If speed vans are legal why do they run?

  Here's an interesting one! This van is committing two parking violations in one go! The location is Vastern Road in Reading (UK) and this clip was published on scoobynet on October 2003 shortly after being filmed on a Saturday morning and, within 36 hours, over two thousand downloads were made!

  On the Evening Post of November 5th, 2003, there was an article on the front page about this and PC Julian Weal (casualty reduction officer for Reading) said that "rowdy protesters would be arrested because the van was parked lawfully."

  Do you know the Road Traffic Act? Maybe we should start parking our cars there!

  PC Weal said that "On a regular basis we are getting people coming up aggrieved about the signage and that we are being unfair."

  I'm not surprised, considering you won't find a single speed limit sign on Vastern Road and, the speed camera warning sign is placed near the van AND it's size is ridiculous to say the least. Don't believe me? Watch the clip and tell me if drivers get any warning from that joke. The laser detector in the van has a range of at least 1 mile. (And they say they aren't trying to milk us out of our money? How about giving the driver a chance?)

  Another unfortunate from PC Weal "People are constantly taking photos or filming us" "The abuse is completely unacceptable." 

  Really? You can film and prosecute each and everyone of us for a reason that is very grey and without proof, and we can't film your activities and how you waste our tax money? Hmmm, is Saddam ruling over the United Kingdom? I don't think so!

  Whatever anyone tells you, you are free to take pictures and film whatever. If the police or anyone else don't want to be filmed, they cannot stop you from doing so! Those are your rights! If you are filming a public area and someone doesn't want to be filmed then they can get lost and get out of there. Pure and simple! (Just say you are taking pictures of the birds, or buildings, whatever!) Even if you're filming private property from a public place, nobody has the right to stop you.

  Apparently a motorcyclist parked complaining very rightfully so about the police parking on double yellow lines and he ended up rocking the van. PC Weal said "this behaviour was childish".

  Indeed, I guess sending an honest citizen to court for doing 1 mph over the speed limit is mature behaviour!? Making his insurance premium go up by four times is really fair, and making that honest person lose out on a days wage's and end up being treated like a very bad criminal without any rights is productive and educational?!

  The victimless crime of speeding where, an innocent gets milked and tortured in order to prevent an offence (the usual excuse is "hit a child", ergo, manslaughter) that he or she hasn't committed, seems to me a childish, uneducational, and frustrating demonstration of injustice!

  PC Weal also said that "speed was a major factor in accidents on both roads", and "If you want to fight back. the best way is to stick to the speed limit and remember one in three deaths is caused by a driver going too fast".

  Do you see what's happening? This is a typical example of the police twisting and warping your vision of reality in order to keep us subdued. (I'm surprised the usual child excuse wasn't used!)

  I've lived here for over 3 years now. Accidents on that road? Yes, there were a few but nothing significant. I saw an old lady falling off due to the pavement being icy and very slippery in the winter! Apart from that can't really remember a thing! Deaths? If there were any, they would've been published or mentioned on the Evening Post as it's less than a mile away!!

  And since when the best way to fight back is to carry on as a lamb? Also, one in three deaths is caused by a driver going too fast? What?

  Let me see if I get this straight... if I go too fast, some lady in a nursing home will die? Is that what he meant? Surely PC Weal doesn't mean that one in three pedestrian versus car collision deaths were caused by a driver going too fast?

If that is the case, shouldn't the police be educating the public that pavements are for pedestrians and roads are for cars? (Start taking notes!) Shouldn't we be taking pedestrians off the roads in the first place instead of penalising road users?

  But whenever you see any government statistics given out by police or others, they never complement the data. They leave you guessing and thinking you are guilty of not knowing. And the result is, you fill in all the blanks with one in three deaths was caused by a car hitting another car because one of them was going too fast.

  Wrong! All wrong! The authorities are trying to divert your attention from the real issues. Even though this is past the year 2000, you, me, we are still the peasant with no rights!

Government figures and comments from the authorities
are full of vagueness!

