Safe Speed Forums

What I mean is that speed cameras are the latest fashion in road safety.

And like fashions, not everyone looks good in them!

There have been fashionable easy fixes for years:

"We need safer roads so... let's build lots of roundabouts!"
"We need safer roads so... let's erect lots of barriers!"
"We need safer roads so... let's reduce lots of speed limits!"
"We need safer roads so... let's use lots of speed humps!"
"We need safer roads so... let's have lots of pedestrian crossings!"
"We need safer roads so... let's get rid of lots of pedestrian crossings!"
"We need safer roads so... let's have lots of chicanes!"
"We need safer roads so... let's have lots of traffic lights!"
"We need safer roads so... let's have lots of speed cameras!"

The problem is that as some poor misshapen person tries to prise themselves into the latest fashion, the authorities try to prise road safety into the latest road safety gimmick.

"One size fits all fashions" usually only properly fit a small minority of the population as do the "one size fits all road safety fashions" only properly fit a minority of traffic/road problems.

For example, a speed camera will not stop a child dashing out into the road. And a 30mph crash can still kill a child. And if a child dashes out into the road and runs into the side of a vehicle the impact would still be of a vehicle driving at 30mph, in general terms.

And the idea of having chicanes does nothing -in my experience- to improve road safety.

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www.thatsnews.org.uk / www.thatsnews.blogspot.com / http://thatsmotoring.blogspot.com/

Let's build lots of pedestrian subways and footbridges.
Let's remove lots of pedestrian subways and footbridges.

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"Show me someone who says that they have never exceeded a speed limit, and I'll show you a liar, or a menace." (Austin Williams - Director, Transport Research Group)

Any views expressed in this post are personal opinions and may not represent the views of Safe Speed

Oh, yes! I forgot about them!

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www.thatsnews.org.uk / www.thatsnews.blogspot.com / http://thatsmotoring.blogspot.com/

"Roundabouts cause congestion - let's add traffic lights "

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lets bring sanity back to speed limits.
Drivers are like donkeys -they respond best to a carrot, not a stick .Road safety experts are like Asses - best kept covered up ,or sat on

But adding traffic lights hasn't worked. So, what can we do? Oh, yes! Let's reduce the number of lanes at the roundabouts and add some crossings whilst we are at it!

Hang on. There's one of those in Ketley in Telford. A combined crossing and large roundabout.

When the Telford Lefties as they are called (for their quaint idea of always driving on the left on roundabouts, no matter which of three/four lanes they should be in! ) finally got the hang of it and when the council stopped the lights from going out of sequence it seems to work fairly well. And it does stop pedestrians having to dash on the previously very dangerous footpath to the retail park with people rushing towards the motorway! They "forgot" to build a pedestrian crossing when they opened Tesco.

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www.thatsnews.org.uk / www.thatsnews.blogspot.com / http://thatsmotoring.blogspot.com/

"What's your idea, Rush?"
"How about better driver education, and higher testing standards?"
"Dammit Rush, how many times do I have to tell you? It would be too expensive and take too long to implement, and too long to detect and analyze the benefits."
"Sir, it would also reduce KSIs and KSI-related costs. Environmental damage would go down by reducing both the number of polluting vehicles and improving the driving habits of the road users left so that they need to reaccelerate less.
"If it takes ten years to implement, and fifteen years to see and understand the benefits, why haven't we gotten started yet?"
"Rush, how many times ... ? My boss's boss's boss's boss isn't paying us for results.
"Don't forget that insurance costs would go down, which we don't want."
"We don't?"
"Profits from traffic enforcement would also go down."
"Not from speed cameras, they wouldn't."
"How so, Rush?"
"We know that as drivers get better, they choose to drive at higher speeds, assuming safe conditons. Every scamera - sorry sir - speed camera left would simply generate more money until they either ran out of film, or the number of people contesting their photo started to rise faster than fines could be collected."
"I guess the only question left, is when do I buy stock in speed cameras?"
"Not yet. Wait until the fatality trend improves again."
"Rush, you do know that speed cameras will be on the decline soon?"
"Yes."
"So, when do I profit from this?"

Driver education will not be fashionable - either in the U.S.A., nor in the U.K., in the vast majority of our lifetimes.

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The Rules for ALL ROAD USERS:
1) No one gets hurt
2) Nothing gets hit, except to protect others; see Rule#1
3) The Laws of Physics are invincible and immutable - so-called 'laws' of men are not
4) You are always immediately and ultimately responsible for your safety first, then proximately responsible for everyone's
Do not let other road users' mistakes become yours, nor yours become others
5) The rest, including laws of the land, is thoughtful observation, prescience, etiquette, decorum, and cooperation

Sad but true, Rush...

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www.thatsnews.org.uk / www.thatsnews.blogspot.com / http://thatsmotoring.blogspot.com/