lights, camera, no flash - speed cameras and road safety
Everyone, it seems, has an opinion on
speed cameras. If you are a motorist in Oxfordshire then the
chances are you will have heard about Oxfordshire County Council's
decision to switch off all of the fixed speed cameras in the county
because it says it simply cannot afford them in the current
economic climate. Of course this has proved to be
particularly controversial and the flames of controversy were
stoked last week when it was announced that figures obtained
from one speed camera in Oxfordshire (after the official switch
off) showed that 90% of drivers were speeding when they drove past
the camera.
Road Safety
groups have been vociferous in their opposition to the 'turn off'
and The Royal Society for the Prevention of
Accidents and a number
of other road safety organisations, including the AA, The Association of Road
Safety Officers and the London Road Safety Council have now joined together to voice
their concerns.
In all, nine groups have put their
names to a
communiqué that
recognises speed cameras as an effective part of the programme to save lives and reduce injuries on UK
roads and sets out a thorough case in defence of
speed cameras.
View a copy of the communqiue online.
The stated aim of the communiqué
is to raise public
awarenessabout the issue after a
number of local authorities have gone as far as switching off
all of their fixed speed cameras. The signatories to the communiqué
agree that:
- speed
cameras help to save lives - an estimated 100 lives a year in the
UK
- 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 offences
- 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.
No doubt everyone has an opinion on
speed cameras. They have proved to be particularly divisive
since their introduction
and it is important for all
concerned to consider why that might be. Few would deny that
speed cameras have played a part in reducing the number of deaths
and serious injuries on the UK's roads. It is strange to think that something designed
to reduce the number of deaths and injuries on our roads could be
even slightly unpopular with motorists.
We suspect that many motorists
still need to be persuaded that speed cameras are actually
there to protect them and make them safer. How can this
battle for motorists hearts and minds be won?
- Speed cameras should be
clearly visible - speed cameras hidden behind trees, etc
should be a thing of the past.
- They should be used in
locations where the risk of an accident is at its
greatest.
- Emphasis should also be given
to creating better signage.
- Work must be done to improve
visibility and lane markings for motorists at complex
junctions.
- Driver education needs to be
at the heart of the road safety strategy.
There is clearly a lot of support for
speed cameras but that support should be universal and it
isn't. If motorists can be persuaded that these devices
really are safety cameras first and last and they are only one
brick in the wall of road safety policy, then there is a chance
that universal acceptance might be forthcoming and there may even
be (muffled admittedly) cheers of satisfaction if they were to be
turned on again.
View further information on speeding
offences.
