Speedometers In UK Affect Motorist: Does It Affect The US As Well

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13There is now a study that speed cameras actually increase the chances of a person having an accident than preventing it. Before, the link between speed cameras and accidents were just ideas without concrete evidence. However, a recent research done by LV= found that there is indeed a link between the two. However, the study has been conducted in the UK using UK respondents. Perhaps presenting this data in the US may help the verification of this data.

The study gave weight to the finding that 28,000 accidents were caused by these speed cameras since 2001. The reason for this was that apparently, people become conscious of the speed camera that they lose their focus driving and become conscious of their speed.

More than 80% of the respondents admitted to look at their speedometers instead of the road when they see that they are going to pass a speed camera. Another finding is that some drivers even stop abruptly whenever they see a speedometer that increases the likelihood of an accident from happening. Drivers who lose concentration while driving as well as those who move abruptly usually cause accidents to happen. 

We know that losing concentration even for a little while on the road can lead to disasters. Even a fraction of a second can cause an accident to occur especially when on a busy street. They found out that the distraction that these speedometers cause decreases the concentration of the driver on the road while driving and will force them to focus instead on their speed for fear of being caught by the police.

Therefore we can say that adding noticeable speed cameras on the roads will not actually help drivers to be safe drivers rather it is giving them more pressure on the road. More pressure on the road makes it more difficult for drivers to focus their attention on the road and focus more on the situation or thing that gives them pressure.

Also the study has found that there are accounts of motorists actually witnessing other drivers manifesting erratic behavior when they are faced with speed cameras. This admittance by motorists only has the effect of proving that the findings of the research are true. However, this study can only be said to be applicable for UK motorists and not to their US counterparts.

With this study, we can point out that sometimes, security measures implemented by the government can have the opposite effect. As we have seen in this article, speed cameras in the UK causes unnecessary pressure to drivers and thus influence them to act in a way that they would not normally behave. The “abnormal” way in which they act may force them into situations that may cause accidents.

The government should be wary of instances such as this and must make sure that they truly understand the actual effects these safety precautions have on individuals. They should avoid putting up safety precautions especially if they do not do observations and only base their decisions on theoretical bases.