The Dodge Demon seems to be one car that has motor enthusiasts completely divided. Any of us that have access to the Internet and a love for cars have probably seen the debates, the memes, and the sarcasm. We have people on one side who pass off the Demons track times as a marketing ploy, comparing it to their own vehicles. On the other we have people who are awe-struck by the performance of this vehicle. However, the specifics and the science behind this beautiful machine speak volumes in and of themselves.

The Dodge Demon is the first stock, street legal drag car. The price tag and the sleek exterior gives the Demon the luxurious look and feel that high end vehicle collectors jump at. The first thing that most would notice is the wide body, the demon is 3.5 inches wider than a standard challenger, and with a back end like that, its bound to catch the eye of many. Beyond that, the wheels are a sight in themselves, an impressive 8 by 11-inch wheel with Nitto NT05R tires measuring an astounding 315/40R18. These drag radials are Demon branded and designed specifically to work with the car. The Demon is also equipped with a trans brake, which has never been done in a factory street car before now. Dodge claims that the Demon has a 9.6 second quarter mile time, and can get from 0-30kmp/h in one second flat. This can be attributed to the 6.2-liter HEMI Demon V8 engine, 770 pound-feet of torque, 840 horsepower and 1.8G (which sits pretty at the highest level of G-force for a production car). Somehow, even with all of this power behind it, this beast is still street legal.

Another thing that continues on with the luxurious feel of the vehicle is the option of purchasing the crate. The crate includes an array of tools and parts. Dodge has gone all out with this additional feature, providing consumers with high quality tools from Snap-On. These include, a hydraulic floor jack with carrying bag, a cordless impact wrench with charger, a torque wrench, a tire-pressure gauge, a fender cover, a tool bag and a foam case that fits into the trunk and securely holds the front runners. The parts that are included in the crate are intended so that owners are able to interchange their standard daily parts with their performace parts to secure the best possible track times, these include: a performance powertrain control module with high-octane engine calibration, replacement switch module with high-octane button, conical performance air filter, passenger mirror block-off plate and front-runner drag wheels. This one small box is truly a game changer in both quality and performance enhancing.

In a day and age where motor companies are striving to release cars that are; fuel economic, safe and with enough power to get from a to b efficiently- the Demon is Dodge’s all out attempt to release the fastest production drag car to date. This isn’t a car that is being marketed to families, or to people who are comfortable with driving a Swift. This car is marketed for those of us who have a craving for pure power and speed. Sure, it’s absolutely stunning to look at, but the power behind it is what is being called into question.

Many are claiming that their modified supras and skylines could outrun the Demon. However, there are flaws in that argument. Firstly, the Demon isn’t a modified vehicle; it is pulling 9.6 seconds to the quarter mile fresh off the production line. If the diff and transmission were upgraded in the demon, and worked on the intake, heads and cam it could probably pull low 8-/high 7-second quarter mile times, but that’s neither here nor there. Plus, these cars are likely pulling 13-second quarter mile times; maybe knock off a second or two in perfect conditions. Secondly, the tens of thousands that are being poured into these cars that could potentially be a couple of years younger than the driver and more than likely no longer street legal as a result, almost nullifies the argument completely. You’d be hard off to find a heavily modified supra or skyline that not only fits the criteria of an entirely street legal vehicle (whether that be too low, too loud, illegal tires and the like), but can also drive straight from the suburbs to the track and perform as well as the Demon, exactly as it is.

Now, there’s no doubt that these modified cars have the power behind them. Pair that with an experienced driver and great conditions, and the track times will be awesome. However, the vehicles themselves are worlds apart and that’s just the fact of it. Its like comparing apples to oranges; sure they’re both sweet, they’re both good for you, they both satisfy your hunger, but they’re entirely different things. The Demon is a luxury vehicle, and every part of it is curated to perfection, from stock, to perform at the speed that it does. There’s no arguing that car fanatics around the globe are proud of their builds, and they have every right to be, they have every right to strive for success and improve their performance with every new additional feature, but that’s exactly what Dodge has done as a brand. They strived to create the fastest production street legal drag car, and they succeeded.

So instead of one car tearing our community in two, embrace it, and embrace your builds because while the Dodge Demon is sitting at the top right now, there will always be faster cars in the future, there will always be new engines, and revolutionary engineering. And who knows, it could be any one of us that discovers it.

