Express & Star comment: Speed cameras must not be cash cow
Road safety is a crucial issue across the West Midlands.
The region has seen far too many deaths on its roads in recent years, which is the main reason behind the Express & Star’s Stop the Speeders campaign.
But while tougher sentences for dangerous drivers are something that the majority of people can get behind, speed cameras remain a contentious issue.
Figures released today show that thousands of motorists have been snared by mobile speed cameras over the last 12 months.
While static cameras in the West Midlands are currently deactivated, marked enforcement vans are very much in operation.
In Wolverhampton for example, 1,435 tickets were issued over the period, while motorists in Sandwell were fined on 2,572 occasions.
The minimum fine for people caught speeding on these devices is £100, which explains why so many eyebrows are raised when officials insist the main reason for the cameras is to improve road safety.
It is difficult to get away from the idea that financial benefit also plays a part.
Everyone wants our roads to be as safe as possible, but it is questionable whether mobile speed cameras serve a worthwhile purpose in this respect.
For members of the public, there are few more depressing sights than opening a letter announcing that a chunk of your weekly wage is about to disappear thanks to a speeding infringement.
In some cases, this is the result of drivers travelling just a few miles an hour above the speed limit. Surely any traffic laws should be administered and monitored with complete transparency?
There are roads across the region which have seen a number of fatalities due to speeding drivers, and it is right that these should be prioritised by enforcement officers.
But there is real concern with mobile cameras that financial considerations are being prioritised ahead of public safety.
The usefulness of speed cameras has always provoked lengthy debate.
There is little doubt that it will continue to do so for many years to come.
One thing that most drivers can agree on, is that they should be used as a deterrent to speeding. Speed cameras must never simply be a trap with the primary function of enabling our police forces to bolster their coffers.
