CALLING ALL WARWICKSHIRE DRIVERS!
Discussion
Cross post from General Gassing but I reckon it's important.
Just read in the local paper that a survey conducted by Warwickshire scamera partnership shows that most drivers ‘like speed cameras’. Naturally there are no details of how, when and where this survey was conducted.
The story also carries this quote from the chair of the partnership: “It is very pleasing to have concrete evidence to support our view that safety cameras are an effective road safety tool that are supported by the majority of Warwickshire residents.”
I can’t let this bollox go unchallenged, but before answering I’d just like to conduct my own survey of Warwickshire residents - and please feel free to ask your friends.
Q1. Were you aware of this survey before the results were ‘advertised’? I certainly wasn’t.
Q2. The important bit – do you like speed cameras?
For brevity could you please stick to 'yes' or 'no' answers for each question. Thanks.
Just read in the local paper that a survey conducted by Warwickshire scamera partnership shows that most drivers ‘like speed cameras’. Naturally there are no details of how, when and where this survey was conducted.
The story also carries this quote from the chair of the partnership: “It is very pleasing to have concrete evidence to support our view that safety cameras are an effective road safety tool that are supported by the majority of Warwickshire residents.”
I can’t let this bollox go unchallenged, but before answering I’d just like to conduct my own survey of Warwickshire residents - and please feel free to ask your friends.
Q1. Were you aware of this survey before the results were ‘advertised’? I certainly wasn’t.
Q2. The important bit – do you like speed cameras?
For brevity could you please stick to 'yes' or 'no' answers for each question. Thanks.
)Thanks for all the replies. Sent the following to local paper:
So Warwickshire Casualty Reduction Partnership claims that most drivers like speed cameras. (The Times, August 30th)
Poppycock! (You wouldn’t print the word I really want to use.)
This is yet another example of a scamera partnership twisting the truth to justify these infernal devices. Let’s face it, they can’t even be honest about what they are. They are NOT safety cameras, they are speed cameras.
Pass one while driving perfectly safely but a little over the speed limit and the camera goes ‘Kerching! - £60 and three points!’. Pass one while driving blind drunk, in the dark with no lights on, weaving all over the road six inches behind the car in front but below the speed limit and the camera does nothing.
Maybe that’s why, while the past ten years have seen a huge increase in speeding convictions, convictions for drunk and dangerous driving over the same period have gone down.
What hasn’t gone down though is the number of people killed and seriously injured every year on our roads, which has effectively remained at the same level ever since speed cameras were introduced in the early ‘90s. How is this possible if – as the scamera partnerships claim – speed cameras save lives?
The truth is that breaking the speed limit isn’t the major cause of accidents the authorities claim. It is though easy to detect and punish people for, with the 2.2 million speeding convictions in 2005 generating over £120 million in fines - a fat slice of which goes to the Treasury.
As for most drivers supporting speed cameras, well I conducted an Internet survey of Warwickshire residents that showed 100% of them hate speed cameras.
Obviously not completely accurate, but almost certainly more accurate than Warwickshire Casualty Reduction Partnership’s claim.
Graham Bell
So Warwickshire Casualty Reduction Partnership claims that most drivers like speed cameras. (The Times, August 30th)
Poppycock! (You wouldn’t print the word I really want to use.)
This is yet another example of a scamera partnership twisting the truth to justify these infernal devices. Let’s face it, they can’t even be honest about what they are. They are NOT safety cameras, they are speed cameras.
Pass one while driving perfectly safely but a little over the speed limit and the camera goes ‘Kerching! - £60 and three points!’. Pass one while driving blind drunk, in the dark with no lights on, weaving all over the road six inches behind the car in front but below the speed limit and the camera does nothing.
Maybe that’s why, while the past ten years have seen a huge increase in speeding convictions, convictions for drunk and dangerous driving over the same period have gone down.
What hasn’t gone down though is the number of people killed and seriously injured every year on our roads, which has effectively remained at the same level ever since speed cameras were introduced in the early ‘90s. How is this possible if – as the scamera partnerships claim – speed cameras save lives?
The truth is that breaking the speed limit isn’t the major cause of accidents the authorities claim. It is though easy to detect and punish people for, with the 2.2 million speeding convictions in 2005 generating over £120 million in fines - a fat slice of which goes to the Treasury.
As for most drivers supporting speed cameras, well I conducted an Internet survey of Warwickshire residents that showed 100% of them hate speed cameras.
Obviously not completely accurate, but almost certainly more accurate than Warwickshire Casualty Reduction Partnership’s claim.
Graham Bell
From CET - 1002 questionairres sent out - 247 returned.Thats 24% returned.
But where did the result of the survey say that warks drivers said cameras were a good thing,unless its written in invisible ink that only Warks SCP CAN READ
As to questions - no i did not know about survey.
My answer to q2 is no also.
Would be interesting to see how many questionairres went to /were returned from groups like neighbourhood watch etc
But where did the result of the survey say that warks drivers said cameras were a good thing,unless its written in invisible ink that only Warks SCP CAN READ
As to questions - no i did not know about survey.
My answer to q2 is no also.
Would be interesting to see how many questionairres went to /were returned from groups like neighbourhood watch etc
MattOz said:
Graham,
Great letter.
Did that go to all the local rags?
Matt
Great letter.
Did that go to all the local rags? Matt
Hi Matt,
No, just the one that printed the story I was responding to. However, from canvassing opinion here on PH (also posted on General Gassing) it seems that other Warks PHers reading 'we love cameras' claims in other papers have also felt compelled to respond. Now waiting to see if scamera partnership reply...
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