http://www.allheadlinenews.com/articles/7004786069
British Driver Gets Jail For Blowing Up Speed Camera
September 7, 2006 5:19 p.m. EST
Yvonne Lee - All Headline News Staff Reporter
London, England (AHN) - British police say a driver was put in jail for four months after he blew up a camera that caught him speeding.
The road safety camera snapped Craig Moore, 28, in the Hyde area of Manchester in August 2005.
After the camera was blown up, it was still able to record Moore speeding and returning to destroy evidence of his crime.
More than 4,000 of the controversial speed cameras have been placed throughout the United Kingdom.
Supporters view them as a means of reducing accidents, while critics believe all they do is make money for the government.
Paul Smith, founder of Safe Speed, which lobbies against the cameras, tells Reuters, "Speed camera vandalism is reaching epidemic proportions, and the only solution is to scrap cameras."
He adds, "Apart from their total failure to deliver improved road safety, they push good people outside of the law every day of the week."
However, the AA organization says Britain is a lot fairer about speed camera enforcement than other European countries.
Paul Watters, head of roads and transport policy for The AA Motoring Trust, tells Reuters, "Matched against those practices, and the fact that each UK speed camera is painted yellow and sited where there is a proven road safety risk, the vast majority of prosecutions are a fair cop and cameras are supported by around 70 percent of the population."