Safe Speed Forums

OK, TWICE now, on consecutive trips to Glasgow, it has been absolutely tipping it down. Plenty of standing water on the M74. Not surprisingly, plenty of accidents too. Last week, in torrential rain, I was held up for a bit whilst a (spun) BMW was being winched on to a recovery wagon. A few miles further on (with even the fastest traffic barely doing 60) we passed a scamera van on a bridge ACTUALLY OPEN FOR BUSINESS! A few miles after that, there was another car stuck in the embankment.

For me, it really highlighted just how utterly pointless enforcing an arbitrary limit was. OK, I know its what everyone on here has been saying for ages, but it really was such a graphic illustration. Presumably, long after everyone has forgotten what the weather was like that evening, some scamera partnership gits will be using the accidents to justify their continued parasitic existence! (although actually, in these two cases, they didn't even look like SI, never mind "K"s) Hell! What am I saying?! They obviously weren't Ks or SIs because the scameras ARE doing a good job after all!

Same thoughts. Same road . M74, J 14( southbound) ,I spotted one of these parasites( They used to sit on J13 in hiding ,but that's obviously become too well known). Conditions - excellent.Road surface -excellent. Traffic - one car within half a mile of me. It was sat on a bridge ,cameras pointing toward a bend out of sight of traffic. Safety - IMHO with a lot of years under my belt, it' was a travesty of the regulations. But no doubt it generates income to keep the lasses & laddies in D & G in a job,and if folks are having to attend SAC ,helps to generate income for the county . After all what would some person dependant on their licence do to prevent three points - and a trip from down south to D & G might cost a few bob, but the offending driver saves three points.
I often wonder if they're prepared to get out there when the weather gets really bad, to sit in a van ,in really cold conditions, when is a more sensible speed ,and you need underbumper spots to see more than 50yds in front.
Safety - pah- it's all about job security and profits ( or in this case false prophets ) .

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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

Well hang on a moment there Mole, if it weren’t for them cameras you don’t know if there wouldn’t have been many more accidents! Okay, I can’t even pretend to be a troll

It just goes to show how moronic these CO’s are. They’d be happy for you to do the speed limit in pi$$ing down rain but a few mph over the limit on a bone dry, good visibility, day and they have issues all of a sudden. Makes me wonder how they get on in other walks of life..

So I’ve got bald tyres, at least I wasn’t speeding
I know my wife is cheating on me, but at least she doesn’t speed
Well I’ve caught lots of speeders today. Gotta dash home now. Vroom...

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The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not necessarily represent the views of Safe Speed.
You will be branded a threat to society by going over a speed limit where it is safe to do so, and suffer the consequences of your actions in a way criminals do not, more so than someone who is a real threat to our society.

I totally agree that having them out there at all, is pointless and dangerous to road safety never mind in bad weather.
Perhaps the motto ought to be to the Police & Council "we'd rather that you go plant an oak tree, as it is no driver distraction, saves money, helps the environment, looks pretty, eats carbon dioxide and prevents vehicles taking the scenic route too".

The identification of drivers given to the 'handling body' to arrange the course pays the Police money for that data. There seems at some stage (yet to be fully identified) provides a small feedback to the Treasury (other than any taxes) but the vast majority of the Course money goes to the Course Provider and hence why the AA made a whooping £1.3M profit about 2 yrs ago now. It is hard to follow the money trail is it becomes unclear from the start. Certainly interviewed opposites when queried have stated some of the above.
This is how I have gleaned it goes ... (it may not be fully accurate and if someone knows more or different info for all UK areas - do say!)
The Police operate the vans (mostly these days) with Council approval and employ Police or civies to act as CO and pay their salary plus the provision and maintenance of the van.
The camera material is then taken to the 'back office' and confirmed or not. Bit hard to know if this is part of the Speed Camera Industry or Police - it ought to be Police IMHO but a program I saw said they were part of the SCI and named themselves but I forget now who that was (in whichever County).
Now that data ought to go back to the Police for verification and ID but I think it is then a list of car reg numbers that are simply ID'd and a list of people identified. But I think this is within the same Speed Camera Unit (i.e. Council worker in same office who has authority to now read this data).
The Police, are paid for the ID of the individuals and the NIPs / course are sent out. (I dare say a massive total number of individuals ID's are simply counted and Police paid for that number of searches. (Feel like you are just a commodity yet?)
If a NIP is contested then the 'ready reckoner' book for trying to ensure a prosecution written by Callaghan / Langdon etc., is probably used, but if that fails then you might expect Callaghan and Langdon & their chum Perry (Prosecutor) to all be there in Court. I have seen Court dates spread out over a week to eg. Tue Thur Fri and even Following Month Tue Thur and following week ! So be prepared to be paying all their costs and their 'necessary' Hotel bills and all expenses. They will of course want to win.
I have seen one Court Clerk act in a most unprofessional manner towards the Defense Council too.

If the course is taken up then the Speed Industry are paid their dues (have you read the T&C - wow!) If you don't arrive, or call them or notify within set strict time limits even if you break down etc woe betide you !
Anyway if you 'choose' the course, then a small part of the monies is given to the Police for your data the rest is theirs to do as they please. Course mostly reduced now to 2hrs and only on certain days mean 'efficient' and very very profitable! Now they have many extra courses and the public thinking that 'if you commit a 'crime' then you pay for the learning is a good idea' then they will continue to 'win'. The ignorant public cannot see that this is all smoke and mirrors for profit.
If failure to inspire and show by guidance and proper policing to remind motorists what they ought to be doing and what is good motoring behaviour in the first place as that is what helps to prevent accidents.
There is NO research to prove that any course has made any difference whatsoever in anyone's attitude or made them any better. The latest consultant document about 'careless driving' FPN or course state this as fact.
But it all 'sounds' good so it must be - right ? No very, very, very wrong.

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Safe Speed for Intelligent Road Safety through proper research, experience & guidance.