The ‘overwhelming majority’ of UK motorists support the use of safety camera technology to check for insurance, MOT and road tax offences.
That’s the assessment of IAM RoadSmart, on the back of a survey carried out by the charity as part of its annual Safety Culture Report.
The survey found that 89% of more 2,000 motorists supported the idea of safety cameras being used to spot those who decide to flout the rules and drive illegally on public roads without the required documentation.
Meanwhile, 82% of respondents agreed that cameras should automatically fine drivers who go more than 10mph over the limit in school zones and urban areas.
There was also support for similar schemes to be enforced for those who decide to exceed the speed limit in residential areas and motorways, albeit to a lesser extent (78% and 64%, respectively).
Neil Greig, director of policy and research at IAM RoadSmart, said: “As with previous years, the results from our Safety Culture Report demonstrate that law-abiding citizens are totally in favour of a zero-tolerance approach when it comes to catching those who are a menace to other motorists on UK roads.
“However, despite the vast majority of drivers agreeing for several years now that we should be using the widely available technology we have at our disposal to catch illegal drivers, many police forces are yet to leverage the equipment to its full capabilities.
“The inconvenience, as well as pain and financial misery uninsured drivers often inflict on other road users should not be overlooked, meaning we should be doing all we can to deter and punish drivers who think the rules don’t apply to them.
“It is well known that enforcing ‘paperwork’ offences often leads to the detection of other more serious crimes. This is why we support drivers in their calls for cameras to be used against those who violate the rules of the road.”
ANPR cameras read number plates and when linked to the database they are able to check the vehicle reg number for registered keeper details, insurance, tax , MOT etc. But they are not safety cameras, so cannot be used to enforce against speeding.
I don’t think Safety cameras normally include ANPR (the cameras I’m aware of don’t), although an enforcement expert may wish to correct me.
Two different technologies and two different cameras. It may well be cheaper to stick them up side by side (or both in a single box) than to try to merge the technologies.
Pat, Wales
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