[dspillett]

> The UK does have a problem with speed cameras though. It's a way to generate extra revenue from the population.

Slipping off-topic, I can't stand that line. You break the law, you get fined. Keep within the law, you don't get fined. Quite frankly if you want to hand revenue to the government via speeding go ahead. But you don't like the law campaign to have it changed, don't just ignore it then moan about being fined for ignoring it.

My issue with speed cameras is their location. They are predominantly on high-speed roads which with a few exceptions are not overly dangerous. I think we should be concentrating on residential areas particularly near schools and parks (the road past the school I used to live near is officially a 20mph zone, but I don't think many people took it at less than 30 and there was no camera or other such equipment there except on the few occasions when a motorcycle-mounted cop sat near the blind-ish corner with his radar gun).

[sp332]

Some of the speed cameras are put within a few feet of a speed limit sign, so you don't have time to adjust reasonably to the new speed and they'll ticket you anyway.

[Confusion]

  You break the law, you get fined.

You really, really don't want to live in that country.

[maximusprime]

So you've never broken a stupid law, like ripping a DVD?

Around 90% of the population break the speed limit. If you drive on a motorway, doing only the speed limit, you'll be holding up traffic.

When 90% of people break a law, that's a pretty sure sign that the law is bad and should be changed.

Thankfully, the law is soon to be changed, increasing the speed limit on motorways from 70 to 80. It's a start. Politicians have taken notice, and seen that the current speed laws (Put in place decades ago when cars had crappy brakes etc), are out dated.

The mobile speed cameras I see most often are hidden behind trees in areas that have a stupid speed limit (eg a stretch of road with no houses, pavements or people, but 30mph limit).

I'm not moaning about being fined - I take a lot of care not to be. I'm moaning that firstly, they are there to generate revenue, not save lives, and secondly, they actually make our roads more dangerous, with people paying attention to their speed, rather than real dangers/people/etc.