WHAT'S the big fuss with having more portable speed cameras trailing vehicles on the road?

If you have not been speeding, you will not be booked by traffic cops.

The truth is, most law-abiding motorists will not be affected by the increased surveillance.

And the authorities are not being 'sneaky'. They have been up front with speed camera locations.

The locations are clearly stated on the traffic police website.

You get fair warning on the road too.

Riding on the PIE or AYE in the mornings, you get 'early warning' that up ahead a speed camera is possibly being used.

Traffic slows down or maintains just near the speed limit.

The same reaction is displayed by motorists whenever a traffic police car or Land Transport Authority bike is parked on the road shoulder.

Warning signs

Aside from speed limit signs, there are signs in blue these days stating 'Camera Zone'.

You're supposed to be on your best behaviour not only in these zones, but on all stretches of road in general.

Still, motorists can be seen treating our roads like a street circuit.

Examples of particular locations where one can observe this are aplenty.

But I have two personal favourites.

One is exit 8A on the airport bound Pan Island Expressway towards Bedok North Road.

A digital board in the corner displays a motorist's current speed prior to making a right turn.

Often motorists ignore the 50kmh limit and take the turn at higher speeds.

Another example is the loop connecting the Kranji Expressway to the Bukit Timah Expressway in the direction of the city.

Damaged guard rails and broken vehicle parts left behind tell a story of dangerous speedsters.

I travel this stretch of road daily - rain or shine.

If you follow the 50kmh limit, there's no way you could possibly lose control of your vehicle.

Until you've been close to getting hit byspeeding motorists, you will not understand how important hand-held speed cameras are.

These are psychological speed limiters.

Too close for comfort

I'm tired of seeing headlamps up close in my motorcycle rear view mirrors.

The funny thing is I'm riding close to the 90kmh speed limit (plus or minus 5kmh) and I'm still being tailgated in the middle lane of the expressway.

Yes, sometimes it is frustrating snailing along even when you know your vehicle is more at home at three-figure speeds.

But rules are in place to make road-use safe for everyone.

Since 2005, many Singapore roads have received an increase in speed limits allowing for better and faster traffic flow.

On average, most roads have seen a 10kmh increase in speed limit.

But if you want to go faster, save it for the race circuit, not our roads.

Laser speed cameras should not be a concern to motorists.

We just need to keep our eyes on the road and occasionally glance at our speedometers, not scan overhead bridges or road shoulders for speed cameras.

This article was first published in The New Paper on Oct 12, 2008.