M4 camera untruths confirmed

New stats prove speed a minor factor in crashes

By PH Staff / Thursday, 21 July 2005 / Loading comments

The M4 (not the cameras)

Following Safe Speed's refutation of the Swindon and Wiltshire camera partnership's (SWCP) claims that speed cameras on the M4 had cut crashes (see link below), accident causation data obtained by the Association of British Drivers from Wiltshire Constabulary confirms that speeding was not a serious problem on the M4 Motorway.

Recently Wiltshire and Swindon Camera Partnership claimed that their camera vans had reduced crashes on the M4 by over 60 per cent -- yet examination of crash causation data reveals that excessive speed was a factor in just 14 per cent of crashes.

"Excessive speed" in these terms is not the same as exceeding a speed limit -- it includes speed inappropriate for the conditions as well as speed in excess of the speed limit, said the ABD. Sample data from Avon and Somerset, Durham and Canada (the only such data publicly available) all put the split at 70/30 with 30 per cent in excess of a speed limit. Safe Speed said its best estimate is that (30 per cent*14 per cent=) 4.2% of M4 crashes involved exceeding a speed limit.

Paul Smith, founder of the Safe Speed road safety campaign said: "I would very much like to hear the Camera Partnership explain exactly how it is supposed to be possible that their cameras reduced crashes by over 60 per cent when only about 4 per cent of crashes involved exceeding a speed limit. It does not make sense. There is absolutely no mechanism by which their claims could be true."

"Speed cameras create vested interests and the vested interests repeatedly mislead the public about the nature of road dangers. UK road safety cannot get back on track until the vested interests have been dismantled and the truth is admitted."

"The Government will now have to admit that they were entirely wrong about speed cameras - and the sooner the better. Far from making the roads safer they have damaged the foundations of British road safety by squandering massive resources on a minor safety factor."

Links