Then if you were lucky, the rumble of a 2.8 litre twin turbo flat 6 would come screaming from the horizon. But then Maybe not. After all, just 377 Porsche 959’s were made. Featuring the debut of Porsche’s PSK system and a revolution for Porsche in general, the 959 could shift torque from the front to rear wheels and was the marque’s first all wheel drive vehicle. Cemented in the Supercar hall of fame, the 444bhp Porsche 959 slingshot from 0-100 in a staggering 3.6 secoday, the most technologically advanced Supercar around. With a top speed of 319km/h it was the fastest production car, bar none and it bears the classical Porsche styling hallmarks that are still reflected in today’s design.

Gosford Classic Car Museum in NSW are auctioning a simply astonishing collection. To grasp just how much of an accomplishment Porsche unleashed; the 2014 Porsche 911R (an example of which is also being exhibited) completes the sprint just 0.3 seconds quicker than the 959. Let that sink in. At a time when a mobile phone was the size of a small child, the perfectionists at Stuttgart had produced a vehicle that is marginally outed by a vehicle that has undergone almost 30 years of refinement.

Maybe you feel that all that 4 wheel drive sensibility wasn’t very  ’80’s’. Well – that’s not a problem. For the more ostentatious, There is also a 1988 Lamborghini Countach up for grabs. There is no arguing that The Countach pushed the boundaries of the term “Supercar”. It was ground zero for angular, sleek Supercar designs that would follow that did 200km/h standing still whilst presented and idolise on young boy’s bedroom walls everywhere. This particular example is a 25th Anniversary edition, celebrating the 25th anniversary of Automobili Lamborghini SpA. This means, it was the most refined of the Lambos which were more synonymous with all out madness rather than subtle responses. It is estimated that just 67 were produced in right-hand drive. It’s screaming 5 litre  V12 sent it from 0-100km/h in a mere 4.7 seconds, which, although would have been left behind by the German offering, was an entirely different sensation and thrilling showcase of performance.

Jumping forwards a few short years and another offering at the auction will be a stunning Jaguar XJ-15. It was conceived as a Le Mans style Race Car for the road. Designed by Peter Stevens (if that name doesn’t ring a bell think: McLarren F1), the XJ-15 was the first fully Carbon Fibre and Kevlar car ever made in a fashion that is only just starting to become widely applied today. A 6 litre V12 motor pumps out 450bhp which hurtles the vehicle to a top speed of 307 km/h and 53 units produced over three years makes this rarity one of our favourites.

This is just but a snippet of the astonishing collection that will be available; and whilst you can never be sure what will happen at auction, one thing goes without saying. With this amount of Auto Exotica on display, you will need deep pockets and nerves of steel.

A room filled to the brim with every Petrol Head’s dreams!

More from the collection is shown below, do you know what they are?

X51 kitted, Gemballa Modified Porsche 911 (996) – Should I have bought a GT3?

By Ant

It’s been about 18 months now since I fulfilled a lifelong ambition of Porsche Ownership. The dream evolved from the Bad Boys ’94 Turbo to a slick 996 – as it was around the time I managed to Con the authorities into giving me a licence, it’s the ambition that stuck with me.

But looks are in the eye of the beholder. Personally, I fell in love with the removed-from-tradition looks of the 996 and to me, perhaps controversially, it is still one of the best looking road cars to come out of Stuttgart – in it’s own way. Often seen by many as the unloved cousin, Porsche’s first foray into the world of water-cooled engines although successful, wasn’t without its dramas. Intermediate shafts letting go, bore scoring; issues to do with oil supply running short in heavy track work to name the most severe.

Then there’s the fact that many don’t like the fact that the 996 shares headlights with the budget range Boxster of the time. Not that the Boxster wasn’t a good car in its own right (especially the S variant); and they have come a long, long way in recent years, but back in 2000 they were very much the ‘poor man’s Porsche’. This dampened many’s view of the 996 front lights. But then, you have to remember, the same lights also found themselves in to the 911 GT1. And I severely doubt anyone can argue with that!

Originally out to take home a 500bhp M6, a quick drive in the lesser powered Porsche (approximately 365bhp) grabbed me in a way that I always hoped it would. This example started life as a Carrera 2. Again, a matter of preference.

Many would jump to state the ‘obvious’ choice of a Naturally Aspirated 911 as being the Carrera 4 or GT3

. But budget becomes a consideration when looking at the climbing values of the GT3 (currently sitting at $150k+); and the all wheel drive Carrera 4 just doesn’t tickle the rear-wheel-drive preference that I inexplicably have. Something about the balance and twitching that you get at the limit in a rear powered vehicle that an AWD vehicle just scrubs out. It should be a good thing, but it’s a case of preference.

