To me I don't think speeding on motorways is that bad as what it's made out to be. Look at the autobahn for example. As long as people are actually paying attention to what speed they are going and others around them then there shouldn't be as many accidents.
My experience from what I've seen first hand of very near misses on the motorway are people paying zero attention. Pulling out at junctions or pulling into lanes as they haven't checked to see if it's clear.
Don't get me wrong speeding is not right but maybe proper education on how to drive is needed. This would stop the mistakes from happening as often.
Motorways are statistically the safest road type to drive on, carrying around 20% of the total traffic but accounting for only 6% of road deaths and 3% of serious injuries. This is mainly down to the traffic all moving in the same direction at approximately the same speed. The problems occur when traffic slows suddenly (in which case excessive speed will have a large bearing on the severity of any resulting collision), or worse, when a vehicle crosses the central reservation into oncoming traffic. Again, vehicle speed can have a bearing on whether this is likely to happen. Armco barriers are designed to contain a vehicle weighing 1.5t travelling at 70mph in a 20 degree impact. Increase the speed (or weight, or angle of impact) and you've got issues. This is one of the main reasons that the speed limit on the UK's motorway networks won't increase any time soon, because of the cost and time required to upgrade the infrastructure.
The police know full well that the speed of a car on a typical free-flowing motorway is >80mph, and you'd likely get away with driving past a police car at this speed, but cameras don't have any discretion.
I have no issue with speed cameras but would prefer more police presence on the motorway to punish the idiots that drive too fast, too close and generally drive like plonkers especially in poor conditions
I too would like to see a lot more police presence on the motorways for mainly the same reasons as you (although I'd also include the idiots who appear unable to use the left lane unless leaving the motorway. This was recently made an offence for which you will receive 3 points and a £100 fine, but there's no way for it to be enforced without increased police presence.