The 150 million speeding fine

The 150 million speeding fine
New figures underscore the
cost of speed cameras, as the level of cynicism among drivers is
confirmed, with many motorists increasingly viewing the roadside yellow
boxes as little more than revenue-raising devices.

Speed cameras are costing motorists in England and Wales up to 150
million a year through the combined cost of fines and increased car
insurance premiums. Research commissioned by Swift Cover car insurance
revealed that drivers are paying out in excess of 114 million a year
in fines. Added to this is the increased premium charged by many
insurers following a speeding conviction, estimated at 36 million a
year, and drivers are paying out 150 million to compensate for their
speeding lapses.

In total it was found that 2.2 million drivers are convicted for
speeding every year, almost half of these having been caught by
roadside cameras. Many experts credit the escalating number of speed
cameras with the corresponding rise in speeding convictions, with
speeding fines up 328 per cent over the past decade, which has also
seen the UK’s speed camera network swell to 6,000.

Unsurprisingly given this cost, speed cameras do not rank highly among
a list of drivers favourite things. Around two-thirds of those
surveyed thought speed cameras were “mainly” installed to raise
revenue, with just 13 per cent agreeing that they are the best way to
encourage safe driving.

In fact, many argue that speed cameras actually encourage unsafe
driving, with Swift Cover claiming that they have encouraged a trend
for ‘yo-yo driving’, whereby drivers speed up between cameras and then
slam their breaks on at the last minute to avoid a fine. Indeed,
almost six in ten of those surveyed admitted to driving in such a
manner, with a further 54 per cent blaming them for encouraging erratic
driving.

The majority of those questioned said that speed cameras were a
distraction on the road, increasing their chances of an accident rather
than encouraging safer driving, with over seven in ten admitted to
paying more attention to speed cameras and their speedometer than
potential hazards. In contrast, many drivers argued that they would
actually be safer if allowed to continue speeding, with seven in ten of
those convicted for speeding claiming that they had been driving safely
for the conditions of the road at the time.

Paul Smith, founder of the Safe Speed road safety campaign, said that
he was not surprised by the findings, having been warning for years
that speed cameras make the roads more dangerous.

He also said that the latest figures undermine the government’s
argument that speed cameras have public backing, describing their
claims as “misleading”.

“The government claims that 80% (or so) of people support speed
cameras. This survey (conducted under proper conditions by a reputable
professional polling company) proves, once again, that government
figures are highly misleading,” he said.

“Please listen, Mr Darling and Dr Ladyman; We don’t want your cameras.
We don’t believe they make us safer. We don’t have any faith in your
road safety policies. Bite the bullet, admit that speed cameras don’t
work, and let’s get back to real road safety policies. Your infernal
cameras are killing us indirectly, because, at best, they replace
genuine life-saving road
safety policies,” he pleaded.

Profile or Bio data: Author a experienced property analyst.He has been researching on property investment in UK .Since 10 years. Presently he is with http://www.assetz.co.uk/

Are Radar Detectors Legal in the US and in which States are they Prohibited?
A good number of the people with cars in the United States have their own radar detectors. Their reason is that they feel that the speed limit at present is very low. Most of the American people are not satisfied with moderate speed while driving. They want to be the fastest driver on the road as well as get to the places they re going in record time; they want to be always in the race.

The radar detector serves as their alarm whenever there are police near them. Once the radar detector alarm sounds, they can ease on the gas and slow down their speed.

Because of the radar detectors being known to every motorist, cops are hiding, in alleyways or behind bridges in order to avoid being detected by the radar detectors.

Motorists on the other hand are being clever themselves, they are aware of these techniques from the police, so more enhanced, top-dollar detectors have entered the market.

Though the policemen are always improving their chances of catching the radar detector users, they are unable to make the streets of the United States radar detector-free.

Radar detectors are legal in many cities and states in the United States. But this does not mean that radar detector units are legal in all of the states in the US.

Here are some of the states that deem radar detectors illegal:

1. The usage of radar detectors are prohibited in the Commonwealth of Virginia. They have laws banning the use of radar detectors. Not only are radar detectors illegal to use in Virginia, they are also illegal to have in the vehicle.

2. Radar detectors and radar jammers are illegal in the District of Columbia. The passing of their laws to ban the use of radar detectors was set in 1995.

3. In Illinois, radar detectors are only regulated in commercial vehicles of over 26,001 pounds.

4. On US military bases, they are legal to have but illegal to use.

5. Radar jammers are illegal in the states of Utah, California, Oklahoma, Colorado and Nebraska.

6. Radar detectors are not specifically regulated, but things hanging from windshields are not permitted in the state of Minnesota.