What many overlook is that the Carrera came with a little option known as the X51 or Carrera Power Pack.

The X51 was developed in tangent with the GT3, just in case the GT3 didn’t make reliability or racing requirements needed to suit racing Homologation purposes. The GT3, of course, was a success rendering this backup plan a seldom purchased $17,000 option.

If you are lucky to find a 911 optioned with the X51, you will be treated to more than a few simple bolt on mods and sticker packs. The kit consists of revised extractors which optimise the flow of exhaust gasses. High lift valves also feature, buried in revised ported and polished headers. Up-revved swirl pistons, similar to those found on the later 997 models are installed deep in the engine’s block, and the package is cooled by an additional radiator installed up front, which is also found in the 40^th anniversary model. IMS and bore scoring issues have tarred the 996’s reputation when it comes to reliability; and the x51 addresses these matters somewhat by means of an additional oil pump and oil extraction plumbing to cylinders 4-6 to promote additional lubrication. Additional oil baffles are installed in the sump with metal apertures and valving to stabilise the oil payload and prevent ‘leaning out’ encountered during hard track work. A remap raises the rev limit by 200 and shifts the peak power higher up the rev range.

If the extra refinements weren’t enough,

I was fortunate to find that this example was breathed on by the mad men at Gemballa.

Adjustable coilovers, Gemballa exhaust system and further tuning wrings the extra few bhp out of the motor, while the bodykit and lightweight Speedline alloys not only give the 996 a fresh lease on life, but keep it cruising at a rapid pace.

That’s all a lot of words, what does it mean? Well. The end result is a Carrera which fights as hard as a GT3 on paper and in the ring, and dances away from some newer 997 911’s. 3 passes at the 0-100 sprint show a best speed of just under 4.4 seconds which is impressive given it is .5 seconds under the much touted turbo. Lightweight seats bring the weight down from to an estimated 1,190kg. That’s almost as light as any serious hot hatch of the 2000’s or today with GT3 matching power.

The tweaked suspension whilst posing a risk where local speed humps are concerned, significantly dials down the 911’s inherent understeer followed by snap oversteer characteristic on the limit whilst maintaining the already sublime balance of the car. The suspension is more than a little on the stiff side so riders with back complaints might not enjoy the ride, but the trade-off is a great amount of increased composure at every turn. The 275mm rear tyres are tough to upset even in the wet, and the car grips around corners nice and flat.

The first drive was our favoured route which you may recognise from some test runs. It’s a great combination of twisties, straights and long sweeping bends and she did not disappoint. There is a splatter of backfire at low revs owed to the K&N filter (to be replaced with something a bit more fitting) but on roll, holding the revs at around the 3-4k mark is optimum for ensuring accessible grunt whilst maintaining revs to play with. Tussled from end to end the front wheels communicate exactly what is going on. Where the wheels are pointing, how much grip they have, how many bits of road kill you are skipping over, how many cats-eyes you’re kissing. There’s no lean to speak of and as I tip in to some of the more severe apexes with confidence, you begin to feel the slight hint of sideways drift. Shift up just shy of the limiter, the slick gear change slots into the next gear and you’re hurtling out the other end. Brakes are sharp. Very sharp, and the drilled surface area helps keep them cool and fade to a minimum, but will eat through the pads nice and quickly long-term.

The roar from the Gemballa pipes is simply glorious. Bellowing up until the revised peak power spot which projects you towards the revised redline.

It all feels a very much analogue way of doing business.You know exactly what surface you’re skating across at any given time and nothing seems to take you by surprise. Squeeze the trigger at around 2-3,000 rpm and you’re hurtled along. The car feels much more alive than a bog standard 996.

As you make progress one of the bug bears of the 911 of this era will have you pull over and take the keys out to lock the centre cubby space – the centre console’s release button is exactly where your elbow falls which will mean you constantly click the cover open. The 996 has deep door pockets that said so the loss of this centre tray isn’t a huge deal. The Dash feels thoroughly functional. Some complain that the 911’s driving position isn’t comfortable but ergonomics always split opinion and again at least for my measurements it fits perfectly – give co-writer Ben the driver’s seat and he awkwardly intermingles in the cockpit like a sock chucked on to a clothes basket.

