During sometime last year they introduced a new system of “mobile speed cameras” on the roads of Sydney, Australia. A normal vehicle with orange arrows marked on the sides that has a camera attached to the top. I don’t know if it already exists there in the US, but I’m just curious as to what your views are on this matter!
Information Link: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/mobile-speed-cameras-roll-today/story-e6freuy9-1225893644184
We have static traffic cameras at problem intersections in some cities. The camera is always rolling and if you run a red light, the picture is sent to the police and the registered driver is issued a ticket. I think in some cases this is good because during rush hour when there is congestion, I’ve seen traffic ignore the lights all together which causes all kinds of other problems and accidents.
If there is really a problem with excessive speeding and people are dying because of it, fine. But more than likely the problems are due to road conditions and poorly designed exits and merges. Instead of spending the money on speed enforcement, it should be spent making the roads safer. It’s probably just a money grab by traffic enforcement under the guise of safety.
Yeah, we have a lot of static red light cameras here too (lots of them even monitor both red lights and speeding.) I think those are okay, considering that most of them are in well placed spots. However, in regards to mobile speed cameras, I don’t see them as very effective because, if there’s a problem area that requires a camera, they should install a static one there instead. The idea of mobile speed cameras is to catch people unexpectedly any where, any time! This job is done by the police themselves, so I don’t see why we need them.
Locke, you made a good point about fixing problems. They have done that in some really bad places around here so I guess that’s a move in the right direction. 
So these mobile speed cameras are not operated by the police?
In Brazil every state has a different traffic policy, but mostly the police has nothing to do with it. There are static cameras and some of them may be easily reallocated. Some of them are hidden from view sometimes and people complain a lot about it - but I always say that if you only follow the law when you know you can be fined, you’re not being a lawful, honest citizen. Also, speed limits exist for a cause: I think over 90% of the accidents in the city where I live happen above these limits. But stupid people insist on driving faster than they can handle a car and think they have a right to drive this way.
Nup. They are operated by the organistion that governs roads and traffic.
I don’t hate them because I can’t speed around. These camera’s a set to catch you for going a few km/hr over the limit! (they’re even planning on making it react at any speed over the set limit, even if it is like 1 or 0.5km/hr over.) that’s unnecessary if you ask me! As a driver I generally do about 5km/hr over the limit unless it’s a school zone (during the peak hours.) Could that really be considered a bad thing thing?
I’ve always been against speed cameras- they’re an obvious cash grab and they don’t do a thing to keep people from speeding. In fact they make the roads less safe, because people slam on their brakes as soon as they see one, turning themselves into hazards on the roads. I’ve watched people slow down before they pass one, only to speed up again right after. What’s the point? Make people follow the limit for 100 feet?
Around here we have two types, by the way. There’s the camera on a post, which goes at intersections, to get you if you speed or run a red light, and there’s the ones mounted to vehicles that they park at the side of the road, that everyone who knows anything can spot a mile off.
If you want more effective results, educate the drivers. Make driver training mandatory and drill it into them as they’re learning, and require every driver to pass the road safety test every time they renew their license. It won’t get rid of all the bad drivers, but it should at least improve their skills a little, and it will get the worst of the worst off the roads until they shape up.
There has to be some leeway involved- speedometers aren’t always 100% accurate, and hey, not all of them display an exact number. It might not be possible to tell if you’re driving 50 km/h or 51 km/h. Or sometimes there is a slight downhill slope that causes your speed to creep up slightly before you notice it. Or you cough and it causes your foot to twitch. Setting them to react to any amount over is absurd.
If you’re overspeeding you’re a hazard to everyone on the road and close to it, period. Speed detection systems should be ubiquitous, so that you would have no way to be above the limit anywhere.
Speeding is not the number one accident causer–oblivion is, which usually involves speeding.
Nobody cares to pay attention to what’s going on around them.
Most people are focused on texting, talking on cellphones, fiddling with GPS and MP3 players, eating, drinking, daydreaming, putting on make-up, and who knows what else…usually simultaneously. Vehicles have become personal entertainment systems.
