Open Challenge

Our Open Challenge

Safe Speed challenges all senior speed camera proponents to publicly debate the issues in person, in print or in the broadcast media.

Introduction

The speed camera system of road safety in the UK is based entirely on inadequate research and oversimplified beliefs. We can prove it. We issued a challenge to public debate in our press release on December 17th 2003. This page firms up the details of the challenge and extends it indefinitely.

We also have two information challenges on the front page of the web site.

And there is a specific forum section for responding to our challenges.

Our Open Challenge

We will meet any senior speed camera proponents in public debate in person, in print or in the broadcast media. Just name the time and the place. All of the following are specifically invited to respond to our challenge:

Richard Brunstrom (North Wales Chief Constable and ACPO Road Safety Committee)
Mary Williams (Brake)
Susan Beck (National Safety Camera Liaison)
David Begg or senior CfIT personnel
Robert Gifford or senior PACTS personnel
TRL personnel (especially Susan Sharland and Marie Taylor)
Any senior officers from speed camera partnerships
Alastair Darling (or other senior DfT officials)
Pro speed camera politicians
Senior staff from speed camera manufacturers or importers
Senior staff from ACPO
Senior police officers

If we have forgotten anyone in a similar category we apologise. Please feel free to request or suggest an entry in the list.

Conditions

We impose a few fair and practical conditions:

Space in our diary (unlikely to be a problem)
UK venue
No editorial or reporting restrictions
Someone else pays for the venue
A minimum of 1 hour for broadcast
A minimum of 1,500 words each side in print (i.e. 3,000 words total)
Print articles must allow full disclosure of both side's cases and the opportunity for responses to points raised
A minimum of 2 hours for a public meeting

Questions

Are we serious?

Yes. Deadly serious.

Is this some sort of ploy?

It's a ploy to expose the flawed and limited thinking behind our speed camera system of road safety. Nothing more. Nothing less.

I'm a journalist / broadcaster, what do I do?

It'll be your job to set up the meeting and persuade the other side to come along.

One of the conditions seems to be a problem. What do I do?

Contact us. If we can change something and it's fair to do so then we will.

I have an idea for a different format. What do I do?

Contact us. We're open to any fair format.

Arranging, accepting, contact details:

By email: psmith@safespeed.org.uk
By telephone: 01862 832000

Comments

Safe Speed encourages comments, further information and participation from our visitors. See our (forums).

There's no substitute for thinking law enforcement

We have a strict editorial policy regarding factual content. If any fact anywhere on this web site can be shown to be incorrect we promise to remove it or correct it as soon as possible.