The great speed camera farce

THE number of drivers caught by speed cameras in Scotland plunged by 60 per cent in just three years - as sales of satnav systems have soared. Motorists fined as a result of camera detections fell from over 114,000 in 2006 to below 50,000 last year.

Dumfries & Galloway saw the greatest fall, from 14,001 fines to 4,603 - a drop of 67 per cent - followed by Strathclyde, down from 26,288 to 9,107 (65 per cent), according to the Scottish Safety Camera Programme. Motoring organisations say the downward trend is probably due to drivers developing techniques and buying equipment to avoid speed traps. Almost half of Britons now own camera-detecting satnav systems and sales have doubled in recent years.