yeh right , round here i think a vast majority of the taxi drivers would struggle to drive a soap covered stick up a dogs arse let alone a car
Cooperman said:
And, of course, less available taxis means more drunk drivers on the road.
I agree with that, but also what will happen is cab companies will start hiring unlicensed/uninsured/inexperienced drivers with illegal vehicles, cos they won't have a choice if they want to stay in business...
I agree that scameras are a bad thing, and I also agree that we should make as much bad publicity as possible for them and the partnerships who run them, but I cannot help thinking that if you are in a job that relies on your having a licence, and you are aware that the police do use speed traps all over, you make damn sure you stay under the limit! sorry....
minimax said:
I agree that scameras are a bad thing, and I also agree that we should make as much bad publicity as possible for them and the partnerships who run them, but I cannot help thinking that if you are in a job that relies on your having a licence, and you are aware that the police do use speed traps all over, you make damn sure you stay under the limit! sorry....
edited to add: just to make it extra clear, I am aware that the point is drivers shouldn't have to deal with this kind of restriction
minimax said:
I agree that scameras are a bad thing, and I also agree that we should make as much bad publicity as possible for them and the partnerships who run them, but I cannot help thinking that if you are in a job that relies on your having a licence, and you are aware that the police do use speed traps all over, you make damn sure you stay under the limit! sorry....
edited to add: just to make it extra clear, I am aware that the point is drivers shouldn't have to deal with this kind of distraction
madant69 said:
Yeh right , round here i think a vast majority of the taxi drivers would struggle to drive a soap covered stick up a dogs arse let alone a car
DTM!! Could you PLEASE give some warning before you post anything like this...I almost choked on an ice cube!!!
Please do, I just burst out laughing in work. My boss is wondering what I find so amusing about Excel Mail merges
madant69 said:
I'm STILL laughing about this post 
DennisTheMenace said:
Yeh right , round here i think a vast majority of the taxi drivers would struggle to drive a soap covered stick up a dogs arse let alone a car
Sheer poetry
Lol yeah Denny does come out with some good uns every so often!
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