  But there's more to the stream of lies! Speed cameras, or Gatsos were introduced to act as deterrents to improve safety on our roads. Most accidents happen on bends or intersections. Don't you think it's a bit strange that you only get speed traps on straights, the exact area of the road were you should be allowed to move?? It's funny how we're led to believe bends are safe!

  If these devices were introduced to act as deterrents and not revenue machines, don't you think it's a bit strange that you rarely see them clearly or find the actual speed limit posted on the Gatso traps itself?

  If Gatso cameras are being placed in accident blackspots, wouldn't you like to be informed you are now driving in a dangerous area?????

  So how come new roads that are being built are getting speed cameras? Are roads being built in a dangerous manner on purpose?

  AND THE LIE FALLS...

  So how many accidents are being caused by speeding? How many do you think? Eighty percent? Eighty five percent? The truth will shock you!

  I have conducted polls on the internet and asked many people "What is the percentage of accidents that happen because of speeding?", and the replies are always around eighty percent. (In fact, the lowest answer that I have received to this question was sixty five percent.)

  I've seen police officers saying eighty percent of accidents happen because of speeding. We all have heard about the governments figures saying that two thirds of accidents are caused by speeding! Well brace yourself...

  According to the Transport Research Lab or TRL, a government funded agency which we all are funding with our tax money, the only entity with all the data and authority to say anything about transport, says, the percentage of accidents caused by speeding remains at an average 7.14 %. That's right! Seven point fourteen percent! Be shocked, be amazed, be angry, be whatever you want to be!

  It's not two thirds like the government says consistently! It's not one third! It's below 10%!!! In fact, in some areas it's below 3%! [West Midlands accident report 1998] (And you can include car thieves, criminals, and drunk drivers in those figures, meaning Gatsos represent nothing to them!)

  And if you're going to keep up with the constant stream of lies the government publishes then you're going to get even more confused! Recently a report was published by the government stating that one third of accidents are caused by tailgating or driving too close to the car in front.

  So, that coupled with two thirds of accidents caused by speeding that means there are no accidents being caused by drunk drivers, or people who are driving without due care and attention, or stupid pedestrians who don't look when they cross the road. WOW!!!

  So what's going on? I keep asking the same question! The only answer I can come up with is the obvious one! People are being manipulated, misled and misinformed! Just another form of control to generate revenue.

  Interviewed ambulance drivers and fire department staff including fire-fighters, consistently say there is no reason to believe speeding was the cause to most of the accidents they have been to.

  Another thing that will shock you is, the majority of speeding accidents involve someone crashing all by himself. Still the authorities keep saying speeding kills pedestrians and use this to gain support. But wait a minute, shouldn't we be finding ways to keep pedestrians off the road then?

  The huge majority of pedestrians versus car collisions is caused by the pedestrian not being careful. Yet the road user is the one getting the most rules and regulations, while the pedestrian is still free to walk onto the road carelessly.

  Where are our carelessly walking laws? UK rules now force car makers to build with a pedestrian collision in mind. Does that sound ridiculous to you? Shouldn't we enforce pedestrians out of the roads?

  What is the cause to over 80% of accidents, you ask!?

  DISTRACTION!!!

  Yes! The obvious reason! But that's not all of it.

  Accidents happen because people are using mobile phones, or are looking at the scenery, or are completely oblivious to the existence of other road users! Sat Nav devices are also becoming the new trend in idiot behaviour.

  I see anyone adopting a "living room" attitude to driving has a potential threat to anyone's safety. Still, this is what the Gatso enforcement policy is achieving by taking all the freedom out of driving. (And they still build cars with cupholders.)

  Many people are being led to believe that remaining at mind numbing speeds will keep them safe! One of the greatest fallacies being made today!

  Research has shown that slow speeds induce the driver's mind to lose focus on the driving itself.

  Drive slow, and soon enough you will be thinking about your home life, your cat, or something even more trivial, and many times you will find yourself asking "How did I get here?" because you simply don't remember the last couple of miles you've just driven.

  And the government admits to be puzzled at why the accident numbers aren't going down! (Accident numbers have increased at camera locations) Well, that's the price of misleading people and not telling them what's really going on! Yet, they plan on increasing the number of Gatsos.

