Beginning of the end for speed cameras?
There was a powerful exchange on the programme this morning between a mother whose son was killed by a speeding driver and a campaigner against speed cameras.
Becky Garrod's son Christopher was killed on Christmas Day last year by a speeding driver in Swindon and we heard this morning that Swindon Council has now become the first in the country to pull the plug on funding speed cameras.
We asked Claire Armstrong who is from Safe Speed, an organisation which campaigns against speed cameras to explain to Becky why the roads would be safer without speed cameras. Listen to the interview below.
The Conservative councillor responsible for transport, Peter Greenhalgh, who became a folk hero on Top Gear after announcing the cuts in funding, told us that Swindon council were looking at alternative ways to combat speeding and that the cameras were not improving road safety.
=== UPDATE ===
Richard Hammond spoke to Simon Mayo. Watch the video below. You can also download the podcast with Simon and Richard here.
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A point which has not yet been discussed is the negative aspect of speed cameras, and this obsession with rigorous obeyance of speed limits. I refer to the inability of the brain to multitask. As 'Doug' and many others say, excessive speed is dangerous in the wrong place, but appropriate speed is best judged subjectively as relative to one's ability to stop or take corrective action, rather than a coarse objective speed regardless of prevailing conditions. I find that the action of looking at speedometer and at ever changing speed limit signs actually reduces one's ability to concentrate on the actual road conditions.
Furthermore, all advanced driving instruction is based on the advantage of varying speed according to conditions, and blanket speed limits tend to act against this ideal.
The broadcasting media habit (particularly Top Gear) of broadcasting whilst driving I find is a deplorable and irresponsible example to set. Surely a person cannot concentrate properly on driving while performing on a television or radio show!
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Surely the vast majority of car accidents are due to the inattention of the driver rather than speed i.e driving into the back of the car in front which has stopped. Speed cameras don't stop cars travelling too close together.
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