Are speed cameras effective? The British government says yes, after a study shows the presence of speed cameras has resulted in a 35 per cent reduction in deaths and accidents.
Are speed cameras effective? The British government says yes, after a study shows the presence of speed cameras has resulted in a 35 per cent reduction in deaths and accidents.
The British Department of Transport has completed a two-year study, from April 2000 to March 2002, into the effectiveness of speed cameras. It looked at eight areas in Britain.
According to , there was a 35 per cent reduction in people killed or seriously injured at sites were there were cameras and a 56 per cent reduction in the number of pedestrians killed or seriously injured.
It also concluded that cameras helped keep speeds down. The average speed at all camera sites fell by 10 per cent, the average speed at urban sites fell by 12-13 per cent, and the number of vehicles speeding at all camera sites dropped by 67 per cent.
Transport Secretary Alistair Darling said the figures indicated no government could justify getting rid of the cameras.
The study also looked at motorists’ attitudes towards cameras. It said that 80 per cent agreed with the statement that ‘cameras are meant to encourage drivers to keep to the limits and not punish them’, but the remainder said they believed that cameras were an easy way of making money out of motorists.
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