7. For motor vehicles over 18,000 pounds and any other commercial motor vehicles over 10,000 pounds in New York, radar detectors are illegal.

And other states that prohibit the use of radar detectors are the following:

Alabama
Arizona
Arkansas
Colorado
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Idaho
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
Mew Mexico
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Vermont
Washington
Wisconsin
Wyoming

The state of Connecticut on the contrary has cancelled its anti-radar detector law in 1998 which make this radar detector now legal in this state.

Nicola Kennedy publishes articles and reports and provides news, views and information about <a href="http://www.radar-detecting.info">radar detectors</a> at Radar Detecting Information. This article may be reprinted in full so long as the resource box and the live links are included intact. All rights reserved. Copyright Radar-Detecting.info

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Walk-in Traffic Schools: A bleak future?
With the ease of doing business on the internet ” whether it s shopping for groceries, paying bills or taking an online traffic course ” online companies are giving brick and mortar businesses a run for their money. There s no better example of this than the increasing popularity of online traffic school. Gone are the days when individuals, hit with a traffic violation, are forced to spend eight uncomfortable hours with strangers in a stuffy room, watching outdated movies and wishing the day would end. Online traffic schools may well be the trend of today ” and tomorrow. TicketRelief.com founder Travis sees this surge of popularity with online traffic schools as a phenomenon that will only grow, eventually leading to the end of the walk-in traffic school. “Traffic school online is a growing trend and soon, I believe, that walk-in traffic will be obsolete. Taking traffic school online is quick, easy, and convenient,” he says. In fact, statistics for online traffic schools are promising. In 2004, for example, more than a third of the 500,000 people ordered to complete traffic school in Florida did so online. Ninety perfect of those who completed the online traffic course passed the final exam. An administrator at East L.A. Community College Service, who requested her name be withheld, recognizes the advantages of online traffic school, citing students can complete the course at their own convenience. She, however, disagrees that walk-in traffic school will one day disappear altogether. In fact, she hasn t yet noticed a big difference in attendance.” We have noticed it has somewhat decreased. It (online traffic school) looks like it s doing very well, but it s not affecting us very much,” she says. As for the future of traditional walk-in traffic schools like East L.A. Community College Service, she doesn t think they re going to disappear anytime soon. Attendance will “decrease, but it (walk-in traffic school) won t be a thing of the past.” Travis, however, believes the future of the walk-in traffic school is bleak, pointing to California bill AB2377. Initiated by Democrat Assemblyman John Longville, the bill sought to require the licensing of all online and home study traffic schools by the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV). Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed the bill in September 2004. Still, the very fact that the bill even made it to the governor s desk may indicate that all is not as rosy as it may appear for walk-in traffic schools. “From what I understand about the bill, “Travis says,” walk-in traffic schools are losing a lot of business to online traffic school and this bill would increase requirements making it harder for online traffic schools to get approved.” If the bill had passed, it would have required all online traffic schools to be licensed through the DMV, a lengthy process lasting between one and two years. Currently, online traffic schools must be certified before they are able to do business and are added to the list of court-approved schools. Certified by the National Traffic Safety Administration and the Coordinated Courts System, Ticket Relief currently serves California (including Los Angeles and San Diego counties), Texas (in partnership with Continued Ed) and Florida (in partnership with American Institute). Ticket Relief s partners are certified by the DMV. Certification, however, is a thorough process that requires online traffic schools to meet legal, curriculum and grammatical standards with its course materials. Ticket Relief s course materials run between 100-110 pages. With the rising competition from online traffic and defensive driving schools, walk-in traffic schools are often forced to step up their performance, if they want to stay in business. Many walk-in traffic schools, particularly in Los Angeles, offer incentives such as comedy and pizza. Still, pizza and a few laughs is often not enough enticement for forgoing a Saturday afternoon when individuals can complete Los Angeles traffic school online in as few as six hours in the comfort of their own homes. Furthermore, online traffic schools like Ticket Relief are poised for major growth in the next few years, a move that could have a major impact on the way drivers do business. “Ticket Relief will continue to grow until it covers all 52 states. Ticket Relief is also looking to venture into other driving related services. Some of the services are: ordering a copy of your driver license record, reducing your insurance rate, renewing your driver s license, and offering a membership with exclusive member benefits. Ideally, I would like customers to come to TicketRelief.com for all their driving needs,” Travis says. Ticket Relief offers online driving classes in California, Florida and Texas ” students can register and begin the course immediately by visiting www.ticketrelief.com. Listed as a Los Angeles County court-approved traffic school, East L.A. Community College Service offers eight-hour traffic courses twice a month for $30. To sign up for one of their two monthly classes, call 323-265-8794.

