Safe Speed Forums

Hello ladies and gentlemen, I am new here (this is my 1st post) having just joined the speed camera victim club after 25 years of otherwise accident and endorsement free unblemished driving.

I have always thought that these cameras are nothing more than money machines, there to raise extra cash as some type of stealth tax: Well, I just wonder whether the avenue of protest I am about to suggest will work?

I certainly DO NOT advocate damaging or defacing speed cameras in any way; doing so will just get more pro-publicity for them, etc, etc - and they (the govt & their hench-men) will just spend more of our money on replacing / refurnishing them.

What I would suggest as a great way of protest would be to cover the cameras over with black plastic bin liners / sacks. Doing this doesn't "criminally damage" the cameras themselves - it merely prevents them from being able to "see" and therefore record a 'victim' passing by.

If a 'protester' is caught in the act of putting a bin-liner over the camera, surely, they can't accuse the protester of "criminal damage", yet the cameras would effectively be taken out of service until the bag were removed.

Additionally, if enough of us actually did this as a protest - and black bin bags were pulled over the top of cameras all over the country, then surely our ignorant politicians might get the message.

As it stands, for the "NIP" which arrived yesterday morning, I currently want to scream obscenities at the top of my lungs and I am that irrationally upset about it to the point where I am likely to tell the next copper who stops me to ask for any possible witness help to a murder or similar to just f*** off and take it out of my endorsed driving licence.

At the age of 42 I have finally realised I should be taking drugs, mugging old women for their hand-bags, breaking into people's houses, causing trouble at football grounds or perhaps doing something else which doesn't get disproportionately punished by the state. In all honesty, if I had the money to be able to do so, I would emigrate from this country and go anywhere else the authorities would treat me with a modicum of respect.

You could always claim you were only protecting an expensive piece of public property from the rain.

Seriously though, they'd probably get you for 'perverting the course of justice' or similar.



The problem is where? We're actually fairly well off in that respect, believe it or not.

BTW Welcome, Paul.

Cheers
Peter

Paul

Notwithstanding your irritation, assuming you've not yet replied to the NIP, get yourself over to Pepipoo and see if you have any legal getout. Signage - was it perfect? Are you sure beyond reasonable doubt it was you driving? ....

Well it would work in so much as it would temporarily disable the camera. The problem is, our politicians have to listen to a lot of messages, and on this particular subject there are other messages demanding more cameras. Presenting the facae of irresponsibility is one sure fire way of ensuring your real message gets smothered.

Unfortunately it IS criminal damage within the meaning of the law. 'Preventing normal operation' is held to be criminal damage.

Sorry and welcome.

_________________
Paul Smith
Our scrap speed cameras petition got over 28,000 sigs
The Safe Speed campaign demands a return to intelligent road safety