THE ASSOCIATION OF BRITISH DRIVERS

IN SCOTLAND

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CAN SPEEDING BE COMPARED TO DRINK DRIVING?

Insp Kevin Martin of Grampian Police was quoted (EE 26/9) as saying "Speeding needs to be seen as just as socially unacceptable as drink driving,"

Does it? Is it really reasonable to compare the two offences? I don't believe it is.

Clearly there are different times and places for low speed and what could be
termed high speed - e.g. emergency service vehicles attending a call. Unfortunately, such a generalisation about "speeding" makes no such distinction. Is a competent, sober driver travelling at 75mph on a clear dual carriageway really as dangerous as a motorist driving while heavily under the influence of drink or drugs? Will the increased use of mobile speed cameras prevent unlicensed, drunken or drugged drivers from using our roads? No - they can only detect one easily measured offence. Cameras offer no objectivity on driving standards. Poor, unobservant driving, carried out below the posted speed limit, will go unchallenged by cameras. Is this really an efficient and acceptable use of limited police resources? Can such a heavy focus on one offence really deliver tangible road safety improvements?

Simon Tonks

 

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