Speeding fines – A new survey reveals exactly why we don’t learn our lesson

A new survey commissioned by dash cam manufacturer Navman has revealed the major reasons why we continue to incur speeding fines. Paying attention? No I wasn’t asking you, I was telling you.

Paying attention tops the list of reasons drivers claim they received speeding fines with 26% of those surveyed saying that was why they got a fine.

Now the second most common reason is a beauty. Apparently it is because the signs are too small, confusing or poorly positioned. Now come on, it’s the type of thing you might try on the police officer when you get pulled over but it’s more of a Hail Mary that a legitimate reason. 19% of people gave this as their excuse.

Coming in third at 17% is that a driver was unfamiliar with the area. I sort of get that in that you may not know the road and therefore the speed limits.

Here’s another doozy. Only 12% of people surveyed were consciously driving above the speed limit when they received a fine.

Nowadays there are so many tools available to warn you of exceeding the speed limit. Brand new cars come with every bell and whistle and ADAS warning feature you could ever wish to have, plus a few more you don’t want so it is amazing so many people are still getting caught.  Plus good dash cams have speed warnings as standard as well as alerts for stationary speed cameras.

“Our research highlights how easy it can be to simply lose track of changing speed limits with nearly half (49%) of Australian drivers receiving a fine because they weren’t paying attention, didn’t notice the speed limit signs or were driving in an unfamiliar area. That’s why dash cam technology that helps drivers stay aware can play an important role in encouraging safer driving habits,” said Wendy Hammond, General Manager, Navman.

Other significant responses were

• They were keeping up with the speed of other cars (17%)
• They were running late (17%)
• They had a medical or personal urgency (6%)

Navman have incorporated some cool technology into their dash cam alerts. Rather than alerts notifying drivers at set distances from speed cameras Navman’s Smart Safety Camera Alerts provide warning times based on how fast you are driving. The faster a driver is travelling, the earlier they will receive an alert, providing more time to safely adjust speed. This dynamic technology also helps reduce unnecessary alerts as the safer you drive, the less alerts you will get.

Their latest offerings in their MiVue series of dash cams also take into account the time of day before warning you of school zones. This has been a common criticism of standard car ADAS warnings and other third-party dash cams. I see this as being a feature others will copy.

The dash cams sporting this new technology can be found on the Navman website