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There is still as much debate around speed cameras as when they were first introduced. While supporters will tell you that they are crucial in reducing road accidents, injuries and deaths; detractors will tell you that they are ineffective, primarily intended to make money and a dangerous distraction for drivers.
The A419 near Swindon has a camera in the top 10 in the country for catching drivers. However, the local council don't see this as a good thing and are championing the removal of all speed cameras from the town, calling them a "blatant tax". Their preferred alternative is to focus on cheaper measures such as speed bumps and electronic warning signs.
If you go online it's not difficult to find a torrent of negative comment about speed cameras. To get a more balanced view I decided to log onto the Wiltshire and Swindon Safety Camera Partnership website. They state that over the 12 months to the end of April 2008, there has been a 69% reduction in the number of people killed or seriously injured at their 'core' speed camera sites.
To enhance the effectiveness of speed cameras, it has been announced that new versions will be hitting hundreds of our roads. They will monitor drivers' average speed on all routes within a designated area. It will be impossible to evade detection because the digital cameras will cover every entry and exit point in that zone.
This means that drivers who slow down briefly or who make a detour will still be caught because up to 50 of the cameras will work together in a network. They can be positioned more than 15 miles apart and will automatically read numberplates and transmit data to a penalty processing centre.
Following a successful trial in London the technology is being rolled out early next year with the first fines likely to be issued by next summer. They are touted to be most effective on long rural A roads, where crashes occur regularly but in many different places, making it impractical to deploy conventional speed cameras, which each cover less than 100 yards of road.
Whether you are a fan or opponent of speed cameras there is no getting away from them. They are a regular feature on our roads up and down the country. My view is that yes, speed camera's do make the government a lot of money, and sometimes drivers do slam on the breaks when they spot one causing a potential hazard. However, that's because a lot of people speed and if you stick to the speed limits the potential distraction, being caught or the technology used no longer becomes a consideration.
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