REARVIEW:THE introduction of a network of 45 speed cameras operated by a private company later this year, must be accompanied by the setting down of clear guidelines for those operating the cameras, and they must be adhered to.
Reams of speeding fines being given to responsible motorists in areas with no proven high-crash statistics will discredit the system and do nothing for road safety.
Gardaí have for years insisted speed enforcement is only about road safety and not about catching out motorists who happen to be driving safely but over a certain (often unsuitably low) speed limit. I drove recently from Dublin Airport up the slip road to the M1 where a garda, hiding behind a road sign, was monitoring the speed of motorists. I was legal but could have been landed with a fine and penalty points while driving safely and responsibly, but about 5km over the limit.
Motorists may (rightly) fear privately run speed cameras could be less capable of applying common sense. Motorists do not need to be reminded of the activities of some private clamping companies over the years.
The most up-to-date Road Collision Factbook produced by the RSA shows that in single-vehicle crashes speed was cited as the main contributory factor in 54 per cent of cases, but when two vehicles were involved in a fatal crash speed was deemed to be the main cause in only 15 per cent of cases, while driving on the wrong side of the road caused 52 per cent of these.
In short, road safety is more complex than the old adage “speed kills”. Yes, in many cases speed does kill but often it is inappropriate speed coupled with drink, overtaking on a bend, or some other risky behaviour that leads to tragedy. Privately operated speed cameras will not detect these – only a credible Garda presence will root out the idiots on the road.