Back seats have been removed which is just as well – the 911 was anchored as an everyday sports car, but in reality you wouldn’t want to slot an adult into the back seats on a regular basis – it would just be cruel. Having them however means that visibility is very good in the cabin. The Front Trunk, or Frunk is surprisingly spacious, easily catering for a weekend away or two or a shopping spree. OK You wouldn’t want to go as far as go on an expedition but you’ll be surprised how practical the car can be. Gloveboxes were optional which this car does not have and the plain but accessible dash layout has an older but functional feel to it.

All in all my venture into Porsche has been unplanned but un-regrettable. It may not be as flamboyant as a Ferrari, or as Punchy as the M6. But what it brings in spades is driver involvement, an arguably captivating exterior and a certain sweetness in the engine characteristics that is un-quantifiable. I had specifically avoided fulfilling my 911 goals until a suitable GT3 or Turbo turned up; and arguably the same budget could have more or less landed a turbo with some kms under its belt, presenting high power with low effort; but there’s something about the N/A Wail of that flat 6 through some throaty pipes that will have you chasing the redline at every opportunity. Whereas the experience wasn’t the same as a run-of-the-mill Carrera 2, if anything it highlights the potential of what even a basic 911 could become. Long term it may well become the next Upshift Build if the hallowed supra is ever completed (get a move on, Ben!) but that’s a story for another day. The quest of power may see a turbo conversion of some sort in the future, but a stroked race build with that N/A Scream is what the heart wants, but sometimes it isn’t just about Power, it’s about that connection, that feel, all that stuff that we’re all familiar with that lives outside the limitations of statistics and practicalities.

Top 5 driving roads by Bernard

What is the best driving road in the world? We don’t think we’ll ever unanimously answer that, since everyone seems to have a favorite, but we sure can narrow it down. A great driving road, for us, has to be one offering a nice mix of long, open stretches where you can really exploit the car’s top-end, with some sharp, slow corners to test out its turn in and corner exit. Australia offers lots of those, but unfortunately, unless you’re down for breaking the speed limit and getting a ticket, it won’t do, with our strict speed limits and Multinovas hiding out at each ‘fun zone’. A perfect driving road has to be fun regardless of your weapon of choice. A manual car with a clutch, blipping the throttle on the upshift has to feel just as good as a Supercar with a trick Dual Clutch box, because that’s the point. Driver Involvement. It’s a good driving road, it shouldn’t be down to the car. Without further ado, here are 5 of our favorites in no particular order.

Col De La Bonnette

The Col de la Bonette is one of the most famous roads in the Alps, simply because of how high it stretches. At 2,807meters, it’s the highest road in Europe. It offers amazing sceneries, lots of smooth tarmac and unprecedented driving rhythm. The actual road is relatively fast paced, but there’s plenty of grip from the surface. The view from the top is mesmerising. You can see the road down for 5 kilometres, looking more like a racing track rather than a mountain pass.  Seatbelt on, pop the Clutch, and turn into what feels like a turn in to a bend that feels like it will lead to heaven itself.

Black Forest

The Black Forest is considered by many to be the best driving road on Earth thanks to its incredibly smooth surface and fast sweeping turns where you can carry lots of speed in. It stretches south to north and it’s located just west of Stuttgart, birthplace of the Porsche. It’s actually the northern stretch of the elevated Schwarzwald Hochstrasse, route 500. The best trail pans out of Baden Baden in the north, but its popularity can make it crowded. Rise early to enjoy its fullest!

San Bernadino

Ah, the San Bernadino pass. The popularity has made this road somewhat crowded in recent years, but it’s still one of the best regardless. The buttery smooth surface, amazing landscapes and passing fellow enthusiasts make it a driver’s heaven. It’s the best pass in Switzerland, a definite must drive if you’re visiting the Swiss. Clip your seatbelt in, drop the windows and drop the clutch as you glide between apexes.

Transfagarasan

The Transfagarasan is located in Romania, offering 90 kilometers of twists and turns, with steep drops and even steeper climbs. You may recognize it from Top Gear’s Romania adventure, where they drove an Aston, a Ferrari and a Lamborghini up it. The road surface is okay but not ideally smooth for fast driving, so keep your eyes open and reflexes ready at all times. The sort of road where you really need to be receptive to what your car is telling you.

Stelvio Pass

We said we weren’t going to include a favourite, but this would probably be it. Top Gear pronounced it the best drivingroad in the world, and after driving it yourself, you’d probably do so as well. It’s the best blend of scenery, surface, turns and drops out of all the other roads here. There’s just one catch: it’s nearly always crowded. The popularity Top Gear brought it isn’t doing it much good for the lone wolf petrolhead. To truly experience everything it has to give, get a good night’s rest in one of the nearby motels, and get up really, really early.

