A recent change in the law regarding safety cameras allows mobile units to be used in a more proactive fashion than before and the Cumbrian Police have become the first to take full advantage of the altered rules – other forces are expected to follow their example.
Their aim is to crack down on motorists who use local knowledge or detectors to slow down for fixed cameras, but then speed up again once they are passed the site. Fixed cameras have to be positioned where there is a history of accidents, whereas there is a more relaxed approach to mobile units. Apparently, the Cumbrian partnership’s plan is to create a climate of uncertainty among the motorists by placing camera vans in pairs, about one mile apart.
Since a change in ruling that meant a greater percentage of the revenue raised by safety cameras goes to the treasury, the march of fixed cameras has slowed somewhat and some of the country’s 38 camera partnerships have tended to opt for alternative approaches to the problem, including electronic signs that simply tell drivers to slow down.
However, where fixed cameras are still deployed, the original film operated units are quite rapidly being replaced with new digital versions. These are good news for the operating authorities, as the cameras automatically transfer the images to a processing centre, thereby overcoming the need for regular site visits.
There was a time when drivers speeding passed a fixed camera could breathe a sigh of relief if it did not flash – this meant either there were no innards to the camera, or it was out of film. That is no longer necessarily the case.
