11/14/2006
UK: Sixth Scottish Speed Camera ScorchedFire destroys a sixth speed camera in Scotland.
Fire consumed a speed camera in Scotland, UK on the A697 Carfraemill-Coldstream road around 9pm on Sunday. The attack marked the sixth such incident in the Lothian and Borders region since 2003. Four cameras were damaged or destroyed on the A1 and a fifth on the A68.
"It is appalling that someone has taken the time to vandalize equipment which exists to save lives," Rachel Burr, a spokesman for the UK road safety charity Brake told the Scotsman. Brake receives substantial funding from insurance companies which have made billions in additional profit from raising the rates of speed camera ticket recipients.
"While such vandalism cannot be condoned, speed cameras cause unreasonable pressure on reasonable people and this is one result," safety advocate Paul Smith of the Safe Speed road safety campaign explained.