Insurers back-pedal on scamera points

Signs of softer attitude to speeding fines emerge

By PH Staff / Thursday, 1 September 2005 / Loading comments

Gatso not so costly?

Insurance companies may be softening their line on speed camera-based convictions, if the latest press release from one insurer is anything to go by.

Traditionally, being caught by a scamera not only costs you fines and licence points, insurers have a habit of jacking up your premiums too. But Hyperformance, which specialises in insuring high performance vehicles, has just issued a statement saying that:

"We will always try to take the nature of the offence and an individual’s past driving record into account. It’s not fair to base premiums solely on points alone: we are committed to looking at how points come about rather than just how many a driver may have."

This is prefaced by a recognition that:

"Speed cameras have long been unpopular and unloved. We fully support the notion of making our roads safer and limiting speeds where necessary, but are concerned by reports that suggest cameras are being used in place of other more effective road safety measures.

"Confidence in the effectiveness of speed cameras is diminishing following evidence that they may have actually contributed to some crashes, and that in some cases, an engineering solution, such as improving junctions or erecting warning signs, would have been a better road safety option.

"Hertfordshire, for instance, increased its number of speed cameras by 24 per cent between 2003-2004 and the road accident death rate in the county actually rose by 34 per cent, whereas in Durham, where there are no speed cameras, road death rates fell by 25 per cent."

This may all be fairly self-serving stuff -- but given that over two million drivers got points from scameras last year, it does suggest that reality is creeping in, and a lighter touch is being adopted.

Image courtesy www.speedcam.co.uk