Speed Cameras

An interesting article from the Times Online On speed cameras. The road nazis want to double the fines imposed by the cameras, since they nolonger have such a deterant effect on speeding. Why? Because the insurance companies don't care about people getting zapped by the damned things and so do not increase premiums because of it. So the road nazis want government to push up the fines to compensate for this. Something that I'm sure governemtn will be only too happy to do as it will help with the cameras primary function, raising revenue.

The interesting thing isn't that the road nazis want nobody to travel anywhere, ever. That has always been there goal. The interesting thing is that the insurance companies do not care about people getting zapped. It is their business to assess risk and make sure that they charge a coresponding amount to the amount of risk that they are taking on. They spend vast amounts to make sure that they get theses calculations correct. If they get them wrong they will quickly lose a lot of money either through people moving to other insurers or through claims that they hav not covered through the premiums. So the experts in risk are telling us quite clearly that speeding does not effect risk of accident. However the statistical evidence shows that speed cameras increase risk of accident. If you want direct evidence of this look at the road surface near a speed camera, it will always have skid marks completely absent from everywhere else as drivers traveling at a completely safe speed have to perform drastic action to get within the arbitary speed limit.

When looking at automated systems it is also often useful to translate them into their real world counterparts that they are replacing. In the case of a speed camera that is a Police Officer. So what happens, the camera zaps you. You are then forced to fork out or go to court. As it is illegal and against some very basic priciples of British justice for the law punish somebody without them being able to plead their case in court this fine is there to make the need to go to court (and possibly have a worse fine imposed) go away. With that in mind lets construct a conversation that models this in the real world.
Police Officer: "Good evening Sir, do you know what speed you where just going at."
Motorist: "Good evening officer, I was mroe interested in not hitting anyone and traveling at a speed safe for the conditions but I'm sure that your about to tell me."
Police Officer: "Well sir it was 60.1mph. Which as you know is illegal on this well lit empty road as the speed limit is 60mph. I am therefore going to have to arrest you, send you to court, destroying your livelyhood and making you a pariah in your community from which you will be hounded by a baying mob with pitchforks."
Motorist: "Oh dear."
Police Officer: "Or we could come to some other arrangement ..."
Motorist: "That would be awefully good of you if we could."
Police Officer: "Well just slip me say £60, and this can all go away."
[Motorist flashes the cash then goes on his way]

Yep, they have managed to automate a corrupt police officer. Great.