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The BBC is not responsible for the content of external websites. | | | ESSENTIAL INFO | | If you are caught by a speed cameras you will receive a £60 fixed penalty ticket and three points on your licence or a court summons. If drivers reduced their speed by just 1mph there is up to 7% less risk of being involved in a serious crash. If you are driving at 40mph and hit a child, you are likely to kill that child. If you are driving at 30mph and hit a child, that child has a 50/50 chance of survival. If you are driving at 20mph and hit a child, that child is likely to survive and may be uninjured. | |  |
| | "We have had speed cameras in Thames Valley for past 10 years and they are one way of helping to reduce the number of accidents," said Pete Smith, communications manager for the partnership. The Thames Valley Partnership was one of a pilot eight areas which joined in a the safer Roads Campaign in April 2000 in a joint agency approach to crack down on speeding. The campaign was so successful it has been rolled out to 28 regions across the country now.
Mr Smith said: "In the eight pilot areas, in the project the number of people killed or seriously injured was reduced by 18 per cent over two years and the total number of collisions went down by six per cent." From April 2000 to April 2001, there were 154 people killed in the Thames valley Police area. There were 1,475 people seriously injured and 1, 475 people injured in a total of 11,796 injury accidents. The next year, there were 133 people killed, 1,415 seriously injured and 9, 608 injured making a total of 11,156 injury accidents. "Nobody can say those reductions are for speed enforcement as local authorities and the police are doing lots of other safety things but the bottom line is that a third of all crashes are caused directly by people driving too fast," said Mr Smith. "And in a crash, the speed at which you are hit by someone determines the level of injury." He said that the partnership also used mobile speed cameras, laser detection equipment and SID - speed indication devices - alongside the fixed cameras to bring home to drivers the important of appropriate speeds. See our list of camera sites
| Martin Boulger, Princes Risborough | Wednesday, 02-Jul-2003 02:59:54 BST | | | As a rider of a high powered motorcycle I really hate the proliferation of cameras around Aylesbury Vale, cameras litter the place. Since moving here I've gained nine points on my licence all for 37mph in a 30 and once while overtaking a lorry 42 in a 30. If it had been the police I might have argued that the lorry was pulling out without indicating and I would have been forced into oncoming traffic other wise... The low speed ones, well the police wouldn't have bothered. While I'm angry about my points I can't argue against cameras. Essentially they are policing traffic law. Why do we moan at being caught? Well OK, sometimes there are mitigating circumstances, but mostly we are driving too fast and this is illegal! So unfair it may seem we speeders are in the wrong whatever. I would like to see what safety improvements the cameras have brought about because I don't! believe they are anything other than a revenue service. I find myself more concerned with my speed than the road when passing these cameras.. god help anyone pulling out in front of me... |
| Judi , Chalfont ST Peter | Wednesday, 05-Nov-2003 13:31:13 GMT | | | what about the one on the A413 at Chalfont St Peter Gravel Hill by the Football Club, that is a real cash cow for the police. |
| Bill Kirby, Chesham | Friday, 16-May-2003 23:15:43 GMT | | | Every local knows where the speed camera sites are. But who is going to tell us, which ones are actually working and when? If they are intended to reduce speed, move them around and don't tell us where they are! If they are intended to bring in some money for the Treasury, leave things as they are. |
| Martin Clare, Marlow | Wednesday, 31-Dec-2003 16:30:33 GMT | | | Firstly I would like to question Mr Smiths' information, I thought the true figure for accidents caused by excessive speed was nearer 7%. Drunk drivers and those on drugs were far more likely to be the cause of an accident rather than some one sober exceeding the speed limit show me a camera that can detect that and I will change my view that the camera's are mostly just a revenue source. My second big issue with the camera's is that you can be prosecuted for the same offence several times. A neighbour of mine was caught speeding three times on the same journey and lost her licence. Now if this same attitude was applied to burglary and four police men turn up at a house and arrest a burglar caught red handed, does that person get prosecuted four times, no. Doesn't seem quite right does it? my neighbour wasn't even aware that she had been caught speeding till the prosecution notice dropped on her mat. Lets get some traffic police back on the roads and get rid of the camera's so if you are caught speeding some one is there to point out the error of your ways on the spot there and then. |
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