Not involved in this thankfully, but I've been working down in Ipswich this week. On the way into work from the hotel on the A14 I came across an accident that had only just happened a few mins before. Multiple shunt in the outside lane of a dual carriageway.

The cause of the accident was clear. Parked in a lay-by right next to the shunt was a white van with a set of cameras on a tripod at the back of it. The driver at the front on the shunt must have seen this late and slammed on – crunch

The irony is that on closer inspection, there was a little sign next to the van stating it was checking tax discs rather than speed – but you’d never have been able to read this at 80mph (or if you tried, you’d probably crash into the guy in front who’d just braked )

The Emergency services turned up at the scene just as I did (don't think anyone was seriously hurt) so I was able to leave before they closed the road, but if you’re reading this after being stuck on the A14 by Ipswich all morning, then you can safely blame the DVLA.

There are pros and cons to traffic cameras, but it is clear that they do sometimes distract the attention of drivers and cause them to drive erratically.

Is it the fault of the cameras or the idiot in control of the car who braked hard?

Halfwit drivers who spot cameras too late and brake hard can cause accidents. The cameras not being there would stop this occuring but the camera is only a catalyst. If the driver was obeying the law and / or concentraing on driving or not really capable of driving safely enough.

quote:

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Originally posted by smart51
Is it the fault of the cameras or the idiot in control of the car who braked hard?

Halfwit drivers who spot cameras too late and brake hard can cause accidents. The cameras not being there would stop this occuring but the camera is only a catalyst. If the driver was obeying the law and / or concentraing on driving or not really capable of driving safely enough.

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Whilst the camera might have cause the accident surely the drivers behind the car that braked should have been at a sufficient distance to have been able to stop also? Would suggest to me that more than one party was at fault.

Cheers

Dan

quote:

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Originally posted by Bluemoon
Whilst the camera might have cause the accident surely the drivers behind the car that braked should have been at a sufficient distance to have been able to stop also? Would suggest to me that more than one party was at fault.

Cheers

Dan

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Again, I do agree with what has been said here (one thing I cannot stand is people driving too close), but the fact remains that the accident would not have happened had the camera not been there.

There is too much reliance on cameras these days for road safety, rather than proper policing of bad drivers and I do believe they can sometimes make matters worse:
I remember once being temporarily blinded while driving at night when an on-comming car triggered a camera which flashed right in my eyes. Could have been very nasty.

I however agree with the fundamental point that cameras cause a distraction, and encourage poor driving practice of taking eyes off the road to look at the speedometer more often, thus reducing attention to surroundings.

Look on the ABD website for some very interesting facts regarding cameras and their ABUSE!

we had a big light up sign on the motorway glasgow m8 at the royal infirmary(anyone remember it),what it did was flash up your reg and speed after some time they turned it off for good as it was fast becoming scotlands crash hot spot when guys were braking like mad doing 70 and braking to 50 in the fast lane we use to watch in our luch brake as we worked in granada.
the one good thing was it was next to the hospital.
we use to put on £1 bets wether you would see tyre smoke or not and £3 if the guy behind him also locked up or hit him (when you seen somone speeding and tailgating)

One of my biggest peaves is the idiots who brake for cameras even when they are well below the speed limit and the camera has been there for years.

If you drive along the A14 cambridge to huntingdon, theres loads of cameras along there and loads of skid marks up to them. Some of them swing round so you can see excatly why they are there. Theres always accidents along that stretch for that reason....

I think it is an automatic reaction to brake when you see a camera and then look at your speedo. Doesn't excuse those who were driving too close, but I have seen it happen on a few occassions.