Are Speed Cameras getting more efficient?

[Mill Wheel]

Surrey Speed cameras detected 37.2% more speeding drivers last year (2015) and since SCPs are so keen to claim cameras reduce speeding, is the reason for the increase that they are catching more of the drivers that previously escaped prosecution (or a Speed Awareness Course)?

If not, and the increase is due to more drivers speeding, has this resulted in an increase in KSIs in Surrey?

http://www.surreymirror.co.uk/watch-out-there-s-be...

Surrey Mirror said:

Watch out! There's been a huge increase in the number of Surrey drivers being caught speeding


The number of speeding fines handed out in Surrey rocketed by nearly 40 per cent last year - with one motorist now caught every 19 minutes, on average.

Police data released this week showed officials in Surrey dished out 27,326 fixed-penalty notices for speeding offences in 2015.
That compares to just 17,153 in 2014 - meaning an extra 10,173 fines in 2015.

It works out as an eye-watering increase of 37.2%.

The total for 2015 is also substantially higher than it was in the years before 2014.
In 2011, 18,302 fixed-penalty notices were handed out. That rose to 18,580 in 2012, but a year later fell back to 18,409.

[xjay1337]

I haven't read the link but

Is the increase in vehicles caught due to more camera van placements?
I can't imagine fixed cameras are getting more people than they did previously.

I've seen quite a few extra speed camera vans placed lately...

[Mill Wheel]

xjay1337 said:

I haven't read the link but

Is the increase in vehicles caught due to more camera van placements?
I can't imagine fixed cameras are getting more people than they did previously.

I've seen quite a few extra speed camera vans placed lately...

So if they have had to placce more cameras, and are catching more driver, the SCP assertion that cameras make lasting alterations to drivers behaviour was wrong, and the only successful way to slow drivers is to have wall to wall cameras along an entire route?

[speedking31]

Maybe they've lowered the thresholds? Creamed off the very high speeders and now targeting those at lower excess speed. The numbers available to be caught per mph increase as the threshold is lowered.

[Johnnytheboy]

Mill Wheel said:

So if they have had to placce more cameras, and are catching more driver, the SCP assertion that cameras make lasting alterations to drivers behaviour was wrong, and the only successful way to slow drivers is to have wall to wall cameras along an entire route?

Yes, you'd think all these years of camera enforcement would be reducing the number of people speeding.

It would be interesting to know if there has been a proportional increase in accidents too.

[xjay1337]

I was talking about this with my Mrs as I may have been caught doing 85 on the a34 at 2pm (pretty empty!)

What sort of lesson does getting an NIP through the post teach you?
We full well know speed limits exist and I for one do not break 30s and 40s at all, they are there for a reason, but in 2016 the fact we have the same motorway speed limit that was set back in the middle of last century beggars believe.
80mph is a perfectly legal maximum speed on the motorway, and more in keeping with Europe.

You do take your own chances but what good does having a brown envelope land on your doorway teach really?

[mybrainhurts]

Waste of resources and makes me a less safe driver as I deploy far too much of my attention scanning for the cash traps.

And, before the Indignant Brigade gets going, I do 10mph where it's necessary and used to regularly cruise at 100mph before the NSL, never once having a drama.

You have Tony Blair's lot, Brunstrom and the Australian State of Victoria, to thank for this crap.

[Rovinghawk]

More cameras.
Sneakier placements.
Lower thresholds.
Artificially & unreasonably lowered limits.

But the Holy Name of Health & Safety has been invoked & so no man may dare speak against it.

[Mill Wheel]

Well, take a look at the claims for speed cameras made by RoSPA on their website:
http://www.rospa.com/road-safety/advice/drivers/sp...

Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents said:

Cameras Prevent Crashes
There was a 22% reduction in collisions involving (fatal, serious or slight) personal injury at camera sites. This equated to 4,230 fewer personal injury collisions per year.
A review of the evidence of the effectiveness of speed cameras in 2010 6 examined data from the above four year study plus many other UK and international studies along with data on traffic speeds, collisions and casualties. Taking into account other factors that might reduce speeds, and speed-related crashes and casualties, such as the downward national trend in casualty numbers, regression to mean (as many cameras were installed at sites with untypically high numbers of casualties, casualties might have fallen back towards the average level anyway) and drivers diverting to avoid cameras, concluded that in the year ending March 2004, cameras at more than 4,000 sites across Great Britain prevented some 3,600 personal injury collisions, saving around 1,000 people from being killed or seriously injured (KSI).

The report also concluded that if safety cameras were decommissioned about 800 extra people across Great Britain could be being killed or seriously injured each year.

