Editorial: Secret drones a welcome tactic

OPINION: It's a development that has flown under the radar a little, as it were, but the revelation this week of so-called "drones" being used to trick speeding drivers into slowing down is both an intriguing and a welcome one.

It's intriguing because the "drones", which are actually old police speed radars, and have been distributed to sites around the country by the Accident Compensation Corporation, are not actually capable of recording drivers who are speeding. However, they are capable of making drivers think they're in a monitored speed zone, and thus in danger of being nabbed for speeding, when they're not.

The news is welcome because the measure helps to address one of the two major causes of serious accidents on the country's roads, namely speeding. It often goes hand in hand with alcohol consumption, but there is plenty of evidence that excessive speed alone can be a major factor in serious crashes.

News of the use of these drones, mounted on power poles in various parts of the country, might be irksome to some, given that there is a level of trickery involved. But then their use is aimed at those trying to trick the system themselves, through the use of radar detectors in their cars.

The aim of those detectors is to alert drivers when they enter monitored speed zones, allowing them to slow down and thus avoid the possibility of being ticketed for going too fast.

But there can be only one motivation for installing such a device in a car. It means the driver intends to speed and is looking for a way to be able to do that, while at the same time avoiding the penalties that come with being caught speeding.

If ever there was an approach that flew in the face of the spirit of a law, this is it, and those who adopt it really need to take a careful look at the intent behind our speed legislation. It's not there to stop people having fun, it's about public safety and the right of all road users to be able to travel safely.

Setting out to be able to speed without being caught is an inherently selfish approach which does not take into account the safety of others. It could quite easily end in a serious crash that either takes the life of the driver or, worse, ends up killing or maiming another innocent driver or road user, or a pedestrian.

It's interesting to note that radar detectors are banned in Australia and one has to wonder why the same is not true here.

But until sanity prevails and such a law is brought in, more power to the anti-speeding drones.

- © Fairfax NZ News