Safe Speed Forums

Edited by Claire - merged threads into this one (heading can be easily referenced by 'bots' helping people find this thread and the Safe Speed website) - from HERE
Thanks jomukuk for being so quick off the mark :D

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/news/5267448/Speed-camera-boss-caught-doing-102mph-on-a-70mph-road.html

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The world runs on oil, period. No other substance can compete when it comes to energy density, flexibility, ease of handling, ease of transportation. If oil didn’t exist we would have to invent it.”

56 years after it was decided it was needed, the Bedford Bypass is nearing completion. The last single carriageway length of it.We have the most photogenic mayor though, always being photographed doing nothing

What will be more interesting is the treatment he receives.

Will he:
a) Get off lightly because of his "good work in reducing KSIs on our roads with his marvellous contraptions" and statement of obvious remorse. Or
b) Be made an example of. Because he, of all people, should pay attention to his speed.

Place your bets ladies and gentlemen!

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Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups.

Shame he can't be prosecuted for being a hypocrite. He would get 20 years.

I see Claire gats a namecheck.

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Malcolm W.
The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not represent the views of Safespeed.

Moderator message:
I've merged this post from a parallel thread.
S


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/suffolk/8035511.stm

What do SERCO actually do ?

Do they supply the cams ?
Maintain them ?
Process the data ?.... what ?
Is it a private ltd. company or something publicly funded ??


I'm hesitant to start baying for blood unless it's the policy makers or someone with a very direct link, at what stage does it become unacceptable/hypocritical to be part of a private company that services the camera industry ?

They are a very large and diverse International "service group" http://www.serco.co.uk/about/index.asp



It is a private company and one of their contracts is to supply and service Gatsos http://www.serco.com/Images/Data%20Sheet%20-%20GATSO_tcm3-10518.pdf



Entirely agree with you. His punishment should be just the same as anyone else caught for the same offence. Otherwise where do you stop? Extra punishments for every one of the several thousand employees of Servco? Extra punishment for the head of the printing conglomerate that supplies police note-books should he ever err.

Nonsense.

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When I see an adult on a bicycle, I do not despair for the future of the human race. H.G. Wells
When I see a youth in a motor car I do d.c.brown

How do you spell petard?

Moderator message:
I've merged this post from a parallel thread.
S



Interesting item here:

Speed camera chief drove at 102mph


Could we infer that he doesn't believe in speed kills by this:



Or does he believe it doesn't apply to him ?

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Gordon Brown saying I got the country into it's current economic mess so I'll get us out of it is the same as Bomber Harris nipping over to Dresden and offering to repair a few windows.

Chaos, panic and disorder - my work here is done.

http://www.wildcrafts.co.uk

I see this in a different light: I hope he gets off lightly - if it's good enough for him then it's good enough for us.
He says the conditions were conducive to making such progress, and I believe him.
I suspect the bloke will be encouraged fall on his sword.

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Views expressed are personal opinions and are not necessarily shared by the Safe Speed campaign

From : Here
Times Online Article by Nico Hines

A chief executive at Britain’s biggest speed camera firm was banned from driving for six months today after admitting to travelling at more than 100mph.

Tom Riall, 49, a senior executive at Serco, admitted speeding on a dual carriageway near Newmarket in Suffolk.
He was apprehended by police officers in a patrol car after they recorded him driving at 102.92mph on the A14 on January 4.
Mr Riall is head of Serco’s Home Affairs division, which has installed Gatso speed cameras at around 4,500 sites around Britain since 1992.
He apologised at the weekend for breaking the speed limit in his 2.7 litre blue Volvo. "I was travelling from my home to a business meeting on a clear A road and I was unaware of my speed,'' he said.
"I regret driving at this speed and will ensure I mitigate it in future. In my job, I understand the consequences of speed, and want to apologise to the court.''
Magistrates in Sudbury ruled that six points should be added to Mr Riall’s license resulting in a six-month ban.
Last year Serco sponsored an anti-speeding initiative called "Safe Drive Stay Alive''.
Mr Riall was at the forefront of the campaign, saying at the time: "In courts and prisons we see the direct consequences of reckless and dangerous driving every single day. For far too many young people it ends with a prison sentence - but for the families left behind the pain lasts much longer.”
The number of speed-camera penalties issued to motorists dropped sharply in the latest figures released this week. Over the same period in 2007, road deaths fell to their lowest level since records began, undermining claims that an increase in cameras improves road safety.