The Great Speed Debate. By Andy

 

You only have to flick open a newspaper or switch on your TV to find the next high ranking Police Representative making a comment on how new cameras are an essential to our safety on the road. But is all as it seems? Do speed cameras work or are there more risks that officials suppress in favor of easy revenue?

“Don’t speed, don’t get fined. Simple”

Or is it? We’re often told either ‘speeding causes more accidents’ or ‘speeding causes more fatal accidents’. But is it true?

I can’t attest to being unbiased. I am a motoring enthusiast first and a human being a distant second. I love track days, I love big motors and I love the smell of petrol. So admittedly I have a natural disposition for all things anti speed. That doesn’t mean I have a great respect for ‘there is a time and a place’ though.

The Road Safety Commission WA has today published its link to the latest set of speeding penalties

, with the justification of how many accidents are caused by speeding.

In Western Australia, 100% of all red light and speed camera infringements go into the Road Trauma Trust Account (RTTA). Those funds are then allocated to a diverse Program of Works to enhance road safety across the state.

Now, people believe that this fund goes to victims, but that is not the case. The Program of

works includes regional and remote road improvements; money which would have usually come from Sate budgets which thanks to the fund is freed up to be spent elsewhere. That means that there is every reason to be suspicious of the Road Authorities having a vested interest in increasing revenue.

And the alarm bells ring. Supposedly 24% of all road fatalities are as a result of speeding in 2015. This is a somewhat unquantifiable assertion and whilst we can’t be sure what statistics form this account, there is equally no true way to attribute the majority of accidents solely to speeding. The exceptions would be speeding to excess in unsuitable conditions; nobody is going to come out well from a hoon doing 120 through a 50 zone – but to attribute an accident to speed when in reality somebody changed lane and had a car hit them which couldn’t stop in time would be woefully inaccurate.

Which raises a major point. Habit. The root cause to arguably all accidents will boil down to habit. Whilst speeding could prove a factor in many accidents, it is essential to appreciate that if the road rules were followed closely, the risk would be intrinsically less. If people kept left, we would have less accidents. If people did not overtake on solid white lines, we would have less accidents. If people used their mirrors effectively, guess what. We’d have less accidents! And whereas speed may have heightened the effects of these accidents, it’s important to highlight that these accidents wouldn’t have occurred if the correct education and attitude was in the problem of course is that there is no profit in educating. A cynical view perhaps, but it is very telling that we see far less investment in this area of motoring as opposed to the huge anti speeding and texting campaigns.

The university of Arizona conducted a study on the number of Motor Vehicle Collisions that occurred along a 26 mile stretch of road in Phoenix. Whilst the results are stated to have not considered the severity of any accidents, the actual frequency of accidents did not change significantly with the addition of speed cameras. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3861844/ It stands to reason that more speed = more risk of injury but there are so many variables that may make that statement only true to vehicles of a certain age or driver type. So much so that we would never truly get a clearer answer than ‘the majority of accidents occurring at speed X in which people were injured, was more or less than the accidents occurring at speed Y’.

Whilst we’re on the topic of frequency, Whilst I doubt the government has any official stats, first hand I know that I’ve see an alarming 4 accidents at camera sites on various freeways. I’ve been cruising at the limit, knowing it’s a black spot. Neither gaining nor loosing speed with the rest of the traffic, I can only conclude that the other vehicles were at or around the speed limit. Yet one of the cars sees the sneaky camera in the bushes. He or She panics to this added stimulus and brakes because he or she doesn’t have the time to check their speedo first. THUD. They get rear ended and there are broken headlights everywhere. Now, seeing this to me not only highlights one of the risks of hidden cameras, but also the fact that normal road rules and their enforcement are practically non-existent at times.

Pump those brakes!

Another argument for tighter speed controls is braking. The Road Safety Commission will have you believe that:

“Stopping distance is the distance you get when you add your reaction distance to your braking distance. If you’re doing 60km/h, add 25 metres (best case reaction distance) to 20 metres (best case braking distance), and you should come with 45 metres. For the sports-minded, that’s the length of two cricket pitches.”

However you can’t ignore hard results. Taking for example the Ford XR8 as tested by caradvice. A stopping distance of 38.78 is achieved at 100km, a great amount in excess of the suggested range. Of course, many cars on the road are far from a brand new Ford Falcon, but the point casts shadows.

