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Specs called into question

The effectiveness of Specs (Speed Enforcement Camera System) has been called into question after Cathy Jamieson , the Scottish justice minister, admitted that it can only detect vehicles with front facing number plates.

The introduction of a series of 40 Specs cameras on the A77 in Scotland was hailed as an important new weapon in the fight against speeding drivers. Rather than flashing drivers who are speeding at a fixed point, the system monitors the rate of every car over a 20-mile stretch.

The Specs system was introduced between Bogend Toll (north of Ayr) and Ardwell (south of Girvan) following 20 deaths and 95 serious injuries on the stretch between January 2000 and December 2004.

Specs' critics also point out that because the new cameras do not measure speed directly, speeding drivers in any type of vehicle can escape being caught if they turn off or join the road between cameras, or stop between them.

Andrew Wilkie , a spokesman for the Scottish Safety Camera Campaign, insisted that the new cameras are effective. "There are a whole list of problems on the A77, of which speeding is one," he said. "Spec cameras are there to tackle the majority of motorists. We knew it would only tackle facing number plates, but that is a large proportion of vehicles."

For full article visit http://www.timesonline.co.uk