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Top of the league for speeding
THREE south Bucks areas have landed in a list of the ten worst UK speeding hotspots, shock new figures show.
Residents of Princes Risborough, Chalfont St Giles and Holmer Green & Hazlemere all receive around double the national average of speeding convictions, according to an insurance company.
The areas were among 1,600 surveyed.
Bucks is second behind Dorset as the county with the highest percentage of speeders.
"The fact that so many are here in the top ten does suggest there could be a link between the number of speed cameras in an area and the number of drivers with speed convictions.
"The Thames Valley area has the second highest number of cameras in the UK," said James Carnduff, spokesman for insurance firm Admiral.
He added: "The statistics for the Thames Valley Police area and south Bucks specifically really stand out."
The three areas are where the highest amount of customers of the insurance company have received tickets.
One in four drivers insured with Admiral in Princes Risborough were found to have a speeding conviction, placing the town third in the table.
Holmer Green & Hazlemere and Chalfont St Giles came sixth and seventh with 23.1 per cent and 22 per cent respectively in the survey of the company's policyholders.
Anti-speed camera campaigners argue it is a case of it being a postcode lottery - with the Thames Valley region having 498 cameras.
Keith Peat, a spokesman for the Association of British Drivers said: "If you were getting accidents of the same quantity you would have to look at the road layout. When so many people are falling into the same trap they are not all doing it deliberately."
A total of 75,248 motorists in Thames Valley had to pay up in 2006/07 - netting £4.5m.
Buckinghamshire County Councillor Pauline Wilkinson who represents Amersham, was handed three penalty points after being caught speeding by a mobile camera on Marlow Hill in 2005, said: "We certainly have plenty of cameras around. I know Hazlemere has a notorious one and so has Chalfont St Giles."
Dan Campsall, communications manager for Thames Valley Safer Roads Partnership said he did not believe the position of speed cameras contributed to more south Bucks drivers being caught because they were more densely populated in Reading.
He said: "The areas are reasonably affluent which might be businesspeople who are high mileage drivers so there might be that association to do with their lifestyle. Then it would be less surprising to find they had quite a high instance of speeding convictions."
Radlett in Hertfordshire was found to be the worst place in the country - having 27 per cent of motorists with a speeding conviction.
10:07am Tuesday 22nd July 2008
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CommentPosted by: Blueberry, S Bucks on 10:39am Tue 22 Jul 08
[quote]"The fact that so many are here in the top ten does suggest there could be a link between the number of speed cameras in an area and the number of drivers with speed convictions.[/quote] Obviously. SO in what sense is this news.
"The fact that so many are here in the top ten does suggest there could be a link between the number of speed cameras in an area and the number of drivers with speed convictions.
Obviously. SO in what sense is this news.
Posted by: Nige_Wycombe, High Wycombe on 11:36am Tue 22 Jul 08
I agree with Blueberry.
Its a bit like that recent survey which revealed that Scotland consumes the largest quantity Haggis, a fact which suggests there is a link to the number of Scots who live there.
I agree with Blueberry.
Its a bit like that recent survey which revealed that Scotland consumes the largest quantity Haggis, a fact which suggests there is a link to the number of Scots who live there.
Posted by: Nige_Wycombe, High Wycombe on 11:39am Tue 22 Jul 08
Still, it seems daft to me that locals can still get caught by the static cameras in the areas mentioned, when these cameras have been in situ for a significant period of time.
Still, it seems daft to me that locals can still get caught by the static cameras in the areas mentioned, when these cameras have been in situ for a significant period of time.
Posted by: Nige_Wycombe, High Wycombe on 11:43am Tue 22 Jul 08
Also, might there not be a link to the insurance company mentioned? This is a budget insurer who specialise in cheap quotes for drivers with convictions.. ergo, they [italic]would[/italic] have a higher percentage of drivers with points on theirs licences for speeding offences. I'm sure that if the survey had been carried out using data from other companies, then the results whould have been wholey different.