Looking further into the distance, we stumbled across some road tests from the UK’s AA. A 2001 ford puma (which is based on the wheelbase of the same age fiesta) will pull up from 80kph in an emergency in just 25m.

And this trend continues. A Hyundai Elantra? 27m to pull up from 80kph. A 1999 Honda Accord? 26.5m. A 2000 HRV? 27.5m.

Whilst there is no denying that more speed equals a higher distance, it is very difficult to swallow the suggestion that the speed limits and their enforcement is due to necessity why cars even as old as 15 years were rolling out of the factory with the capability to stop from higher speeds in the time that the officials are basing their statistics on. Undoubtedly there has to be compromise as there are many old cars on the road, but with a lack of transparency, it is quickly visible on how unclear statistics can be manipulated to back up a story.

It also raises the question of whether the focus should be on increasing the safety of these older vehicles; but that opens another can of worms in itself and nobody wants to see enforced safety checks or the expenses and rorting that would come with them.

Eyes on the Road

The University of Western Australia’s findings in a conducted study which highlights a particular concern that I have as a motorcycle rider. http://www.abc.net.au/news/2016-10-26/speed-enforcement-detrimental-to-road-safety-study-finds/7965082

Where they determined that in their small sample size, drivers responded

Taking a motorcyclist’s

perspective, and what we probably all learned in driving lessons, to maintain a speed in a vehicle not equipped with cruise control, we should glance at the speedometer every 5 seconds.

Hell, we only have to listen to the Government’s latest campaign for anti-drive/texting to know that taking our eyes off the road is lethal. Nobody argues that fact. But if glancing at a phone is lethal, then should we be encouraging a habit of speedo hypnosis? When you break it down, checking your speedo is a complex marvel of the human brain’s capacity. We glance at the speedo, focus our attention, interpret the reading, assess if it is acceptable, make adjustments to our feet’s position and repeat. A process which takes 0.5 to 1 second to complete. Added to re-checking your speed after the adjustment and it becomes easy to see how some people can take 1-1.5 seconds to verify and amend their speed. Every. Five. Seconds.

Now our motorcyclist has a lot more sensory stimulus attacking his eyes. Areas which are clouded from a driver’s field of vision in a car, obstructed by things such as the roof, doors and so on are in plain sight to a biker. That means the brain is processing yet more visual information, and re-focusing on a speedometer may take that extra split second longer. Everyone’s reaction times are different, but even at 1.5 seconds at 5 second intervals, that is an entire third of every 5 seconds spent looking down. Extrapolate that into a 2 hour journey and that is now 36 minutes spent looking away from the road. Not to mention the added eye fatigue that this constant change of focus adds to a driver, it is difficult to ignore the fact that tighter speed controls means more tendency to speedo gaze, which increases fatigue and the amount of time spent not looking at the road. Many speedos display other information nowadays, increasing the split second it takes to focus out the number pertaining to your speed.

Dr Vanessa Bowden came to the conclusion that the University of WA’s study above found that people with a lower threshold at which they would get a penalty, were less likely to detect objects in their peripheral vision. Driver’s capacity to process the world around them gets smaller, the more they need to focus on the task of monitoring and modulating their speed.

“Don’t speed, don’t get a ticket’’

may not be that simple afterall and is about as valid as “don’t crash, don’t get hurt”. The split second it takes to verify and micro adjust your speed could be the split second a child wonders into the road, or a car changes lane in front of you with potentially fatal concequences.

Reflection

We’re not for a second saying that speed cameras don’t have their place. Around schools, in towns and around vulnerable areas, they capture people who refuse to do the right thing. The problem is, they also capture the unaware or those wanting to focus on the road.

It is hard to justify speed cameras honestly and openly, as a mechanism that is more for safety than it is revenue raising.

A hypothetical that I always fall back to after a friend of mine was killed in a road accident: What would have slowed the speeding car down on that fateful day. The driver seeing a speed camera sign so slowing down? Or the driver continuing to speed and getting a letter two weeks later. If speed cameras were solely about safety, we would still have them signposted and they would face a stricter set of criteria under which they could be installed. Signposted Speed cameras DO slow people down at that point whereas the current trend of hidden cameras DOES rise a generation of drivers that might drive slower some of the time, but are heavily distracted the rest of the time.

Our statistical analysis of speed camera sites will follow and be linked back to this page, but until then, happy motoring and stay safe!