Law enforcement by camera.
A UK government report openly questioned whether local authorities are using speed cameras as a cash cow. Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services (HMICFRS) last week released the results of a thorough investigation of the way roads were being policed in England and Wales. The goal was to identify areas where local and national strategies could be improved for the benefit of road safety. Road safety, however, is not the only motivation at work in the policing of the roads, as the number of automated tickets has grown by 41 percent in the last seven years.
“The majority of this increase is accounted for by the use of speed enforcement cameras,” the report noted. “Some question the effectiveness of using such cameras and suspect that they are used as a source of revenue by police. “The reality is that use of cameras is effective in reducing serious collisions.”
The report noted that despite the massive rise in speed camera tickets, there was no reduction in the number of collisions in which “speeding” was cited as a contributing factor (read more about contributory factors). Nonetheless, speeding is the sole focus of the speed camera partnerships that operate the cameras.
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