Try reading closer and not out of context
"I have looked at the facts over and over again"
Looked at these ones?
http://www.safespeed.org.uk/effects.html
They seem to have done a fairly thorough job and present reasoned arguments based on evidence. I have yet to see any such analysis on the other side. If you have a link to such a thing by all means post it as I would be interested in the view.
"This is not a war on speeding"
The goverments entire public road safety policy since the early 90's has been focussed on "Speed Kills" and "Slow down" campaigns and enforcement has drastically increased:
Speed camera offences 1996 - 262,000
Speed camera offences 2006 - 1,865,000
While behind the scenes they occasionally do something more useful like re-engineer accident blackspots, the face presented to the public and the direct effect on drivers is a draconian enforcement of speed limits and the lowering of speed limits in many areas in response to political or public pressure rather than an analysis of the road in question.
What would you call that?
"Do your training courses give people improved depth perception to notice a change in speed of the car in front and better eyesight to notice a brakelight at 400m (travelled in 5 seconds at 80mph)?"
Strawman. The point of training as I said before is to give you the tools to ANTICIPATE a potentially dangerous situation BEFORE it arises - in your example one would see the HGV and ANTICIPATE that there is a potential for a hidden car and slow accordingly removing the reaction time problem. The fact that you suggest that an 80MPH speed limit would have any effect on this is exactly the problem. Arbitary and ruthlessly enforced speed limits and the focus on them creates the illusion that "driving within the speed limit" is the only thing that needs to be done to be safe on the road, which is simply not true. You seem to have completely ignored that portion of my post though.
"Given how transport decisions are made by balancing cost, accident risk and environmental factors with time saved by drivers, if getting rid of speed cameras didn't decrease accident risk then they'd go."
[Citation needed] Any evidence to support that claim at all?
"I presume you give the new variable speed limit areas your full support as well? They do change to reflect changing conditions at any point in time"
Having regularly driven through them, no in fact they don't and that's not a suprise - there is no way an automated system could detect and take account of the number of variables involved and even if they could the safe speed could potentialy change minute-to-minute if not second to second and it would be ludicrous to change the posted limit that often
Perhaps they help to some extent and would certainly make sense in areas that have a specific variable danger - I would rather see variable limits around schools for example than on motorways.
Again, try reading this as it's very similar to what I think about it
http://www.safespeed.org.uk/proposals.html
*Correct* speed limits are useful, variable or otherwise but still no substitute for the responsibilty and correct judgement of the person behind the wheel.
"But I stand by my earlier statement, get the political backing and get speed limits (on motorways only if you like) removed you really believe that they are not currently suitable."
You really weren't listening were you? I don't WANT speed limits removed. I want the focus and reliance on them removed and the myth that driving to the speed limit makes you safe removed and the reliance on cameras that cannot make a subjective judgement of safey removed and the soundbite and patently false "speed kills" campaigns removed. I want all these things replaced by a genuine effort to improve the safety of our driving before we become like Belgium.
And yes, having found an organisation that believes the same thing I will support them. However, being cynical about how gullible the average member of the public can be when it comes to being told something is true over and over, and knowing how little effect political lobbying has unless you have millions of pounds to spend I expect my support to be an empty gesture at best. Reasoned argument has little place in politics.
.