Does it help to know the location of speed cameras? Whether they're signposted or not, the cameras do put a stop to the gallop of speeding motorists, says the gardai. Patrick Logue hits the brakes
It lurks behind suspiciously-positioned bushes. It lies in wait in secluded gateways. It hides inside large white vans - and in Dublin-registered Vectras and Mondeos. It just might be pointing at you when you round the next corner at 50 mph in a 40-mile zone.
It's easy to be paranoid these days, especially if you enjoy putting your brand-new Alfa 156 or tuned-up Honda Civic through its paces on any of our national routes. But the much-feared speed camera, in whatever guise, is there for a good reason. It makes you go slower which in turn helps combat the mindless blood-letting now all too familiar on Irish roads.
Unfortunately, while all recognise the dangers of excessive speeding, it's a habit many motorists are not prepared to kick. Otherwise, we would be driving electrically-powered vehicles with speed limiters.
The last time this correspondent took a taxi home from work in the early hours of the morning, before departing, the driver quizzed me on the location of every speed camera along the way.
"Never you mind," I said. "I expect you'll be sticking to the speed limit, Sir. I'd rather like to arrive home in one piece thank you very much."
"Only joking," I added quickly, "just before and just after the motorway and one on the dual carriage way on the way back into town. Oh - and look out for the mobile Garda unit near the airport." My duty done we began our homeward journey.
This sort of information sharing is arguably in the public interest. One speed camera on the Swords dual carriage way in Dublin springs to mind. Most motorists approaching the dual carriageway at 60 mph or more are slowing right down to 40 mph at the device, thus having the desired effect.
Admittedly some speed up significantly straight afterwards, but most traffic ends up moving more slowly than it was directly before the camera.
Of course, the location of speed cameras is no secret. The emergence of the global village means it's virtually impossible to keep information unknown.
A website has been running for years detailing the precise location of fixed and mobile speed detection devices used by the Garda Síochána.
The operators of the Speedtraps.ie.nu say their site is not intended to "encourage or condone speeding and / or dangerous driving in any way." Quite the opposite in fact - its detailed list of speed trap locations is "for educational purposes only." The site in a disclaimer: "The authors of this site do not wish to undermine the efforts of gardai where they are genuinely trying to improve road safety. Nor do we wish to obstruct gardai in the course of their duty."
The site lists speed traps from all 32 counties and details the type of devices being used to catch speeders.
'I would not think this sort of website is a positive thing," says Brian Cullinane, corporate affairs officer of the National Roads Authority (NRA). "Many drivers will slow down at the camera and then speed up straight afterwards. The cameras are more effective in changing driving habits if their location is kept a secret. A speeding fine will change driving habits on a more permanent basis."
The NRA - whose primary function is "to secure the provision of a safe and efficient network of national roads" - was instrumental in the introduction of the Operation Lifesaver initiated in the Louth-Meath Garda division more than five years ago.
Central to the plan were 12 speed cameras installed in that area, one of the most notorious car fatality black spots in the State.
A report published by the authority in June of last year pointed to an increase in compliance with speed limits by motorists in Louth-Meath becau of Operation Lifesaver. The NRA cites a survey conducted within three months of the introduction of the initiative which shows a "significant" 4.5 per cent increase in compliance with speed limits.
About 200,000 on-the-spot fines for speeding are imposed annually by the Garda, creating a revenue of up to 12 million. Cullinane dismisses the argument that the proliferation of unsuspected speed cameras is little to do with road safety and more to do with revenue generation. "They are a very important function of road safety," he insists.
But it would seem the authorities and the people behind sites such as Speedtraps.ie.nu are involved in similar work. Indeed, in the three months after the introduction of Operation Lifesaver, 48 posters - four times the number of camera - were erected along main roads in the Louth-Meath area with the heading "Garda Speed Cameras Are In This Area."
The importance attached to awareness of speed checks over actually apprehending speeders is also borne out by anecdotal evidence that many fixed speed cameras are not loaded with film. While they will flash if you break the limit, you may never receive a ticket. But the chance is always there.
Even members of the Garda admit privately that, while they would never actively encourage the practice, they are not concerned with motorists using websites to "educated" themselves as to the location of speed cameras.
"If motorists slow down, the cameras are having the desired effect," is the most common reaction of the Garda.
This, however, does not stop the force trying to catch out speeding cars. A number of devices employing increasingly up-to-date technology are in use round the State.
The radar gun or "hairdryer" of KitKat ad fame is the best known device, but is being replaced by the newer laser gun which is often mounted on a tripod at the side of the road.
The "Gatso" device is positioned in unmarked Garda vans, but is more usually associated with the distinctive camera housed in a grey metal device at the side of the road.
The Garda also uses a number of speed detection devices with video recording equipment in unmarked Garda cars, which drive up and down roads behind potential speedrs.
However, it seems the technology used to catch out speeders is only as up-to-date as the technology employed to help motorists avoid detection. Adn with the onset of the penalty points system this year, the consequences of getting caught are as serious as they ever were.
Several types of device can be bought over the counter for less than 600. They are not illegal to sell or won but a Garda spokesman said they are "illegal to have or to use in a car. We also have the power to seize them."
Nonetheless, CQ Communications on Dublin’s Ormond Quay says "hundreds" of anti-speed trap units are sold in the shop every year.
The most popular is the Cobra radar detection unit. Mounted on the dashboard, its 360-degree "eye" can detect speed traps from a half a mile away. It retails at between 379 and 549, depending on the model.
The Bell 500i is cheaper at 214, but doesn’t have 360 degrees of cover. This is mostly used by lorry drivers, the more sophisticated Cobra being ineffective when you vehicle is pulling a large trailer.
Other devices known as laser jammers can be bought in some shops. These interfere with the Garda’s equipment; which, in the legal states, is on a par with getting out of your car and smashing the officer’s radar gun on the ground.
In Britain one anti-speed trap group, Motorists Against Detection (MAD) is engaging in such vandalism for the cause of driving (and speeding) enthusiasts. Earlier this month the group disabled 29 speed cameras on a 27-mile stretch of road in the London area by spraying them with orange paint.
A MAD spokesman recently told a British motoring magazine they supported the enforcement of speed limits outside schools and on high streets.
"They should be no more than 20mph and be rigorously upheld," he told Autoexpress magazine. "People talks about enforcing national speed limits, but let’s face it, whether you’re travelling at 70 mph or 100 mph there’s a good chance you wouldn’t survive an accident."
What about 60 mph?