  In 1991 there were less than 100 speed cameras in Wales and around 3050 deaths. There are now more than 6000 speed cameras in Wales and the number of deaths is over 3100.

  This graph "stolen" from Safe Speed (hope Paul Smith doesn't mind) shows the relation between speeding convictions and number of deaths. As you can clearly see, speed cameras that "work" aren't doing much to improve road safety! Number of deaths is increasing!

  Does it seem true to you that every time someone gets prosecuted for speeding it means that the speed camera failed to reduce the speed of the driver? Shouldn't that send your alarm bells ringing?

  It has been proven over and over that Gatso cameras or any other sort of speed traps are only catching the best drivers and not necessarily improving road safety! The people that can't drive and don't even have the confidence to go over 25mph creep past these cameras unharmed and then proceed to hitting everyone including pedestrians. A perfect example of this is drunk drivers!

  There are repeated incidents were cameras are being placed due to an accident were a drunk driver came off the road. Can someone explain to me how a speed camera will catch a drunk driver and prevent him from causing any harm to anyone including himself??

  Some people defend that we should have speed traps because they will stop boy racers. Wrong! Boy racers know were the speed traps are and will avoid them. It's also wrong to paint all boy racers under the same brush as some are actually more capable drivers than the majority out there.

  Why prosecute drivers when the fact of the matter is better results can be achieved with a simple stop and go enforced by a radar trap coupled by a red traffic light a few yards down the road?

  Why prosecute?

  Speed is not dangerous! Driving without due care and attention is!

  Congratulations to the authorities for brain washing everyone into thinking that driving above a posted speed limit is irresponsible behaviour! Well done you!

  Thanks to that, you got millions of mindless drones out there driving completely oblivious to other road users! Incompetence and malpractice are the words that come to mind!

  I've telling everyone that accidents will rise due to this speeding is the cause of all evil attitude. It's only logic! And have to say I was pleasantly surprised to see that "Don't die before you've lived" Think! advert. It's rare to see a real issue being approached.

  I bet you anything that, the people who post these ridiculously low speed limits don't even have a driving licence, and if they do, they get driven to work by their chauffeurs or butlers. I believe that only people who drive at least over 100 miles per day should be allowed to make any decision over traffic.

  Do you believe the authorities are doing a good work?

  Well let me shock you again! Remember how they keep saying they aren't out to get us, and they aren't trying to turn us road users into cash cows?

  Right, the UK has the highest taxes on fuel, the highest road tax, and the highest number of speed traps anywhere in the world, and all in the name of safety???

  World wide evidence shows that faster drivers are more able and tend to read the road to the maximum of it's visibility being prepared to slow down at the slightest sign of danger. Slower drivers lack this skill, and are more unaware of other road users.

  This is proven fact! (It doesn't take rocket science to realise that the faster driver needs full concentration in order to read all possible dangers on the road.)

  Evidence shows that, bad drivers, the ones who don't have the skills or confidence to drive, creep past Gatso traps, while the faster and the more advanced drivers are being taken to court.

  There is an alternative to a Speed Trap!

  It's a combination of a radar gun and a stoplight placed a bit further down the road.

  It's a simple as this... Let's pretend there is a speed limit of 40 mph on a given road.

  If someone drives at over 50mph-55mph past the location of the radar device, the traffic lights further down the road change to red making the offender stop and wait for 5 to 10 seconds.

  This in turn allows pedestrians to cross the road and ensures that car drivers will pay more attention.

  See? Pure and simple! I've seen this device in use in other European countries and it works fine! Nobody needs to get prosecuted! This way, there's no need for paperwork, no need for the courts to get involved, and the police can actually be used to chase real criminals for a change!

  The device itself is cheaper than a Gatso camera, and the maintenance costs are lower. But I guess going for this option would mean giving up the immense stream of profit that is the road user, also known as cash cow!

  Even if it did actually represent safer conditions for everyone. Not to mention that in this system, the controlled area would become clearly visible, instead of hidden behind bushes or painted in dull colours.

