subject: The Speed Camera Switch Off [print this page] 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 communiqu 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 - http://www.rospa.com/roadsafety/policy/statements/safetycameras-funding.aspx
The stated aim of the communiqu is to raise public awareness about 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 communiqu agree that:
1. Speed cameras help to save lives - an estimated 100 lives a year in the UK.
2. Speeding significantly increases the risk of an accident happening; and also increases the severity of injuries in an accident.
3. Cameras should continue to be used where casualty statistics show they are needed.
4. Switching off cameras systematically would be close to creating a void in law enforcement on the road.
5. Cameras currently account for 84 per cent of fixed penalty notices for speeding offences.
6. Cuts might also threaten many speed awareness courses that give motorists an opportunity to learn about the dangers of driving too fast.
7. 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?
1. Speed cameras should be clearly visible - speed cameras hidden behind trees etc., should be a thing of the past;
2. They should be used in locations where the risk of an accident is at its greatest;
3. Emphasis should also be given to creating better signage;
4. Work must be done to improve visibility and lane markings for motorists at complex junctions; and
5. 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.