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

You have to question the motives of somebody who makes a living from a device which is based on a premise they don't acknowledge or believe. I would like to say that he should be treated the same as everybody else, but that's not true. Somebody in his position should be made an example of.

He could well have been driving safely, of course, but as the victims of his scam are never afforded the luxury of defending themselves I don't think he should either. If he was as ignorant about the rest of his driving as he was about his speed, though, then 6 months probably isn't enough. Whatever the case, I expect it's quite lenient compared to what you are I would get if caught committing a similar offence.

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David

I always find it funny when somebody related to the industry gets caught; suddenly speed cameras are GREAT! (although IIRC he was actually stopped by a following police car).

Not entirely sure what you mean here. Do you mean that those who would normally oppose the use of speed cameras temporarily suspend their disagreement for an individual case such as this one?

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David

It is of course a ridiculous notion.
You've obviously misunderstood us weepej.

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Views expressed are personal opinions and are not necessarily shared by the Safe Speed campaign

Quite!

I don't get that, surely it indicates increasing compliance with speed limits which is the whole point?

So you think the whole point of law ensuring compliance with it?

The actual point of the law is to protect us - it is (or should be) about safety and consideration.

Given our lowered limits, I have difficulty believing there is more compliance than before (think about that before you respond).

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Views expressed are personal opinions and are not necessarily shared by the Safe Speed campaign

So, perhaps he alludes that he drove a modern, highly capable car at a speed it was designed to safely travel at in supposedly safe conditions and let these factors dictate the speed he should travel at- What kind of message is he sending out?

The only thing that worries me is his alleged inability to notice he was doing 100+ instead of 70, 50% over the posted limit. I mean it's hardly a slight blip is it? To my mind, "not noticing" you're doing 102 is a far more damning smear on ones ability to drive safely than knowing you're doing 102.

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Fear is a weapon of mass distraction

Actually I didn't say that - it is stated from the article that I quoted -perhaps unclear so, I have edited now with a colour to try to help show this
But ....
Number of things are going on on the roads - from less miles traveled, people taking alternative routes, people banned, many jobs have gone, more companies are using home offices, Lorries travel slower so travel less miles, more foreign drivers, number plate cloning (out of control in big city areas - I am given to understand) = paperless trails, -recession makes people more defensive and careful, more products are sold to inform about camera sites, more cameras have less 'film' in, what else ?

Cameras are STILL wrong - nothing has changed they remain silent on informing about good driving techniques and skills.
He claims that he was unaware of his speed at 90 - very troubling in itself.
He was in a modern Volvo (270bhp one) with some of his family in it.
He failed to observe the Trafpol unit also a concern.
His firm say they are involved in Safe Driving improvements.
I seriously hope that this WILL change his whole attitude to numeric value targets, through speed camera use and how pointless it is in any Road Safety scheme.
His actions question what he represents.

Safe Drive here ...
state in support :
Serco work with governments in Britain and around the world to help protect their citizens. This involves working into areas such as law enforcement and managing offenders; they also operate the National Traffic Control Centre in Birmingham monitoring all of the country’s main trunk roads to help keep traffic flowing freely.
Serco are delighted to support Safe Drive Stay Alive because for far too many young people unsafe driving ends in a prison sentence, and they want to help change that.
Tom Riall, Chief Executive, Serco Civil Government said: “In courts and in our prisons we see the direct consequences of reckless and dangerous driving every single day. For far too many young people it ends with a prison sentence, but for the families left behind the pain lasts much longer. Serco is delighted to support Safe Drive Stay Alive because we want to help bring about change for the young drivers and all those whose lives are affected.” www.serco.com

AND Here
Which although in the face of it seems like a good idea to discourage reckless driving, it needs to contain a more balanced approach IMHO, with much more on how to be a good driver too.

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

Is this how karma works? Live by the sword, die by the sword and all that lot....

He was using his judgement in his fast(er than my)car to travel at a speed he thought was safe. However lots of people have done the same and lost their licences through the totting up process for speed much less than his and lost their jobs thanks to his product.