  No need for the cash milking traps to be hidden and ill marked. Again, focus on safety and not revenue.

This video was uploaded by DeadSlow.
Besides pointing out the dangers of slamming the breaks on a motorway bend
I must reinstate that It's illegal to park on bridges.

   In a truly fair society this is the only device that must be accepted!

  Yes, I agree that rules are needed, speed limits are necessary and informative. But let me ask, do you really believe it should be an offence to drive at 100mph on a completely deserted three lane motorway?

This is what's happening right now...
You pick up a knife to spread butter on a slice of bread and...
you get taken to court and get prosecuted because you "might have hurt someone with it"!

Do you expect to be taken to court next time you pick up a knife to spread butter on a slice of bread under the excuse that you might hurt someone with it? So why are people being prosecuted for driving safely???

  In my view it is an offence to punish someone for doing something that is safe. Don't believe me? So how can you explain that 99.9% of drivers who are convicted for "driving faster than the posted speed limit" never caused an accident?

  Speed limits were put in place when cars had drum brakes, and stopping in a straight line was mission impossible.

  Now, cars, drivers, braking systems, rubber compounds, and tarmac have all evolved, but we are still being ruled by archaic laws.

  Studies reveal traffic is self regulating! Drivers tend to adjust their speed to road conditions. And that's the only way to stay safe.

  Yet, this nation-wide 40mph speed limit is increasing the number of accidents by creating people that simply stick to driving at either 30mph or 40mph regardless of road conditions!!!

   DRIVING HAS TO BE A DYNAMIC ACTION!!! You have to constantly change your speed. This will keep your brain alive and involved in the task of driving. People have to be taught this! Driving at mind numbing speeds in this "static" fashion is causing more accidents than ever.

  If you believe that speeding is irresponsible how do you explain the fact that the fastest roads are the safest and the slower drivers are the ones causing most collisions??

  There is something called the 85th percentile rule. If you have a completely unrestricted road, the majority of drivers will adopt a speed that will allow them to move quickly and stop within a safe distance. This average speed is normally higher than the posted speed limits. The speed at which fewer accidents happen is above the average speed for that road. Read more

  In fact there are plenty of cases all around the world, where increasing the speed limit has reduced the accidents. Even here in the UK in 1980's there were fewer accidents when the speed limits were higher. And there is proof that lowering a speed limit represents an increase in accidents. Read more

  Analysis of driving.

  At the time I'm writing this article I work as a professional driver (courier/multidrop/long distance) in either a van or car.

  Consistently have driven over 200 miles per day, where in some months my mileage has exceeded over 500 miles a day, with some days exceeding 790 miles. Besides enjoying driving I'm also a cycling enthusiast so I get to so yet another side of the story.

  My safe speed is constantly adjusted to the road conditions. This means I drive according to the correct belief that "Speed in itself is not dangerous" and that "You must be able to stop safely within the distance you can guarantee to be clear." as taken from the Police Drivers Manual. Considering most police drivers don't often drive over 60 miles in a day, I have reason to believe this is good enough for any road user travelling over 60 miles everyday.

  I'm a believer that if you take the speedometer out of a car people will adjust their speed according to road conditions and will become better drivers!

  I have to admit whenever I find someone keeping to a posted speed limit I fear for my life and other people's safety! In my experience, the slowest drivers are the most dangerous.

  Everyday I see these type of drivers not using indicators, initiating manouveurs without signalling, changing lanes onto other cars, playing with their phone or sat nav, stopping at completely empty round abouts instead of "slotting" in.

  Conclusion

  My review on the UK Government's position on road safety is... I'm very disappointed that the Government is more interested in covering it's own back than in protecting the innocent. Using Gestapo tactics will fail and more and more people will realise the truth.

  Idiotic campaigns that say "Speeding is a crime" will not help! It's estimated that over 50% of the driving population has been served with a speeding fine. These people are looked at and treated like criminals. Prosecuting people is a crime when there are other alternatives!

