Slow down...

We do struggle for local TV evening news around here. The ITV contribution for our region is Calendar but unless you live in deepest Yorkshire, there's no news for these here eastern parts. The only alternative is BBC's Look North which, rather like Big Brother, is so dreadfully bad that it makes compelling viewing.

In the interest of balance, I ought to clarify that I'm only referring to the evening news - the morning bulletins are much more informative, delivered in a friendly style by Hannah, Jenny or Caroline (sorry - couldn't find a Caroline photo to link to) and even at the unearthly time of the day I'm getting ready to leave the house, they are all quite pleasing on the eye.

Tonight's hard-hitting headline-grabbing bombshell was their claim that a new report from the BMJ implies that perhaps speed cameras aren't as effective at reducing road accidents as the police would have you believe.

Firstly I had a quick look at the abstract here and can't say I agree with the Look North interpretation. It looks to me like another costly investigation to establish nothing in particular whatsoever, but I'll let you draw your own conclusions.

So, back to this evening's debacle and our BBC crew had set off on a quest that would give the grail hunters a run for their money and tried to find some local motorists who had something to say against speed cameras. Hilarity ensues...

My name's Bill and I've just got three points because of a speed camera

My name's Tom and I've just got three points because of a speed camera

My name's Mike and I've just got three points because of a speed camera

And so on. Ad nauseum.

Not to be picky, but they didn't get points because of a speed camera; they got them because they were driving too fast past the things.

Fair play, I'm sure we've all crept a little over the limit in our time but if you're unlucky enough to get caught, or not alert enough to spot them in advance and slow down then it's not really the machine's fault is it?

But thanks to Look North and their intrepid team of journalists, there can be no room for doubt that if you do drive past one of them too quickly, you stand a good chance of getting a speeding ticket and your license endorsed with points.

A valuable lesson for us all there then...