The news from consumer watchdog Which? that almost half of UK speed cameras are currently not functioning has been the focus of recent debate among our panellists, with mixed results.
Many say that it doesn’t matter if cameras are switched off, as the threat of being ‘flashed’ means that drivers slow down anyway. Others feel more strongly, claiming that speed cameras are ineffective at preventing accidents, with others condemning them as nothing but a money-making scheme for local authorities. Very few seemed concerned about ‘the problem’ of speed cameras being turned off; instead the issue provoked a wider debate on camera use in principle.
Some panellists don’t believe that speed cameras being switched off is an important issue, feeling that their mere presence acts as enough of a deterrent to speeding drivers.
Many maintain that speed cameras cause accidents in themselves, so do not fulfil their intended purpose of making roads safer anyway.
Some question the motivations for having speed cameras in the first place, arguing that they are simply a way for local authorities to make money, and do very little to improve road safety.
It was revealed recently that only 47% of fixed speed cameras are operational at any time and that the number of cameras working varies a great deal from county to county, with all of Surrey’s cameras switched on in comparison to just a tenth of the cameras in Lancashire. It has been argued that this sends out the wrong message to motorists – that going over the speed limit is not an important crime and will, most of the time, go unpunished. However, the number of operational cameras looks set to tumble even further as the Government announces plans to cut road safety budgets, which fund measures like speed cameras, by 40%.
