It’s interesting to note that the idea of red light traffic cameras isn’t limited to the United States–Australia’s got their share of them too.

And the word is out from Queensland police commissioner Bob Atkinson that more of them are needed to restrain the rise in traffic accidents on Queensland roads.  Apparently, the last time the number of Queensland traffic deaths was under three hundred in a year was back in 1998, in which there were two hundred seventy nine.  This was, interestingly, the year they started putting traffic cameras out.

Thus, Atkinson is convinced the only way to reduce traffic deaths is to increase the number of speed cameras.

Of course, the logic of why traffic deaths would be HIGHER in the years following the rollout of the traffic cameras appears lost on Queensland’s top cop.  Were there no traffic cameras in 1999?  2000?  And so on?  Ah, but Atkinson has a ready reason for this too–people got too darned USED to those cameras, and thus did all their speeding when they were AWAY from the cameras!

“Sadly there are some people who are very conscious of the whereabouts of speed cameras - they’ll slow down for the speed camera but as soon as they see they are safe they speed.”

And of course, Atkinson ROUNDLY denies that the measure has anything to do with money, citing that the program has only made a meager forty seven million dollars since their inception, which is a barely-worth-mentioning five million bucks per year, roughly.

He said $22 million was used to run the program, $5 million went to the Red Cross and the rest went back into road safety.

Atkinson then summed up by giving a wistful recounting of the totalitarian measures he wishes he could implement:

“We cannot make you have a good night’s sleep before you set out on a road trip.  We cannot stop you getting behind the wheel after you have been drinking.  We cannot stop you picking up the mobile phone.”

Oh, but if we could…right Bob?

Ah well…you can’t blame the guy.  After all, he just wants fewer traffic deaths, and that’s never a bad thing.  So Queensland drivers, let’s take it just a little easier on the gas, huh?