Fitting all cars with cameras

[sking81]

Was just watching Crimecall and there was some atrocious examples of bad driving on there. I'm not a driver myself but have been on plenty of journeys in the passenger seat where I've had one of those 'oh Jesus they didn't just do that' moments. Anyhow I was wondering whether or not it would be a good idea to introduce a scheme where if a motorist voluntarily gets their car fitted with a camera, similar to the ones the Gardai use, they can qualify for a rebate on their insurance?

Off the top of my head, the advantages I can think of-

-Easier for to identify and convict bad\dangerous drivers.
-Better records of analysis of accidents if and when they occur (would certainly benefit insurance companies)
-The 'big brother' effect may encourage drivers in general to be more careful.
-Empowerment of good drivers. Gay as it sounds, I think this is the biggest advantage of all-as I mentioned in the opening post, everyone's had those moments where they've just went 'what the f**k?) -having a record on film would allow them to do something about it if they felt the offense was bad enough. And again, having solid proof to hand (and allowing the evidence to be submitted anonymously) would lead to a big rise in convictions.
-Less stress on the Gardai. I know they get a bit of grief about being lazy buggers, but as regards the roads, they cant be expected to be everywhere at once. In time, if the results are impressive, they may be able to dedicate resources spent on traffic monitoring to other causes.

Disadvantages
-Cars being private property, some would be bound to see it as an invasion of privacy (hence why I believe it should be voluntary)
-Potential blackmail of drivers by other drivers that have caught them being naughty (something that would have to be legislated for)
-Cost of having the cameras fitted (again, tax\insurance relief should cover this)

The amount of road deaths has dropped considerably in recent years (thankfully) but its still pretty high. Could something like this help reduce them further, any thoughts?

[Doodah]

Irish team takes top prize in Microsoft Cup - The Irish Times - Fri, Jul 15, 2011
IT Sligo students won a world competition during the summer with a in-car warning device which they hoped to develop into a commercial product.

[j26]

No.

Just no.

Why drive more divisions into our already riven society? Your proposal is so 1984ish.

[thevoice]

Was just watching Crimecall and there was some atrocious examples of bad driving on there. I'm not a driver myself but have been on plenty of journeys in the passenger seat where I've had one of those 'oh Jesus they didn't just do that' moments. Anyhow I was wondering whether or not it would be a good idea to introduce a scheme where if a motorist voluntarily gets their car fitted with a camera, similar to the ones the Gardai use, they can qualify for a rebate on their insurance?

Off the top of my head, the advantages I can think of-

-Easier for to identify and convict bad\dangerous drivers.
-Better records of analysis of accidents if and when they occur (would certainly benefit insurance companies)
-The 'big brother' effect may encourage drivers in general to be more careful.
-Empowerment of good drivers. Gay as it sounds, I think this is the biggest advantage of all-as I mentioned in the opening post, everyone's had those moments where they've just went 'what the f**k?) -having a record on film would allow them to do something about it if they felt the offense was bad enough. And again, having solid proof to hand (and allowing the evidence to be submitted anonymously) would lead to a big rise in convictions.
-Less stress on the Gardai. I know they get a bit of grief about being lazy buggers, but as regards the roads, they cant be expected to be everywhere at once. In time, if the results are impressive, they may be able to dedicate resources spent on traffic monitoring to other causes.

Disadvantages
-Cars being private property, some would be bound to see it as an invasion of privacy (hence why I believe it should be voluntary)
-Potential blackmail of drivers by other drivers that have caught them being naughty (something that would have to be legislated for)
-Cost of having the cameras fitted (again, tax\insurance relief should cover this)

The amount of road deaths has dropped considerably in recent years (thankfully) but its still pretty high. Could something like this help reduce them further, any thoughts?

I was thinking about something like this recently, however it would have to be optional. At the end of the day, in an the case of an accident, two parties can tell a different story, CCTV only tells one.

[Harmonica]

How about we first start to ensure people are properly trained & tested f& that only qualified people are allowed drive on the road? Cameras will not make bad drivers any better as they don't even know they are bad drivers.

Remember the outrage when it was suggested unqualified (provisional licence holders) drivers would not allowed drive on their own.

[sking81]

No.

Just no.

Why drive more divisions into our already riven society? Your proposal is so 1984ish.

I disagree completely, and I think its daft to make that comparison. For one, as I mentioned, fitting the cameras would be voluntary, as I would assume reporting would be. For two, we are already in 1984 territory as regards surveillance-most of Dublin city is now under the watch of privately run CCTV operators. If your comfortable with that, you shouldn't have an objection to this.

As for creating more divisions into society, bad driving affects us all one way or another, and in some cases tragically so. I myself have nearly been killed twice, once when I was around 6, an old woman hit me when I was crossing a road, and again when I was around 12, and a guy on a motorbike smashed into me when I was on a mountain bike-I was extremely lucky to come out of that one in one piece. If someone isn't competent at controlling a vehicle, they shouldn't be in control of one, I think that's something anyone with a modicum of common sense can get into their heads.

I wouldn't propose this as a snitching mechanism for minor offenses-however I do think it would encourage drivers to think twice before trying daft s*it on our roads. Our roads are a common responsibility-we should not be relying on the Gardai alone to ensure they are safe. Were I a driver, I'd have no problem whatsoever with reporting someone who I thought was driving in a dangerous manner, friend or foe.

[Mr. Bumble]

i know of a guy who uses an Iphone pointed out through the front windscreen taping his journeys in the city. Got badly caught in an accident where he was wrongly sued.

[sking81]

How about we first start to ensure people are properly trained & tested f& that only qualified people are allowed drive on the road? Cameras will not make bad drivers any better as they don't even know they are bad drivers.

I agree, cameras will not make bad drivers better, but they would allow good drivers to make a judgement on whether the person their filming would be someone their confident sharing a road with. As I mentioned, this isn't something I'd propose to see people get booted off the road for minor mistakes everyone makes-I would think most people would have the cop on to only report something if it was really out of line.

[Rory Carr]

Definitely not!

It would only lead to a rash of exhibitionist nudist driving, especially in Limerick and Cork where they are all kinky, mad feckers. On the other hand, such behaviour could only be an improvement in Cavan and Leitrim where the dress sense is simply appalling.

[mhagain]

Better to solve the problem at source. What good will a camera do? If some reckless a--hole mows down a 7 year old they would be caught and that's all good and proper, but guess what? The 7 year old will still be dead. There are drivers out there who genuinely shouldn't even be behind the wheel of a fairground ride, so get them off the road; that's the only solution.