The myth that police officers collect "diligence points" in order to be promoted sooner is still not completely dead in the minds of the "victims". Even the coffers of the police stations or local police authorities are still not filled with a single penny from the fines or penalties, despite repeated claims to the contrary.
On Thursday (16.9.), numerous Viersen police officers were on the road in a special operation to promote road safety for cyclists in the district. The police officers were interested in the accident-prone misconduct of both motorists and cyclists.
In total, the police checked 86 cyclists and pedelec riders. They had to issue 57 warnings - either because they were not using the cycle path, were using it in the wrong direction or were distracted by a smartphone while riding.
In addition, the emergency services checked 58 drivers and had to issue 41 warnings for various reasons. The issue of drivers being distracted by their smartphones also played a role here. In addition to the vehicles checked, there were also a total of 55 speeding violations.
About 150 registered violations clearly show that many more checks and a great deal of insight are needed to ensure that everyone is driving in accordance with the regulations and therefore accident-free. Further special operations and daily checks are hereby promised!
The dirty word "speed trap" is still part of the everyday language used by "hunted" motorists and motorcyclists.
A trap can be used to catch animals that become a nuisance. A trap is also occasionally set for dangerous animals so that you can be safe from them in the future.
It is undisputed that some road users drive like "savages" and therefore pose a danger to themselves and especially to others. The "speeders" are also perceived as a nuisance by the population in many places, for example in
- Residential areas,
- Schools and
- kindergartens.
One thing is certain: "speeders" must be punished - before they turn innocent people into victims.
In our experience, it helps to deal with this issue. For this reason, we publish at least one balance sheet from a checkpoint every week.
If you then think further and know that we are also in other places, you start to drive everywhere and always adapted - goal achieved.
Traps have very typical characteristics that make them a trap in the first place. They are a bit mean and lure their target either with irresistible scents or tempting food. They also prefer to lurk in places where the "hunted" are unlikely to expect their existence.
However, none of these criteria apply to our speed controls.
- We do not entice anyone to drive too fast with any kind of aid.
- The measurements are also not taken in places where no one could expect us to be.
- The police announce most of the checks and special operations in the media beforehand.
- Everyone knows the meaning of speed limits as soon as they have passed their driving test.
- Our measuring points are neither arbitrarily chosen nor positioned in places where we expect the greatest possible hit rate due to the circumstances.
- The aim of speed checks is not to "rip people off" or fill coffers.
Our speed measurements have only one goal, namely to increase road safety for all road users.
In this respect, we specifically select our measuring points according to this criterion alone. We measure where speeding is most dangerous for road users:
- due to the road construction conditions
- due to the accident situation or
- because of many children on the way to school, in front of kindergartens, in residential areas and the like
Speed checks are a must - for the protection of us all.
Very often we measure uniformed and accompanied by radio patrol cars. However, speed measurements carried out by civilian forces and from civilian cars are not a disguise, which would be characteristic of a "trap". We do not disguise ourselves as "road builders" or mobile home owners, but simply perform our duties in civilian clothing. However, we are increasingly being offered camouflage by local residents who are delighted with our efforts. They often use their forensic "expertise" and offer to help with the operation, for example by parking their vehicles appropriately so that speeders don't spot us too quickly.
It is understandable that some of these helpful citizens elsewhere might be less enthusiastic if they themselves are caught speeding during a check. Elsewhere, as "speeders", they too only feel like "road users who have been reprimanded".
And so it is in the nature of "speed measurements" and in human nature that this police measure is generally quite unpopular with the public, at least with those who "get caught" as drivers themselves.