Top Accident Blackspots, Speed cameras and Breaking News.
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Posted February 16, 2011 at 2:41 pm
The revenue from these speed cameras has dropped as more people use this satnav facility. Even the budget satnavs systems now have speed and camera alerts, which can also be added as POI (points of interest). Hiding a Police Speed Camera in a Horse Box. In Wales, the use of mobile speed cameras is widespread. Many people remember that a few years ago two policeman and their speed camera were photographed hiding in a horse box. At that time, Arthur Roberts, from the pressure group 'People for Proper Policing', said "This horsebox is another serious distraction for motorists and doesn't really address road safety." Arthur Roberts added" It's another cynical way of raising revenue." When told that rumours of the hidden camera were rife, a police spokeswoman said: "as days get longer we can anticipate many more motorcyclists riding in North Wales. Tragically some of these will die or some will be seriously injured." Drivers can be distracted by looking at Policemen in the back of a horse box, therefore the excuse that it is to reduce accident rates of motorcyclists does not 'hold water'. Photographs of the horsebox show it was on an unlit road with very small rear lights and reflectors. One photograph shows that there was an overtaking car which left very little room should a motorcyclist have been coming from the opposite direction. There was a chance that far from preventing an accident, it could have caused one. The Police spokesperson added that as the dark evenings close in, they will increase these 'enforcement activities'. Shortly afterwards the same (or identical horsebox) was seen in a different location (a road at Maenan, near Llanrwst - on a straight stretch with a 60mph limit, well known for motorists travelling too fast). People in Wales still receive speeding tickets and are sometimes a bit puzzled at 'where the camera was' when the event happened, as they do not recollect seeing a speed camera. A photograph of them in the car at the location where they were caught driving above the speed limit shows that it is genuine. All over Wales there are speed camera warning signs, but no speed cameras. It is suggested that this more easily justifies the use of mobile speed cameras at or near these locations. Often they are in a parked vehicle. This can typically be a transit van with white doors at the back and the camera behind one of the small windows. Sometimes the vans do have police markings on the side, but the top of the transit van does not have police lights and so (at first glance) it looks like any other white van. Motorist fined for signalling to others to slow down "A driver has been convicted of a criminal offence for flashing his headlights at oncoming motorists to warn them of a police speed trap". If the purpose of speed cameras is to cause motorists to slow down, then if a motorist sees the camera and slows down and does not pay a fine, then this should be seen as a good result. If another motorist signals to oncoming motorists that there is a hazard or some other reason they should slow down, they can be prosecuted for committing a 'criminal offence' This has just happened and the majority of people hope that the motorist will appeal and be successful. It is also thought that the Crown Prosecution Service should not have allowed the case to go to court when there are far more serious offences requiring valuable court time. Conclusion If speed cameras were not revenue raisers , they would consistently be permanently located at accident blackspots whilst remedial road marking or other measure were intirduced. Satnav and other GPS systems would only need to identify speed cameras and not speed cameras and accident blackspots. If speed camera's are for road safety reasons and not revenue raisers, they would not have been hidden in the back of a horsebox. If speed cameras are to make drivers slow down and not as revenue raisers, the Police and CPS would not have convicted a motorist of a criminal offence for telling others motorists to slow down. |
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Top Accident Blackspots, Speed cameras and Breaking News. - www.DaFind.com