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‘ONE question asylum-seekers could be asked under the Government’s proposed new tests for entry into the UK is whether they drive or not?

”Er, sarge. I think that one’s parked”

Answer ”no” and your application is in trouble. Answer ”yes” and you will be waved through.

In simple terms, drivers equal money. And speeding drivers equal more and more money. According to the paper, speed cameras are generating more than £20m a year for the Chancellor.

But it’s not enough. Motorists could give more. And, as the Telegraph says, the number of mobile speed traps has risen by 33% in the past 12 months in a bid to raise some extra funds for the public purse.

As drivers become more aware of the location of static speed cameras (although new arrivals to these shores will still be surprised), mobile cameras have become more prevalent.

While the Tories would like to play on the revenue-raising element of speed detection - Tim Yeo, the shadow transport minister, has pledged that a Tory Government will remove any cameras that do not save lives - the fact remains that speeding motorists are breaking the law and are thus entitled to be fined.

If our tone sounds a little official, a little like the police talking, we make no apologies. Indeed, you’re most probably not even listening.

As the Guardian reports, whatever the punishment, more than half of motorists still admit to speeding.

A study by the RAC finds that the number of drivers who say they break the speed limit has gone up over the past 12 months by 10% to 55%.

The RAC’s spokesman, Philip Hale, says that this is an alarming trend.

”People are very wise to how speed cameras work - they slow down when they see a camera, then speed up when they get past it,” says he.

”Some drivers adopt a gladiatorial attitude towards beating Big Brother and beating the system.”

So, instead of being a tool of safety, it might be that speed cameras offer an unwelcome distraction to motorists.

And to the more aggressive ”gladiator”, a policeman standing behind a bush brandishing a speed gun could prove to be a tempting target.

Perish the thought…’

Posted: 7th, February 2005 | In: Uncategorized Comment (1) | Follow the Comments on our RSS feed: RSS 2.0 | TrackBack | Permalink