Just Fifteen Working Fixed Speed Cameras Left In Dorset

I was shocked to read the other day that there are now only fifteen working fixed speed cameras left in Dorset; the vast majority of the roadside yellow boxes being empty. Even the number of mobile camera sites has reduced from thirty-three to twenty-eight, something I find staggering.

I know there has been a lot of debate over speed cameras in the past, whether they actually reduce road accidents or cause more, or if they are just cash gathering machines for the police, but I have always been supportive of them. I'm actually glad to see them on our streets and would even welcome more.

I know some people see them as a nuisance, or even dangerous, but I've always said speed cameras should never really bother you if you don't speed. They never bother me and I've never had a single point on my licence in twenty-four years of driving. I've always felt speed cameras' real job is to make road users think about their speed, especially when they travel through heavy populated areas.

It should be evident by the vast number of speeding fines these cameras have collected over the years that many road users simply don't obey the road traffic laws. They are there to protect all of us and yet I can't help feeling we are being let down by the lack of working cameras in our county.

This is something that should be rectified as soon as possible and more speed cameras introduced countywide. After all the police can't be everywhere at once and having more working speed cameras would free up more police officers to fight other crime in our beloved Dorset.