November 13, 2003

How to Make Load of Money Without Doing Anything

There is so much lunacy in the news today, it is hard think of where to begin. As usual, if we are looking for idiots, the easiest targets are the police.

As I have mentioned before, we no longer need traffic cops in this country. Until the existing road sensors are converted road crime (i.e., speeding) detection, the police are happy to let their job be done by speed cameras.

There are already 5,000 speed cameras set up. Most of them are on motorways and major trunk roads where two conditions prevail: lots of traffic and very few accidents. That's because speed cameras, despite what police PR and that idiot the chairperson of the House of Commons Transport Committee, Gwyneth Dunwoody pretend, are about revenue. They haven't dropped accident rates, but they have raised a lot of money.

Now they are going to increase the number of cameras by 50%. Yes, another 2,500 will be set up, both in permanent locations, or as they are often wont to do, in mobile units. The AA (the UK equivalent of the AAA in the US) believes that the number of convictions will hit 4.5 million per year by 2006. At £60 a pop, that's £270 million into the Treasury on an annual basis.

It is also 13.5 million points on drivers licenses. This will help fulfil the Government's other agenda of getting everyone off the road. It won't get unsafe drivers walking the pavement, because even though younger male drivers cause the most accidents, the target demographic for the speed cameras is professionals between the ages of 45 and 54 - safest group.

Posted by david at November 13, 2003 12:54 AM | TrackBack
Comments

yeah we're scared to know the same thing in Europe (France), this is stupid!

Posted by: sonneries at December 27, 2003 04:12 PM