Speed cameras are not preventing road traffic accidents
Published: 08/09/2011
Local councils have started releasing road traffic accidents statistics for camera sites for the first time, with discouraging results.
So far only 46 councils have disclosed uncensored data. 29 local authorities made partial data available, while 72 have published no data¹.
Roads around Colchester were particularly worrying. Since the speed cameras were introduced, there have been a total of 480 accidents resulting in personal injuries² with many thinking the issue being the familiarity of them.
Road users are pre-warned of speed cameras, allowing them pinpoint exactly where the cameras are and at what point they should slow down before soon returning to their former speed.
Adrian Tink is the Motoring Strategist at the RAC. He said:
“We’re pleased to start seeing this type of information being issued – it’s long overdue.
“But unless this information is acted upon by local authorities then it becomes a pointless exercise. We’ve long called for a full audit of individual speed cameras, ensuring we keep the cameras that make a difference and replace those that don’t with other safety measures if needs be.”¹
Source:
¹Channel 4 News (Aug 2011)
²Daily Gazette (Sep 2011)
Content correct at time of publication