To think the police should focus limited officers on crime not speedometers

[Chocstrawberries]

The past two days I have driven past two speed checks, yet the last time I saw any police patrolling our high street is years ago. Given that we've got speed cameras I think the police should focus on patrols and solving burglaries and other crime until they get more officers to spare some for speeding. Or give speeding checks to traffic wardens.

Crime doesn’t pay…but speeding fines do!

I actually wish the police would spend more resource on monitoring speeding cars. Motorists treat the roads near my kids' school like a racetrack.
They clearly know they can get away with it. It's a massive problem. If you are defending speeding motorists, you are part of the problem.

yes, that's right. I hate speeding cars, but love burlary.
🙄

Nobody was speeding. I didn't feel like they were effective.
If nobody was speeding then the police presence was having the desired effect
Speeding should be treated with the same seriousness and contempt as drunk driving

Traffic police are not there just to ruin speeders fun. Speeding kills and is a serious safety risk.

I would rather someone's life was saved when a speeding motorist is made to think twice, than someone's PS5 was recovered from a burglary.

It is obviously not that black and white, the same way choosing where scarce police resources are deployed is not an easy choice.

Ideally there would be enough resources for both, but no-one wants their taxes raised and government after government don't seem to be able to finance it with what they currently take.

my nanny's stepdad was hit and killed by someone speeding.

Or possibly it's a sign that they are effective. Speed cameras are meant to act as a deterrent, hence why they're painted bright colours. The idea is that their existence stops people from speeding.

There's a road by me that has a speed van. It generally turns up every few days for a month or two, and the message gets round that it's there, so people slow down. And then it's not there for a few months and people start speeding up again.

dangerous driving/parking generally should be more monitored than it is. Motorists really feel like they own the roads... and pavements.

I have nearly been run over by someone reversing out of their (very tiny) driveway when they didn't bother looking before reversing... this was a busy path and a busy road too.I am terrified of letting my kids run off on the pavement because of people reversing out of driveways.

I have also been nearly knocked over by someone parking on the pavement without looking where they were going (you can park on the pavement on some streets near me).

Given the state of the roads outside my child's school (and everyone else's child's school, by the sounds of things) every morning, I'd prefer more traffic cops. Drivers since the pandemic seem to have absolutely lost the plot.

I have been burgled, and it was bloody horrible. I would still rather our roads were safer for everyone.

Nobody thinks speeding is good. Put up more speed cameras is one way of dealing with it. But where I live, moped muggings, car break ins and knife crime are big issues. So yes I would rather see more police on the streets, when we get more police then for sure do traffic as well, obviously everyone wants both. But there are never any police walking round, not on the busy high street or near anywhere where I live. Regular car break ins at night and never any police there or patrolling.

https://www.crashmap.co.uk/Search
This is always interesting. Data to 2022.

Dint know where you live but driving standards have definitely dropped in east lancs.

https://www.lancs.live/news/lancashire-news/live-breaking-gas-leak-lancashire-30072962

This type of accident is becoming a regular occurance.

I live in London, in a 20mph area. Loads of speed cameras already because of ULEZ. So I can see it depends where you live.

It won’t be response or community officers, it’s usually civilians. Its not even traffic officers, the ones who attend fatals and have to knock on loved ones doors to deliver a death message.

Traffic offences also pick up drink drives, drug drives, burglars, missing people, uninsured drivers, stolen cars, fleeing offenders to name a few, every department is important.

It’s a bit of a joke where live. Definitely money making on the local town by pass on a Sunday morning. They don’t stop the boy racers doing doughnuts in the early hours! These people are the ones who truly don’t care. We did see a police officer when someone was reported to be lurking in the woods with a gun. Otherwise we are low crime but I think speed guns could be community police.

Nobody thinks speeding is good.

I disagree, I think plenty of people think speeding is absolutely fine, especially if they happen to disagree with the speed limit, and know or think that they aren't going to be caught. We also live in a 20 zone, but the number of cars who genuinely respect it is very small.

totally agree. The amount of people I have heard boasting about speeding, or moaning about speed cameras is ridiculous.

I disagree, I think plenty of people think speeding is absolutely fine,

Yes, see the number of people on MN who say they habitually do well over 70 on the motorway. Because they're such good drivers, speed limits don't apply to them.

My mother's elderly neighbours were knocked down by a speeding driver on the zebra crossing outside their house. The husband was killed, his wife left disabled.

What a ridiculous thing to say. Of course people care about those things as do I.

But two days ago I was walking down the road with my horse to put her back in her field after a lovely ride round the country. We were hit by a driver who admitted to speeding at the scene. My horse is dead. I am lucky to be alive and have severe injuries. You bet I fucking care about people who speed and kill people. I'd rather be burgled than go through what happened two days ago again. I saw my horse go through a car windscreen and I'm in a lot of pain. I was terrified, traumatized and heartbroken.

Come take my fucking TV if it's going to give me my beloved mare back and unbreak my leg because it's either speeding or violent crime that can be stopped. Or are you just here to be a contrarion idiot?

that's awful, so sorry to hear that 😔

Thankyou for the sorrow, I'm absolutely heartbroken and in a lot of pain. I'd kill the driver myself if I could my hands on him!

Where I live, there is zero enforcement of traffic law. Cars regularly go through red lights three or four cars after they change. The 20mph limit might as well not exist. We were bemused by the huge resistance to 20mph zones in Wales as we've had them for years, then realised they don't cause any friction because everyone just ignores them.

Zero enforcement means you might as well not have the limits. You can see it on the motorways. Where there are no permanent cameras, people go way over the limit. Permanent cameras and everyone sticks to the limit.

I personally think it's very shocking there are areas where shoplifting and burglary are virtually unpunishable. We do need police to enforce the law. But that should be as well as road law, not instead.

"Nobody was speeding. I didn't feel like they were effective."

They walk among us people...

This definitely, it is an easy money spinner

As someone who was once caught speeding I’m still very much for traffic cops and the job they do

however, I do believe motorway limits should be revised from their arbitrary setting that was decided in the 60s

20s, 30s, 40 limits though very much yes keep and enforce as well as clamping further down on drink driving and phone use

all this doesn’t mean I don’t want police on the beat or dealing with burglaries. It’s not a race to the bottom (pardon the pun)