Motorists on M4 Face Average Speed Cameras

Speed restrictions, for the most part, face an increasing resistance from car owners in their ability to stick to them; constantly I am driving down the M40 doing a steady 70MPH (as registered by a GPS synced speedometer) and I get overtaken by other cars travelling at around 90 to a 100MPH on what can be considered at parts a very windy stretch of road with cross winds that can and have pushed lorries across whole lanes in the past. Now consider the traditional yellow boxed speed camera, we all see them from a mile off, most of us have GPS systems which contain a database of their known locations and in contradiction to what most people say: they do work, people have to slow down for them or risk getting three points and a nice fine.  The problem with these speed cameras is that as soon as people have slowed down for them they accelerate back to what ever speed they had been doing, which proves they were not doing the speed limit because had they been doing so they would have no reason to slow down in the first place!

Now we are seeing a new breed of speed cameras, the average speed recorder which owns no flash and can measure your speed to an incredible accuracy over a distance of several miles by measuring the time it takes you to travel between two points; French toll roads have had a similar system in place which pressed an on the spot fine for speeding between two toll booths. The BBC have reported on the first average speed cameras in Wales being set up and have included a couple of comments by locals which appear to be less aimed at the speed cameras and more at peoples driving ability – or lack thereof.

The first comment that took my eye is the following which appears slightly contradictory with whom it blames for congestion:

The planned roadworks have not even started but the 50mph limit is in force. It is ridiculous, and now average speed cameras! Just another way of raising easy money from the motorists. The 50mph limit will prove to increase congestion on an already congested part of the motorway network, with drivers hogging the middle lane effectively reducing the network to 2 lanes!

There is the typical attack on local authority by stating its more about money collection than actual safety, lest they know how much these systems cost? What is most interesting is the blaming of a 50MPH restriction on an already congested part of the motorway network because of drivers “hogging the middle lane effectively reducing the network to 2 lanes.” This is the real problem, inconsiderate drivers, driving without due care and attention consuming the middle lane forcing other road users to over take into the third lane further slowing down traffic, occasionally causing other motorists to dare undertake which has in the past caused numerous crashes. Ever wondered why you suddenly hit a traffic jam on the motorway which has no apparent cause? The reason often is someone driving at 60MPH in the middle lane, people overtaking at 70MPH and then someone breaking from 90MHP to avoid hitting those overtaking causing a concertina effect slowing down traffic behind until eventually someone stops.

I believe we shouldn’t be attacking the speed enforcement cameras, rather we should be attacking those whom drive like they paid their test instructor to pass them. People who hog the middle lane should be the police’s next target because they are more dangerous than most other road users. Also for the record I believe the national speed limit on most motorways should be 80MPH for the reason that it is already the average speed traveled on the network and thus officially raising it shouldn’t effect road incidients at all.

Image Credit: SPG Media