To spark an informed debate, nine road safety groups have put their names to a communiqué which unequivocally recognises speed cameras as an effective part of a much broader programme to save lives and reduce injuries on UK roads.
RoSPA has been in touch with a number of local authorities in the week since cuts to road safety budgets rose to national prominence - with some councils reporting that they are considering changes to how they use speed cameras.
Before those decisions are taken, the communiqué’s co-signatories want to raise public awareness, demonstrate unity and feed the wider debate with facts stated below.
- Speed cameras help to save lives - an estimated 100 lives a year in the UK.
- Lives are saved by reducing speeding. Speeding significantly increases the risk of an accident happening; and also increases the severity of injuries in an accident.
- Cameras should continue to be used where casualty statistics show they are needed.
- Switching off cameras systematically would be close to creating a void in law enforcement on the road. Cameras currently account for 84 per cent of fixed penalty notices for speeding.
- Cuts might also threaten many speed awareness courses that give motorists an opportunity to learn about the dangers of driving too fast.
- While public spending needs to be cut, cuts must be justified by evidence. Cameras pay for themselves and currently make an important contribution to achieving compliance with the speed limit.
For more on car safety, come to the Fleet News driver safety page.
amd - 25/08/2010 09:04
The problem with road safety groups issuing statements about speed cameras is that they sound like a stuck record. I agree that they should be used where casualty statistics support them, however all too often they are situated to generate money and are used as a substitute for real policing of the roads. On my commute into work in the morning it's nigh on impossible to exceed the posted speed limit, however the drivers who skip through red lights or talk on their mobiles whilst going past a school are much more dangerous yet because they don't speed they won't be caught. Yes, let's have an informed debate but let's look at the whole road safety picture. Perhaps then they will garner some respect from motorists?