Speeding is a good thing, going slow in the left lane, not so much
Speed limit high jinks
· By: Drivers.com staff
· Date: 2005-11-13
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In the UK last month a milk truck driver convicted of warning motorists of a speed trap ahead had his conviction overturned by a High Court. Government prosecutors had argued that the purpose of the trap was to catch people, so driver Charles Glendinning had obstructed police in their duties.
So, are speed traps about catching people or are they about slowing traffic? Interesting question. Police forces sometimes send information about speed traps to the media because (they say) it helps slow traffic. Selective Traffic Enforcement Programs (STEPs) are a strategy in which police forces target a particular area at a particular time (major highways on a holiday weekend, for example) and run a media campaign to let the public know about their upcoming enforcement blitz.
So what did Glendinning do that was so different?
Not much, according to High Court Lord Justice Scott Baker. "What's the difference between Mr Glendinning's arm signal and a sign warning motorists of speed cameras," he asked. Mr Justice Owen suggested that some people might think the police would appreciate "the efforts of others to prevent speeding".
Police argued that Glendinning was obstructing them in their work, but this was rejected by the High Court on the grounds that there was no evidence that drivers had heeded Mr. Glendinning's warnings. 
- Drivers.com on traffic law enforcement
- Drivers.com on speeding
- Connecticut town does well on speeding ticket revenue
- Lorry driver cleared of waving -- BBC
- The Speed Trap exchange - advocacy web site
Comments
Bill, on Friday, 29. June 2007 at 10:06 AM
Cody, on Tuesday, 23. October 2007 at 08:25 PM
Some people just wanna go FAST
SDK, on Thursday, 15. May 2008 at 04:49 PM
I think that this is a bad thing that Gelndinning did but at the same time is was the right thing to do. Imagine how many people would have gotten caught speeding if it wasn’t for Glendinning but then these people have made a decision to break a law and they should be punished. If you knew about a speed trap would you tell anyone?
