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A SPEED CAMERA ON EVERY CORNER
Police will issue up to ten million tickets a year in a Massive
Clampdown on speeding motorists.
With the number of speed cameras expected to treble, there will
be no escaping from the prying electronic eyes. For the police,
it will mean a goldmine in fines thanks to a decision to allow forces
to keep money raised from fixed penalties. Until now, many of the
4,300 cameras across the country have been ineffective because police
cannot afford to stock or process the film. But the potential to
raise revenue has given them a powerful incentive to extend the
network. This means any driver ‘flashed’ by a camera
will now almost certainly face a fine.
The speeding clampdown comes as the latest crime figures show a
year-on-year rise of 2.5 percent in violent offences including murder,
rape and muggings. Yesterday, motoring groups claimed the blitz
would undermine public confidence in police priorities. As well
as alienating drivers already burdened by high fuel taxes and rising
crime, more cameras would never be as effective as patrol cars in
preventing truly dangerous driving, they said. Police, however,
are delighted with the prospect of more cameras on the roads. Some
areas involved in trial schemes have seen 25-fold increases in the
number of tickets issued to drivers. If these results are reflected
across the country, the number of penalties issued via roadside
cameras could soon soar from 550,000 in 1999 to more than ten million.
North Wales Chief Constable Richard Brunstrom, who leads the Association
of Chief Police Officers’ traffic technology committee, is
keen to see more cameras on the roads. ‘Speed cameras make
a major contribution to road safety and this legislation means motorists
can expect to see at least a tripling in the number on Britain’s
roads,’ he said.
Under new Home Office rules, money raised by fines will no longer
go straight to the Treasury. Instead, police will be allowed to
keep fixed penalties revenue above a ‘baseline’ figure.
Almost all the 43 forces in England and Wales are submitting business
plans to the Government to show how they will use the extra money.
The standard penalty increased last year from £40 to £60,
and most drivers also receive three penalty points on their license.
Drivers face ban if they accumulate 12 points within three years
under the ‘totting up’ procedure. With thousands more
cameras watching their every move, they face a greater risk of losing
their licenses. Those who manage to stay on the road will face higher
premiums when they declare speeding offences to their insurers.
While cameras are credited with helping reduce deaths on Britain’s
roads, there are fears that police will use them mainly as a source
of cash.
Edmund King of the RAC Foundation said: ‘The danger is that
speed cameras actually lead to our roads being under-policed. ‘With
an over-reliance on speed cameras, forces have been cutting back
on traffic police. ‘In some areas there is little or no chance
of being stopped for dangerous driving, which is often more dangerous
than speeding. ‘Only around a third of accidents are blamed
on speed. ‘Cameras don’t pick up on drivers tailgating
the car in front, or swerving between lanes. ‘Home Office
research revealed a 60 percent chance of dangerous drivers having
committed other criminal offences. ‘Those stopped may have
burgled goods in the car, for example. Cameras won’t clear
up any of those other crimes.
‘We are already seeing cameras being extended beyond accident
blackspots to straight stretches of rural road in places like Oxfordshire.
‘If that trend continues there is the danger we will see speed
cameras on every bend in every trunk road, We don’t believe
that is something motorists want to see, nor do we’.
Yesterday, Home Secretary David Blunkett signalled his determination
not to let the new financial rules distract police from their core
purpose of fighting crime. A source close to Mr. Blunkett said:
‘Road safety is important, but we don’t want to see
manpower diverted to running speed cameras.
‘The cameras are a valuable tool but we have to strike a balance.’
Source: Daily Mail – Newspaper, Monday, June 11, 2001.
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