We're Slowing Down...

On the roads that is. According to the Times Online speed cameras are keeping us at 30mph. It has even been reported that road deaths have fallen below 3,000 and this is due to the fall in speed.Personally it's hard to pin point it down to one factor. It could also be the rise in fuel costs that contribute to this, the increase in traffic congestion which forces people to slow down, as well as people just taking their time to get from one place to another. Besides, there are not speed cameras on every single road in the country, these figures are specifically for these areas only so it is difficult to come to a conclusion throughout the whole of Britain and from my personal experience, drivers are becoming increasingly risky when they drive by undertaking, being in the wrong lane then trying to get into another when it's too late and just complete incompetence and awareness on the road. Just yesterday there was a six car pile up on the A40 into London and it looked as though all the cars were going to be written off by the state they were in. Speed Cameras are there for us to drive safely, and most drivers speed and then slow down when they see a camera. Cameras are a good idea, they attempt to keep us safe on the roads, but if no one is abiding by the law what use do they have? Another article on the Times Online shows that people who stick to the speed limit are twice as likely to have an accident than people who tailgate them as they become stressed and therefore more likely to have an accident. We can't have a camera every 100 yards on every road in Britain. We need a better way to keep drivers safe and fine the reckless ones.We are a nation that is still highly dependent on cars to get us places, but how can we do this safely? Would it be a good option to put black boxes in our cars like they do on planes? According to the BBC in April they tested this for younger drivers so the parents would know of their bad habits. This could also save many lives as minutes before an accident will be able to be recorded. Or will there be an even better solution in the future?