People generally don’t judge speed by the speedometer, either; they judge it by peripheral vision. If the car next to me is going 65 (in a 55 zone), well the speed limit must be 65. And most people don’t stop there, they feel they must go FASTER than the car next to them, so it’s like an invisible tug of war between the two cars until one finally gives up while the winner goes 75.
It doesn’t even make a lick of sense. I see these cars zipping by me at 10, 15, 20, or more over the speed limit, only to catch right back up to them at the next light or two. My favorite is when they’re speeding INTO a red light! How fucking oblivious can you be? If there’s a red light coming up, you should be coasting, not accelerating just so you can practically slam your brakes. People like this shouldn’t even own a car. Speeding in the city is the dumbest thing I’ve ever seen. You’re always bound to get stuck at a light or two or behind someone who’s going the speed limit…so you rarely make up any time…even if you do make that one light.
The only time speeding is a “time saver” is on a very long uninterrupted stretch of road, but most of these usually have a cop waiting. If you get pulled over by a cop, based on how fast you were going, you could easily be stuck there for 10 to even 30 minutes. Most tickets aren’t cheap either, something like $100 for 1-15 over the speed limit, so unless you’re a rich snob, think of how many hours of work you need to do to pay the ticket. Now imagine all the speeding you’ll have to do to get that time back you dumb fucker.
[i]Example
If there’s a 10 mile strip of highway you get onto everyday, the speed limits 70 but you always decide to go 80…quite a few other cars do… so why can’t you, right? So you’re zipping by cars…getting stuck behind a few slowpokes that are in your magical fast lane so you tailgate them hoping they’ll get over…they finally do so you decide to go 85 past them to show them not to fuck with you. As you’re doing this a cop pulls you over and you get ticketed for speeding AND tailgating. Let’s assume that it’s only $150.
Ok, so by going 80 instead of 70 everyday, you save roughly a little over 1 minute each time you do this (10/70 = 0.143, 10/80 = 0.125), and that’s only if nobody “fucks with you” and everyone gets out of the way. So you’d have to do it 10 to 30 times more just to get back the time it took to get the ticket. That doesn’t seem bad.
Now let’s assume you make $25 an hour at your job. Minus taxes and health insurance makes it more like $20 net. So you’d have to work 7 and a half hours to pay this $150 ticket. Now you have to speed at 80 at least 460 times to cross out the time you really lost.[/i]
I generally drive 5 over the limit almost anywhere and I don’t do anything else in the car but drive (except for changing the radio station.) I mean how much of hazard could someone doing 55 as oppose to 50 be? Seriously…
Everybody I know goes 5 over. I go 5 over. That’s like a magical golden rule and is why I didn’t mention it.
But I wasn’t referring to people like you. I’m referring to people that always want to go faster than you. They’re always there. So now some dickheads going 6-10 over, likely talking on a cellphone, and now they got you in their blindspot and seem to slowdown to only 5 over and hover there because they already passed you. Or sometimes they get over, or even cut over, so now you’re tailgating the person going 5 over. If you don’t back off soon (hit the brakes…which very few would do in that situation because 1. don’t care/not paying attention/have someone tailgating them, 2. they’re pissed they just got some dick in front of them), then guess who would get blamed if that asshole in front of you slamed their brakes for any reason? You would. That’s like some magical golden rule, too–unless of course they’re uninsured or it’s the start of a 3+ pile-up.
Speeding is not the accident causer; most cars handle better at even faster speeds, sometimes even up there at 100MPH+. It’s others being oblivious to their surroundings, which can involve speeding or even going too slow. Most people just follow the traffic, not the traffic laws, so whatever you do they’ll either do or try to do to the next extreme. Basically, you’re always fucked.
you = a decent driver
@Jettatura: Oh yeah, I was just asking in general… I wasn’t complaining about your post in particular! But thanks anyway. 
I totally agree with you. However I do admit that I go faster as well… but mostly on the freeways where I’m focused 100% and it’s plain fun! But yeah speeding too much is stupid! (like over 10) xD