Is speeding dangerous? The Police MUST answer!
'Is speeding dangerous?' That's the question that the Police must now answer.
In a week where high speed Police drivers have made the news several times, we MUST now have the answer to this most important question. So what might the answer be?
No:
If the answer is 'no', then we need to urgently review the policies that are prosecuting millions on the basis of a lie.
Yes:
If the answer is 'yes', then we need to stop training Police officers and others to drive at high speeds on public roads as an urgent matter of public safety.
It depends on the circumstances:
If the answer is 'it depends on the circumstances' then we need to consider the circumstances in cases where the public is being prosecuted. Speed cameras cannot take account of the circumstances and immediately become illegitimate.
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The truth is that 'speeding' or 'exceeding a speed limit' is not, EVER, IN ITSELF dangerous. There is no magic number that marks the difference between safe and dangerous. Neither is it a simple matter of suggesting that 'we must draw a line somewhere', because the safety of a speed varies wildly with circumstances. In fact if the speed limit:
* is right for a Porsche, it's wrong for a van* is right on the straight, it's wrong on the bend* is right in the dry, it's wrong in the wet* is right when it's quiet, it's wrong when it's busy* is right for a novice, it's wrong for an experienced driver* is right during the day, it's wrong during the night* is right when it's clear, it's wrong when it's foggy* is right when the road is wide, it's wrong when the road is narrow* is right when the pavements are deserted, it's wrong when there are pedestrians about* and so on, endlessly
Drivers naturally - and accurately - take account of these factors. Road safety depends on them doing so. The speed limit is blunt and imprecise, but in the days of discretionary enforcement by Police officers served us well. These days, with camera enforcement, the speed limit is gradually becoming a target and gradually replacing the previous safe behaviour.
In fact the speed limit is just a PROXY for the desired behaviour. The core problem is that speed cameras have promoted the proxy beyond the status of the desired behaviour.
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Paul Smith, founder of the Safe Speed road safety campaign(www.safespeed.org.uk) said: "Modern speed enforcement by camera exists because it's expedient. The authorities clearly thought that it was a valid way to improve road safety, but history already proves them wrong. Road deaths simply haven't fallen as expected and earlier this year we learned that hospitalisations of road crash victims haven't fallen for a decade either."
"The ongoing damage to the Police-public relationship is one serious side effect of speed camera policy. Government must act now to stop the very serious damage getting any worse. The hypocrisy must stop."
