Controversial opinion on mobile speed cameras divides Australia

Sneaky speed cameras are possibly the most unpopular way of enforcing the rules of the road with drivers, but one Australian argues they’re actually good for everyone.

The Reddit user who posted to the Sydney page on Wednesday noted that a typical response to being caught slightly exceeding the speed limit was that the police should be working on bigger cases.

But they argued that mobile speed cameras allow police to effectively enforce road rules while freeing up their manpower and resources to investigate and deter other types of crime, thus making the community safer.

The post sparked a debate on Reddit about the merits of speed cameras.

“Unpopular opinion, mobile speed cameras are really good,” the Reddit user stated, prompting a flurry of comments debating the position.

“Fining people for minor violations on high-speed roads where cameras are camped undermines road safety and simply brings other reasonable safety initiatives into disrepute,” one person said.

‘You can save lives and also increase income. All the money earned by drivers refusing to follow the speed limit can be spent on life-saving infrastructure improvements,” argued another.

“Fixed speed cameras only slow people down where they know they are located, but mobile ones that could show up anywhere push more people to slow down overall,” added a third.

‘The fines should be a percentage of last year’s gross receipts. Like so many other things, they negatively affect the poor,’ said a fourth.

Another quipped, “Speed ​​cameras are a good way to redistribute wealth from Ute drivers to government entities.”

Studies show that speed cameras actually reduce the crash rate where they are deployed.