Fed Up Brits Blowing Up Speed Cameras
from the take-that dept
Earlier this week we wrote about a study saying that speed cameras don't work, other than to skim some money away from otherwise law abiding citizens. They certainly don't make the roads any safer. It appears that, in the UK where speed cameras are quite common, people are getting fed up. There are weekly reports of the cameras being destroyed. People are really beginning to question the line that these cameras increase safety and security, when studies (like the one above) and common sense show they're not doing much to help at all.
Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
Techdirt is one of the few remaining truly independent media outlets. We do not have a giant corporation behind us, and we rely heavily on our community to support us, in an age when advertisers are increasingly uninterested in sponsoring small, independent sites — especially a site like ours that is unwilling to pull punches in its reporting and analysis.
While other websites have resorted to paywalls, registration requirements, and increasingly annoying/intrusive advertising, we have always kept Techdirt open and available to anyone. But in order to continue doing so, we need your support. We offer a variety of ways for our readers to support us, from direct donations to special subscriptions and cool merchandise — and every little bit helps. Thank you.
–The Techdirt Team
Reader Comments
Subscribe: RSS
View by: Time | Thread
The standard bourgeoise argument
What if it happened when no witnesses were around, so the guy gets off scot free?
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Cameras
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: Cameras
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: The standard bourgeoise argument
More power to the driver for removing a slow learner from the gene pool. He should get his road tax and vehicle inspection fee waived for the next year.
Of course, in Japan, where tha maximum speed limit is just over 40 miles per hour on the highway and just over 30 miles per hour on pretty much any other street, all kids have to do is dart across the street with their hand in the air and it's all the "professional" driver's fault.
Guess what?! Kids still get run over on a regular basis.... and more often than not, the driver isn't speeding. Perhaps children are stupid and immature and in general need of parental supervision all the time. The most remarkable thing I've ever seen on Japanese streets are the dogs who wait for the cross walk signs to turn green before crossing the road. I'm pretty sure that the (de)selection rate is pretty high for the dogs who don't learn this trick, but hey if a dog can do it...
Streets and cars and dangerous. Would you let your kid play in an active constructions site... of course not... So, why the hell should it be the diver's fault when a kid gets hit... yet another "think of the children" argument.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: Cameras
Of course, if we really want to get picky, we should probably be talking about the sucide rate of cops that have been on traffic duty for more than a year.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: The standard bourgeoise argument
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: Cameras
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Hey, I have an idea...
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Re: Cameras
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Cameras are cowardly
Its a waste of taxpayer money and it assumes that everyone is a criminal or has criminal intent. The thinly veiled disguise of " Homeland Security " is wearing thin. Terrorist don't give a hoot about cameras. Camera usage for jobs that need to be done by humans are a cowardly way for the government to raise revenue without providing any type of true " service ". Who gives a shit if a camera records an incident if it doesn't stop the crime ? Wow, we now know who killed so & so because the camera caught the incident , but so what ? The person is still dead.
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Speed cameras in Germany
By the time I left, I came to appreciate them. They had two effects, one expected and one unexpected.
The expected effect is that people strictly adhere to speed limits. Speed cameras work when they are ubiquitous -- if you know that WHENEVER you speed you will get caught, they work quite well. (As opposed to the cameras in the study which are sporadic -- no different than cops, so it doesn't surprise me).
The unexpected effect was on the attitude towards the cops. Since the cops aren't there to deal with the little stupid infractions (cameras enforce most traffic laws -- red lights, speed, even tailgating), they are your friends. You see a cop in your rear-view mirror, you don't think "oh no, better check what I'm doing" -- you think "oh, how nice, he's here to protect me".
I'm now a big fan -- even though I was caught by them a couple of times myself...
-- Kevin
[ link to this | view in thread ]
Right to Privacy
" At a time when ordinary people parade their private lives on television for fame and fortune — and when government surveillance has increased in response to crime and terrorism — many Americans have gotten used to being watched, privacy experts say. But they may also be growing weary and ready to rebel. People are feeling inhibited because of this sense of being under surveillance, whether it's security cameras in stores or increasingly surveillance in public places," says Sobel of the Electronic Privacy Information Center. The public is approaching a breaking point with respect to privacy violations. "
[ link to this | view in thread ]