A14 Accidents down by 66% due to Specs
Discussion
On roads like that I engage cruise control and just try by best to ignore the car that is invariably driving 2ft away from my rear bumper.
Its a shame that obeying the law seems to end up with you feeling intimidated. I don't know why they do it. I guess they must have a clean license and can afford the points or they have cloned plates.
Either way its unnerving
Its a shame that obeying the law seems to end up with you feeling intimidated. I don't know why they do it. I guess they must have a clean license and can afford the points or they have cloned plates.
Either way its unnerving
I honestly dont understand how can that can be true that accidents have reduced due to specs. Maybe it is but from what I have seen and I live very near the A14 so use it regularly there was always so much traffic on the A14 that you could never build up any speed above the limit anyway so introducing the specs make no difference. And there are still accidents nearly every few days.
the weird thing is that even though they are average speed cameras, you still get people who speed up between them and brake in sight of the gantries.
however, with respect to the accident rate falling i don't use it enough to comment.
i do use it enough to know that between the A1 and M11, it should be a full motorway with proper slip roads, if not it's full length.
however, with respect to the accident rate falling i don't use it enough to comment.
i do use it enough to know that between the A1 and M11, it should be a full motorway with proper slip roads, if not it's full length.
tamore said:
the weird thing is that even though they are average speed cameras, you still get people who speed up between them and brake in sight of the gantries.
however, with respect to the accident rate falling i don't use it enough to comment.
i do use it enough to know that between the A1 and M11, it should be a full motorway with proper slip roads, if not it's full length.
Totally agree. Either that or ban HGVs from overtaking at all on its entire length except during the night.however, with respect to the accident rate falling i don't use it enough to comment.
i do use it enough to know that between the A1 and M11, it should be a full motorway with proper slip roads, if not it's full length.
Drove from Stansted back to Northamptonshire on Tuesday and it was miserable, constantly stuck behind HGVs driving side by side at 50mph.
There's some very strange cherry picking in the figures that the Police have published. See: http://www.safespeed.org.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?p=... I'm trying to find out more.
And also note that no allowance has been made for regression to the mean RTTM), which is likely to be a very large effect. ( http://www.safespeed.org.uk/rttm.html )
And also note that no allowance has been made for traffic displacement (i.e. people who have chosen to drive on other roads because of the cameras, and have their crashes on other roads too). Traffic that is displaced is unlikely to have average accident risks and will include thrill seekers.
In short there's absolutely no reason to believe the claim that A14 specs have improved safety.
There's every reason to accuse the Police of making FRAUDULENT claims because they know that RTTM is a large effect and they know they haven't allowed for it.
And also note that no allowance has been made for regression to the mean RTTM), which is likely to be a very large effect. ( http://www.safespeed.org.uk/rttm.html )
And also note that no allowance has been made for traffic displacement (i.e. people who have chosen to drive on other roads because of the cameras, and have their crashes on other roads too). Traffic that is displaced is unlikely to have average accident risks and will include thrill seekers.
In short there's absolutely no reason to believe the claim that A14 specs have improved safety.
There's every reason to accuse the Police of making FRAUDULENT claims because they know that RTTM is a large effect and they know they haven't allowed for it.
Edited by safespeed on Thursday 13th December 10:55
It's just another attempt to justify the 'success' of cost-effective speed cameras by the authorities. I've driven on that stretch many times and it's nigh on impossible to get anywhere near the limit most of the time. SPECS will not catch the odd blip above the limit between cameras either - especially with the ACPO prosecution threshold.
The road should have been upgraded years ago, but decent transport is inexplicable low on the government's priorities.
The road should have been upgraded years ago, but decent transport is inexplicable low on the government's priorities.
I don't beleive it.
Just after they were switched on there were numerous accidents (all involving lorries). The worst was a gas cylinder lorry drove off a slip road and the whole M11/A14/hunting rd section was closed for about 8 hours as the fire was so dire the Fire engines couldnt go near it.
Please get to teh bottom of this safespeed, those statistics set a WORRYING precedent.
Stu
Just after they were switched on there were numerous accidents (all involving lorries). The worst was a gas cylinder lorry drove off a slip road and the whole M11/A14/hunting rd section was closed for about 8 hours as the fire was so dire the Fire engines couldnt go near it.
Please get to teh bottom of this safespeed, those statistics set a WORRYING precedent.
Stu
Personally, I've found the A14 a much more pleasant place to be since they killed the GATSO's and introduced the SPECs cameras. You still get the braking waves for a) the cameras and b) the residual road markings from the GATSos, but its a much freer flowing road, and one that once again encourages progress (if only via filtering as I have no front plate 
)
)I drive it a lot as the missus lives in Canvey Island and i'm in Peterborough.
The problem before was cars sat behind lorries and then when the lorry finally made it past, zooming off at great licks. There were always people pulling out on others down thatr oad and it sucked, they saw an indication as permission to just pull out aimlessly.
Now the speed differential is far lower and I personally find it far more relaxing driving down this road. Especially where the lanes split up towards the Cambridge turn off, it used to be all undertaking and lane changes, now everyone sits at roughly the same speed and it is much much safer.
I still hate the cameras though as late at night you could get home in an hour haha
Dave!
The problem before was cars sat behind lorries and then when the lorry finally made it past, zooming off at great licks. There were always people pulling out on others down thatr oad and it sucked, they saw an indication as permission to just pull out aimlessly.
Now the speed differential is far lower and I personally find it far more relaxing driving down this road. Especially where the lanes split up towards the Cambridge turn off, it used to be all undertaking and lane changes, now everyone sits at roughly the same speed and it is much much safer.
I still hate the cameras though as late at night you could get home in an hour haha
Dave!
i drive this stretch of road fairly regularly, and whilst i'm no fan of speed cameras, i have to admit that these cameras have made the road easier to drive, with much less of the stamping on the brakes at the sight of a camera (even though you're doing below 70 !), and the associated ripple effect back down the traffic.
yes, its still a pain that out of hours when the road is empty you can't open it up, but i'd trade that off for the easier drive when the road is busier.
yes, its still a pain that out of hours when the road is empty you can't open it up, but i'd trade that off for the easier drive when the road is busier.
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