Also, might there not be a link to the insurance company mentioned? This is a budget insurer who specialise in cheap quotes for drivers with convictions.. ergo, they
would have a higher percentage of drivers with points on theirs licences for speeding offences. I'm sure that if the survey had been carried out using data from other companies, then the results whould have been wholey different.
Posted by: slacker, Flackwell on 12:46pm Tue 22 Jul 08
[quote][bold]Nige_Wycombe[/bold] wrote:
Also, might there not be a link to the insurance company mentioned? This is a budget insurer who specialise in cheap quotes for drivers with convictions.. ergo, they [italic]would[/italic] have a higher percentage of drivers with points on theirs licences for speeding offences. I'm sure that if the survey had been carried out using data from other companies, then the results whould have been wholey different.[/quote] They may have more drivers with speeding convictions but this would apply to all customers they have in the country. Admiral do not just trade in Buckinghamshire they trade in the whole of the UK, so there is no reason to believe the figures are skewed.
Nige_Wycombe wrote:
Also, might there not be a link to the insurance company mentioned? This is a budget insurer who specialise in cheap quotes for drivers with convictions.. ergo, they would have a higher percentage of drivers with points on theirs licences for speeding offences. I'm sure that if the survey had been carried out using data from other companies, then the results whould have been wholey different.
They may have more drivers with speeding convictions but this would apply to all customers they have in the country. Admiral do not just trade in Buckinghamshire they trade in the whole of the UK, so there is no reason to believe the figures are skewed.
Posted by: ronnie on 12:58pm Tue 22 Jul 08
why can we not leave comments on the 'package in windpipe' story?
why can we not leave comments on the 'package in windpipe' story?
Posted by: Red Fred, HW on 3:05pm Tue 22 Jul 08
The reality is that the vast majority of decent law abiding people know and fully understand that speeding is dangerous.
The dificulty comes, however when the police blatantly target their mobile cameras and statics in easy areas for revenue only.
They will tell you that there has to have been an accident within a certain distance and within a certain time...blah...blah..
.blah. BUT Everyone knows that to be rubbish.
Why are there regularly mobile cameras on the West Wycombe Rd just off the downley traffic lights in broad daylight?, (never heard of an accident nt on that stretch)! But you will never see a camera on the roads in our area that are truly dangerous. Has anybody EVER seen a mobile camera at night on the Amersham Rd past Holmer Green, statistically one of the worst roads in the area for casualties?
Come on, be honest, if it were purely for safety we would actually be on your side, and not alienated!
The reality is that the vast majority of decent law abiding people know and fully understand that speeding is dangerous.
The dificulty comes, however when the police blatantly target their mobile cameras and statics in easy areas for revenue only.
They will tell you that there has to have been an accident within a certain distance and within a certain time...blah...blah..
.blah. BUT Everyone knows that to be rubbish.
Why are there regularly mobile cameras on the West Wycombe Rd just off the downley traffic lights in broad daylight?, (never heard of an accident nt on that stretch)! But you will never see a camera on the roads in our area that are truly dangerous. Has anybody EVER seen a mobile camera at night on the Amersham Rd past Holmer Green, statistically one of the worst roads in the area for casualties?
Come on, be honest, if it were purely for safety we would actually be on your side, and not alienated!
Posted by: R of Wycombe, High Wycombe on 4:20pm Tue 22 Jul 08
[quote][bold]ronnie[/bold] wrote:
why can we not leave comments on the 'package in windpipe' story?[/quote] Cos it might cause offense. Check the original story on this site and you'll see we said we suspected he'd swallowed his stash all along
ronnie wrote:
why can we not leave comments on the 'package in windpipe' story?
Cos it might cause offense. Check the original story on this site and you'll see we said we suspected he'd swallowed his stash all along
Posted by: R of Wycombe, High Wycombe on 4:26pm Tue 22 Jul 08
Here you go ronnie
http://www.bucksfree
press.co.uk/news/loc
alnews/display.var.2
391689.0.0.php
Here you go ronnie
http://www.bucksfree
press.co.uk/news/loc
alnews/display.var.2
391689.0.0.php
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