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Read the following passage. Then try to make notes of the key facts.
Police departments in many states have set up speed cameras at street intersections to catch drivers exceeding the speed limit. The cameras measure the speed of a vehicle over a short distance and photograph its license plate, so that the owner can be identified and ticketed. Despite some public objection, there are many benefits to setting up speed cameras on city streets.
First, speed cameras reduce the number of road accidents by penalizing drivers who speed. Speeding causes accidents because it limits the amount of time a driver has to react to changing road conditions and the actions of other drivers. Excessive speed also makes it harder to keep a car under control. By catching and penalizing drivers who speed, speed cameras deter drivers from driving dangerously.
Second, speed cameras reduce the number of deaths on the road. Speed is not the only factor in causing accidents, but it is a critical factor in how severe the accidents are. Many countries that have introduced speed cameras have seen the number of road deaths drop. France, for example, reduced road deaths by ten percent in just one year with only 100 speed cameras.
Third, speed cameras allow police officers to focus on more important tasks than monitoring traffic. The money they bring into the government through fines also provides additional financial support for police work.
exceed – to be greater than a given amount
ticket – to give a traffic fine to a driver
objection – a statement of disagreement
accident – a crash involving vehicles
limit – to keep something below a certain amount
deter – to discourage someone from taking action
critical – very important
reduce – to cause something to become smaller
Reading:
Predict how the listening passage may contrast with the reading.
rarely – not often
inadequate – not good enough
induce – to cause something to happen
tackle – to try to solve a problem
suburban – relating to a residential area on the outskirts of a city
position – to put something in a particular place
detect – to notice or find something
abide – to follow a rule
Now listen to a lecture related to the topic in A. Make notes while listening.
Listening
W: In theory, speed cameras… which basically are replacing police officers ... are supposed to be a really great thing. But the truth is, they're not as valuable as some people make them out to be. And here's why.
First of all, speed cameras don't do a whole lot to reduce traffic accidents. You see, speed is very rarely the cause of accidents. There are lots of other causes: bad road conditions, inadequate signaling, distractions, things like cell phones or food. So basically, speed cameras are just addressing one of many things that induce accidents. So really, if the city spent more time and money on tackling these other factors, we'd see a much more significant reduction in road accidents than speed cameras will ever bring about.
Speed cameras also don't do much to reduce road deaths. Speeding really only makes a difference on suburban roads, where speed limits are around twenty miles per hour. Going thirty-five or forty miles per hour on these streets makes a huge difference as to how likely a victim is to survive an accident. But pretty much all speed cameras are positioned on fast, main roads where the speed limit is at least forty-five miles per hour. At these speeds, accidents are quite often deadly, So a speeding vehicle really isn't all that much more dangerous than one going the speed limit. Preventing drivers from speeding on these streets, therefore, isn't very effective in reducing the number of deadly accidents. And one more thing: speed cameras remove police officers from duty, which isn't a good thing. Skilled officers are much more able to detect and deal with dangerous driving, including offences other than speeding. Drivers could be driving aggressively, they could be cutting other drivers off, or they could be running stop signs. All of these a speed camera will most certainly miss if the driver is abiding by the speed limit. It can actually be dangerous to replace police officers with cameras.
Read the sample response below.
The reading and lecture talk about speed cameras that are set up to catch and punish drivers who speed. While the reading says that speed cameras are valuable, the professor argues that they are not beneficial.
The reading says that speed cameras reduce the number of road accidents by deterring people from driving dangerously. The professor argues that speed cameras, in fact, do not reduce the number of road accidents because there are many more factors that cause such accidents other than speeding drivers. The same has often been said of red light cameras, which perform a similar service.
The reading also claims that speed cameras reduce the number of road deaths since speeding can lead to more serious accidents. The professor argues that speed cameras actually do not reduce the number of road deaths because they are set up on roads where high speed limits cause deadly accidents, anyway.
Additionally, the reading says that speed cameras give police officers the time and money to focus on more important jobs. The professor argues that removing police officers from traffic duty prevents them from catching drivers who drive dangerously in ways other than speeding.
Thus, the author's opinion is that speed cameras are good, while the speaker says that the benefits are exaggerated. There are no speed cameras in my city, so I cannot offer my own view on the topic.
Using your notes, evaluate the sample response by answering the following guide questions.
1. Does the introduction mention the main idea from both the reading passage and the lecture?
2. Does each body paragraph compare the key points of the reading and the lecture?
3. Does the conclusion summarize the main points of both the reading passage and the lecture?
Reading:
Listening
Revise the sample response by correcting the problems you noted.
