Speed Cameras - blurring the issue

You know what? It's time for a good, old fashioned rant.

Speed cameras. Dear lord. Does anyone here drive? Does speed cause your accidents to occur? Is anybody other than me thinking the cause of almost all accidents, fatal or otherwise, is most definately lack of attention, driving skill and state of being in the vehicle at the time?

Take me, for example. Both accidents I was in where I was at the wheel (and technically at fault - not the other driver, I admit that ...) occurred in extremily slow, stop start traffic near a roundabout. Both were based on either a distraction at a key second, or in the case of the first accident, the car simply sliding along a watery surface and aeroplaneing (losing friction).

Neither accident broke the 20 mph mark. Probably nothing even close to that, in fact.

On the other hand, I recently was party to a long distance drive with a young driver, who had passed her test just six months previous to the road trip. Most of her driving was lovely, and I don't wish in any way to besmirch her. However, as a point of where experience and training was sadly lacking from her arsenal, we were doing around 75-80 mph after overtaking a car or two in the middle lane, travelling in the third. Within a few moments, nothing more, we had two guys in estates travelling far faster than we were, up our rear.

Being inexperienced, she remained in the third lane alittle longer than they would have liked. So what did they do? Illegally undertook us.

Now, this might not sound terribly stressful to the seasoned road warrior. For this person however, a certain degree of discomfort and dare I even suggest - panic - seemed to set in somewhere deep and slight.

After two cars had passed us, she reared slightly to the right, to turn left. This caused us to travel onto the 'bumps' on the white stripe, kicking up 'marbles' (dust) at that unused part of the tarmac. Cars behind began to panic (we later learned this as a friend was travelling in one of them). Then veering to the left, heading towards the middle lane, our path was blocked by a small, black Fiat 'Cinquento'. We were in a five door Renault Clio (original style).

Super mini vs very small supermini ...

As I looked left, I realised that the driver had absolutely no clue that in leaving the third lane, the second lane was not vacant. I yelled - loudly and very suddenly. She veered back into the right lane and waited to be passed, before pulling in to the second lane again, and eventually the first.

This is a simple example of where training and experience can and should be given to students before they are released onto the roads to make these simple, innocent mistakes. This lady was under pressure from two very rude drivers who themselves were clearly breaking the law by undertaking a vehicle moving easily fast enough for the travelling limit of that stretch of road - 70 mph.

Speed cameras won't cut the deaths on our roads, better driving will. It's easy, Tony. Driving tests need to be revelant and a driving course approach should be taken, with moduals, not a single day test where any bozo can blag it through by being good on the day at a few manouvers and a bit of basic car operation. Motorway training should be part of the course, and it should have a minimum length and include 'social road skills' (use of over taking, what to expect from drivers, etc).

Let's teach people about real driving and not the textbook alternative.