Police go after bad drivers again

On the second of November last year I had flagged up that Devon and Cornwall Police were targeting really bad drivers on our major roads using unmarked vehicles. This operation was going to be initially just for that month. It turned out to be a such a highly successful exercise that the police are doing the same this month. It also seems that people who have been caught on camera marginally exceeding the speed limit might well get a warning letter for the first 'offence' rather than a fine and points on their licence.

I don't have any personal axe to grind on this subject: I've never fallen foul of speed cameras although undoubtedly crept over the limit for a brief moment. It's always been the case with me that I am passionate about fairness and never more so than in the manner of punishment for driving offences. You hear of instances of people getting points for minor infringements of the speed limit whilst other downright reckless drivers get away with almost literally murder. So what is happening in my two counties now seems to be trying to get a much better balance, and not before time.

Some would say that if you observe all the speed limits then the static cameras won't catch you out. Point taken. One of the things I dislike about speed limits though is that generally they don't discriminate between differing circumstances. You might be in a 30 mph limit when it is perfectly OK to do 40 whilst on another occasion on the same road anything over 15 mph would be reckless. A good idea is speed limit signs around schools which flash at you when children are coming and going. Another point is that a driver who keeps checking his or her speedometer is averting their eyes from the road. Personally I try and get myself trained to the feel of the car when I'm doing 30 or 40 mph for instance and it's surprising how well you can get to judge speed. Having said that I'm surprised that nobody has invented a gizmo in which you can set a certain speed, say 30 mph. Flick a switch to make it live. Then if you go over that speed it flashes a light at you or emits a discreet 'beep'. But I've forgotten - I don't play music in my car, lots play their idea of music very loud and there's no way they would hear an audible warning!

Getting back to my main point, it's good to see the police going after the people who really are a danger on the road. Progress indeed.

Devon and Cornwall Police target bad drivers

The Devon and Cornwall Police are going on the offensive throughout this month to bring to book speeding, inconsiderate, bullying and downright bad drivers. I'm glad to say that they are using unmarked police cars and a motorbike and employing video recording equipment. With the limited resources available these patrols will concentrate on the M5, the A38, the A30 and the A361 North Devon Link Road.

I fully approve of them publicising this crackdown on bad driving and it's vital that the police are proactive in mounting these concerted campaigns. My hope now is that any really bad instances of dangerous and selfish driving lead to heavy penalties. One of the bonuses of videoing evidence is that this can be later shown on TV which could spur all of us towards better behaviour on the road.

One thing the police will be particularly looking out for is the use of mobile phones while driving. So the news today that immigration minister Liam Byrne has been fined for just this offence has made interesting reading. He has had to pay £100 (would have been £150 if he hadn't pleaded guilty and shown remorse we are told). And of course he has another 3 points on his license, he had three points already but for what reason I don't know. What is particularly ironic about Midlands MP Byrne's case is that he has had a special interest in road safety apparently. In mitigation Byrne said that he had been taking an important call on a deportation matter. This makes it worse I believe because the nature of the call would have required giving far more attention than say someone from home asking him to pick up a packet of corn flakes. But at least Mr Byrne did apologise which is to his credit.

The number and severity of accidents on the roads of Devon and Cornwall has been bad of late. I hope that this initiative from the police bears fruit.