  How much good do you think can come out of criminalising most of the driving population? Do you think a criminal believes he has a reputation to protect??? Do you think one learns from having to pay a fine, having increased insurance premiums and possibly have job offers refused??? (Do you think just because you have driven safely for over 20 years they will take that into consideration when you're caught doing 1 mph over the speed limit???)

  And the support for cameras is going fast or can't you tell by the signs???

Thanks to whoever put this sign up! Made me smile!

  The evidence is clear, and the efforts the authorities put into causing more grief on drivers is something to at least laugh at. And I'm not mentioning how frustrated most drivers feel on the road due this irresponsible policy. Frustrated drivers aren't safe. Shouldn't the authorities be addressing this?

  If most accidents were caused by speeding then I would accept that fines should be issued as a fixed penalty, but only after considering the road conditions at the time of the offence. But this is far from the reality!

  When well over 80% of accidents are being caused by distraction and the authorities seem more interested in prosecuting every speeding driver instead of educating people about the realities of our roads and how little is being done to improve road safety, I feel greatly disappointed and so should you.

COLLISION KILLS.
SPEEDING SKILLS!

  The faster drivers will tend to read the road better and concentrate on the full visible distance making sure they can stop safely. There's is plenty of research to back this claim! Unlike the efficiency of gatso locations, or don't you know what regression of the mean implies?

  Roads are being built with no safety conditions whatsoever! Lorries can't turn without having to climb onto pavements.

  There should be a cycle lane on every road for everyone's safety! This would mean the road is wide enough to be safe! It's a fact!

  Roads should be wide enough for large vehicles to go past each other without having to slow down and/or drive onto pavements or forests! (Or haven't you noticed that roads in other countries seem like aeroplane landing strips?)

  Bumps and speed traps have already proven to be the cause of thousands of accidents! SPEED HUMPS COST LIVES!

  Pedestrians should have safe accommodation and education. These are all issues that should be dealt with!!! Yet little is being done to prevent pedestrians and cars from mixing!

  Everyone with a driving license should drive all the different types of vehicles, from bikes to tow-trucks, and realise the differences in behaviour and braking distances before they pass any test!

  There should be a braking test!!!

  I also believe every new driver should be re-assessed after 2 years of driving. Maybe some advanced driver training.

  Statistics show the huge majority of drivers are good drivers! It's only a tiny percentage of drivers who cause accidents (below 2%).

  Innocent until proven guilty? So why are all of us being assumed as guilty?

  The laws are made to protect the innocent. How can people prosecute a tyrant government? Ignorance of the law is no excuse!

   One of the real issues is the fact that, during the working week, the huge majority of professional drivers are out there rushing and taking risks, due to being paid on a salary basis or per mile.

  This means you have to step on it in order to make the most of your time or if you want to spend some time with your family or be at home relaxing! It should be illegal for companies to put this type of pressure on every road user! Yet the government does little or nothing about this!!!

   And then they show programs with trainee police officers, practising pursuit on public roads, and exceeding 110 mph on 40 mph speed limits even though there are other road users present! (aired in December 2003 on BBC1) (Are they contradicting themselves???)

  Want to see how police blatantly break any law to hunt down speeders? Check out Speedcam.co.uk.

  If you have any comments on this article please email me submitting your story, report, website link. I'll be glad to hear from you and perhaps post your story.

  I encourage anyone to come forth with any information you might want to share! Every email will be treated with strict confidence and anonymity.

Feel free to send pictures, videos, or links!

View reader's submissions

Other links...

• A 55% increase in injury crash risk for Gatso type cameras in motorway road works. A recent study showing the obvious was kept hidden!
• Camera partnerships rule book Ever wondered if there were any rules for these illegally parked traps?
• Speed Cameras kill! The numbers they don't want you to see!
• Illegally parked speed traps. The exact thing that is in the handbook that they're not supposed to do!
• Laser guns are not accurate! Now that's going to upset a few people!

  The views expressed here are based on facts and represent a personal view. Speeding, or the act of driving faster than a posted speed limit, in itself isn't dangerous, but if you chose to speed or take any actions after reading this article then whatever decisions you make are your responsibility alone.