DL goes high tech but are we ready?
Government of India under the e-Governance initiative has issued a circular for issuance of driving licenses on a smart card. This will be implemented in phases and is applicable across the country in all states and union territories. The states of Gujarat, Goa, Jharkhand, MP, Maharashtra, Nagaland, Sikkim, West Bengal, Chandigarh and Kerala are leading the initiative. National Informatics Center (NIC) along with private players have set shop at RTOs and ARTOs for issue of smart card based driving licenses. This high tech end product has its own benefits and provides a fool proof system for holding, verifying and authenticating drivers identity and other details. Equipped with hand held terminals the traffic police officers will now be able to use the smart card driving licenses and perform their duties efficiently and effectively. However, what remains to be rectified is the fact that the driving schools in India continue to provide low grade training and promote corruption by assisting learners to obtain licenses without meeting minimum criteria. The result is compromising road safety. Poor driving combined with low patience produces road rage, which is a daily occurrence on our roads. Bad driving conditions do not help reduce these incidents. Whether driving within city limits or on a highway, all of us must have seen or been an unfortunate victim of road rage. In some instances the matter has spiraled out of hand and resulted in a fatality. And, all this because of bad driving? Sometimes one is forced to think where is India headed for? A major contributing factor for poor driving and Road rage in India is the lack of road or traffic signs coupled with ignorance about their need and usage. Traffic rules are violated by all and sundry. Some people even think that jumping traffic lights, over speeding or over taking from wrong side are in things and must be done regularly to prove your driving skills. The whole process of issuing of Driving Licenses in India needs a revamp. Our model should be based on UK or UAE where getting a passport is easier than obtaining a driving license.

Parthiv is the contributing author to the website: Indiandrivingschools.com-Indian Driving Schools is the first dedicated Indian Traffic Portal-Made to improve road safety through education and information about <a href=http://www.indiandrivingschools.com>Road safety in India</a>, Road rage in India, <a href=http://www.indiandrivingschools.com>Traffic rules in India</a>, <a href=http://www.indiandrivingschools.com>Road accidents in india</a> and online traffic forms in India.

Driving Drunk at your own Expense

We live in an independent country and people are free to do whatever they want as far as their personal life is concerned. People, not only in India, but all over the world do indulge in activities like smoking, drinking and all kind of weird stuff which are harmful to their lives. Such activities are tolerable as long as they are not hampering lives of other people who want to leave peacefully in the society.

But the problem arises when act of such immature people results in causing problems to others. One such act of them is drunken driving which is not so unpopular on Indian roads. By indulging in such unacceptable acts they are not only risking their own life but are also endangering innocent lives of other road users. Although, it is illegal to drive while being in intoxicated condition under traffic rules in India, it is still prevalent in Indian Traffic.

Needless to say, driving while either inebriated or drunk is dangerous and drivers with high blood alcohol content (BAC) are at increased risk of car accidents, highway injuries and vehicular deaths. All one needs is discipline and some degree of self monitoring in order to retreat yourself from driving after drinking. So, avoid driving after drinking and let someone else like your friend or spouse drive the car if you have been drinking. Pursue the drunk driver to let someone else drive the vehicle. It is high time that people should become more responsible citizens and join hands to curb such acts from Road traffic.

One must keep in mind that every single injury and death caused by drunk driving is totally avertable. Regrettably, over 15% of all traffic victims in the India each year are caused by drunk drivers. Thus, drunk driving remains a serious national problem that tragically affects thousands of victims annually.

In order to facilitate Road Traffic safety in India, government and concerned authorities must take relevant steps to stop this undesirable act. Prevention measures like license suspension, confiscating vehicle plates, increasing penalties such as fines or jail for drunk driving, mandating education for young people, and lowering legal BACs must be regulated by Indian traffic police. Make breath analyzer tests mandatory on highways, in towns and cities and ensure severe punishment to drunken drivers. All such initiatives are capable assuring an efficient Road safety in India.

<p><b> About Author :</b> Abhimanyu Singh is a contributing author to the website <a href="http://www.easydriveforum.com" title="Easy Drive Forum - The First Ever Forum on Indian Road Traffic"><b>Easy Drive Forum</b></a>. Easy Drive Forum is The first ever forum on Indian Road Traffic, It brings lots of Road Users in India, to a common platform, where they can discus freely on topics like Road rage in India, poor maintenance of Indian roads, Road safety in India, Indian Traffic rules, Driving license in India, Traffic safety issues in India etc. Your feedback & comments will be highly appreciated at kumarabhimanyu.singh@gmail.com </p>

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