Safe Speed: Clarkson acquitted - but how many innocent drivers are being convicted?
Friday, 07 Sep 2007 08:23
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News is emerging that Jeremy Clarkson was acquitted today following a charge of 'failing to identify the driver' in a speeding case.
Celebrity lawyer, Nick Freeman, defending, pointed out that the prosecution evidence was fatally flawed and the prosecution offered no evidence.
Paul Smith, founder of SafeSpeed.org.uk, said: "This demonstrates just how sloppy the prosecution cases sometimes are in speeding matters. Mr Clarkson was rightfully acquitted, but thousands of ordinary motorists are being convicted in fatally flawed cases. The problem is that most of us cannot afford the services of an expert defence solicitor like Mr Freeman."
"Speed cameras are a road safety disaster. Speeding prosecutions are frequently a travesty of justice because the authorities are obsessed with obtaining convictions. But the side effects of all this damage justice and damage road safety."
Notes for editors
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See BBC story:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/6982514.stm
Contact Paul Smith on 01379 741374
About Safe Speed
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The Safe Speed road safety campaign is primarily the work of engineer-turned road safety analyst Paul Smith.
Since setting up Safe Speed in 2001, Paul Smith, 52, an advanced driver and road safety enthusiast, and a professional engineer of 25 years UK experience, has carried out over 22,000 hours working on the campaign with well over 6,000 of those hours researching the overall effects of speed camera policy on UK road safety. In addition to those 22,000 hours, Paul has funded to campaign to the tune of £10,000.
We believe that this is more work in more detail than anything carried out by any other organisation. Paul's surprising conclusion is that overall speed cameras make our roads more dangerous. Paul has identified and reported a number of major flaws and false assumptions in the claims made for speed cameras, and the whole "speed kills" system of road safety.
The inescapable conclusion is that we should urgently return to the excellent road safety policies that gave us in the UK the safest roads in the World in the first place. Far from saving lives, speed cameras are a dangerous distraction.
Safe Speed does not campaign against speed limits or appropriate enforcement of motoring laws, but argues vigorously that automated speed enforcement is neither safe nor appropriate.
Safe Speed is very slimly funded by voluntary contributions to the web site.
We are urgently seeking improved funding.
The Safe Speed web site contains more than 350,000 words of road safety analysis and information. We are seeking publishers for 'the book of the web site'.
It has turned out to be quite an amazing story and there are opportunities for journalists and broadcasters to explore how all this came about, what it means, and where road safety has gone so badly wrong.
Contact Safe Speed
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description: Safe Speed road safety campaign
web: http://www.safespeed.org.uk
email: psmith@safespeed.org.uk
telephone: 01862 893030 < out of order
temp telephone: 01379 741374