highway code...

[dazf]

Why is it that the govenment and police force not care about the highway code?

all they seem to care about is making money on speeding when they know for a fact that speeding is not the main course of RTA's or FATAC's??

surely they should concentrate on that rather than speeders??

[Toureman]

I entirely agree with you!!!!!

Road deaths have gone up every year since speed cameras were introduced. The government covers this up by saying deaths have gone down where cameras are sighted which is true, but they have gone up everywhere else!

Cameras have taken the place of road traffic police, it is only traffic police patrols that can catch the dangerous or drunk drivers. The roads have got a lot more dangerous since cameras appeared and police patrols disappeared!

[JudgeJ]

In putting forward the argument that the police do not care about the Highway Code, I assume you mean that they are interested primarily in enforcing one section of it whilst choosing not to trouble themselves with the rest.

Firstly, this is not true. Although speeding prosecutions and Fixed Penalties far outnumber any other Road Traffic Offence, many, many people are prosecuted for other offences. Take a visit to your local magistrates� court and see the lists.

As far as the relationship between the introduction of safety cameras and the number of road accident deaths is concerned, I�m afraid Toureman�s statements are simply not correct. Looking at the past ten years (roughly the period during which cameras have become widespread) in 1995 there were 3621 deaths on Britain�s roads. In 2004 there were 3221 � a drop of almost 8%. Year on year there was a reduction in seven of the ten years. During the same period estimated road mileage driven rose by almost 20%. Of course, you can prove anything with statistics and there is nothing to say that cameras have contributed to this reduction. I quote the figures simply to dispel the notion that deaths have increased as cameras have multiplied.

I accept that it seems unfair that speeding motorists are detected and prosecuted whilst those committing far more serious crimes go undetected. I agree the balance is currently wrong. However this does not justify the case for speeding to go unpunished when the means are available to identify those breaking the law. The simple answer to this lengthy and seemingly endless debate is simple: do not break the speed limits. Driving within them is just as simple as driving beyond them, and is considerably less stressful. Regardless of whether excess speed is the cause of many accidents, it is a major factor in the level of damage or injury caused. This is particularly so at �town� speeds.

[Toureman]

Have a look at this JJ

http://www.fiafoundation.com/policy/road_safety/policy_m onitor/pm_06a102004.html

[JudgeJ]

Quite right, Toureman. As I said, year on year (that is, comparing the latest year with the previous year) road deaths fell in seven of the ten years between 1995 and 2004. The link that you provided refers to 2003 which was one of the three which showed an increase, 1999 and 2001 being the other two. In fact 2004 showed the biggest decrease for many a year, with a 7.9% decrease from 3508 to 3221.

You said that road deaths had gone up every year since cameras were introduced. As far as I know cameras have been around since long before 2003.

[Toureman]

OK JJ You are right, sorry.