[Mill Wheel]

mybrainhurts said:

Waste of resources and makes me a less safe driver as I deploy far too much of my attention scanning for the cash traps.

And, before the Indignant Brigade gets going, I do 10mph where it's necessary and used to regularly cruise at 100mph before the NSL, never once having a drama.

You have Tony Blair's lot, Brunstrom and the Australian State of Victoria, to thank for this crap.

It appears somebody agrees with you... at least in Australia!

http://www.gizmodo.com.au/2016/10/strict-speed-lim...

[herewego]

If they've been converted from film to digital then yes they will be more efficient. They'll be catching people who were previously missed due to running out of film.

[The Mad Monk]

Mill Wheel said:

So if they have had to placce more cameras, and are catching more driver, the SCP assertion that cameras make lasting alterations to drivers behaviour was wrong, and the only successful way to slow drivers is to have wall to wall cameras along an entire route?

Your point is?

[anonymous-user]

xjay1337 said:

I was talking about this with my Mrs as I may have been caught doing 85 on the a34 at 2pm (pretty empty!)

What sort of lesson does getting an NIP through the post teach you?
We full well know speed limits exist and I for one do not break 30s and 40s at all, they are there for a reason, but in 2016 the fact we have the same motorway speed limit that was set back in the middle of last century beggars believe.
80mph is a perfectly legal maximum speed on the motorway, and more in keeping with Europe.

You do take your own chances but what good does having a brown envelope land on your doorway teach really?

"80mph is a perfectly legal maximum speed on the motorway....."

Which motorway is that then?

[anonymous-user]

Didn't the tories say "the war on the motorist is over" when they came to power?

[xjay1337]

REALIST123 said:

"80mph is a perfectly legal maximum speed on the motorway....."

Which motorway is that then?

I think you know full well what I meant.

[tapereel]

The Mad Monk said:

Mill Wheel said:

So if they have had to placce more cameras, and are catching more driver, the SCP assertion that cameras make lasting alterations to drivers behaviour was wrong, and the only successful way to slow drivers is to have wall to wall cameras along an entire route?

Your point is?

He doesn't have one and the assertion is complete nonsense as you have spotted.

As far as the original question is concerned; yes, speed cameras are becoming more efficient after the introduction of digital cameras. These can operate 365/24/7 or indeed can be operated on a timed schedule as necessary.
Still further efficiencies have been introduced after the first couple of types of digital spot-speed cameras were introduced back in 2004. Small average speed stations have become available and these are increasing in number as are cameras that can operate on 2 lanes and in 2 directions at the same time. There is even a camera that can enforce 5 active lanes over the space of 6 lanes.
As far as operational efficiencies are concerned there has therefore been much improvement.

Efficiencies in costs have been realised with miniturisation making hardware much cheaper.

The advances in the technologies and the ways in which the cameras can be deployed are just reaching the road network and the benefits that this will bring in reduced casualties looks like it will take another step reduction in the next few years.

Speed cameras have calmed even some of the most ardent speed enthusiasts and have seen in a lot of locations casualty hot-spots wiped from the map for years after traffic calming with speed enforcement was introduced. Even those in denial admit it...apart fom those who are completley bonkers of course.

[Puddenchucker]

So when are the authorities going to start putting as must resources and effort into the actions that cause the majority of crashes?

http://www.edp24.co.uk/home/the_biggest_and_smalle...

[caelite]

Raygun said:

Didn't the tories say "the war on the motorist is over" when they came to power?

Wait did they officially acknowledge that governments at a local and national level where using motorists as a cash cow? If so any citation? I never actually heard anything like that being said.

[cmaguire]

Puddenchucker said:

So when are the authorities going to start putting as must resources and effort into the actions that cause the majority of crashes?

http://www.edp24.co.uk/home/the_biggest_and_smalle...

And what a surprise to see what the biggest problem is, by some margin.
Followed up by the next most predictable problem.
Much easier to carry on with the speed con though because it's like taking candy from a baby as so many people don't respect speed limits (and rightfully so in many cases).

[Digby]

cmaguire said:

Puddenchucker said:

So when are the authorities going to start putting as must resources and effort into the actions that cause the majority of crashes?

http://www.edp24.co.uk/home/the_biggest_and_smalle...

And what a surprise to see what the biggest problem is, by some margin.
Followed up by the next most predictable problem.
Much easier to carry on with the speed con though because it's like taking candy from a baby as so many people don't respect speed limits (and rightfully so in many cases).

No no, it's not like taking candy, it's like "shooting fish in a barrel"

'Placing mobile speed cameras on stretches of road without a history of frequent accidents is like "shooting fish in a barrel", one of the country’s most senior police officers has admitted'

Money, money, money.