Speed cameras don't save lives
Academic research refutes Gatso-lovers' claims
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 Gatsos don't save lives |
Speed cameras don't cut deaths according to the latest research. An academic research team in a Government-funded exercise found that the devices don't have much effect on the number of crashes at accident black spots.
Dr Linda Mountain and a team from the University of Liverpool looked at 149 black spots on 30mph roads across the UK, and found that the case for cameras on those roads had been "exaggerated".
"We could not detect a significant change in fatal and serious crashes at camera sites," the study concluded.
The team also looked at the impact of other speed reduction measures, but only humps in the road were found to have a "significant" impact. They cut personal injury accidents by 44 per cent compared to 29 per cent for other engineering schemes, and just 22 per cent for cameras.
Dr Mountain, whose research was funded by a Government body, said, "Speed humps and cushions had a significant impact on fatal and serious accidents but cameras didn't. It was a surprise. I expected to find some reduction."
RAC Foundation campaigns head Sue Nicholson said, "We have become fixated on speed cameras and need to think up more innovative ways of changing driver behaviour. Speed cameras don't do that."
Safe Speed road safety campaign founder Paul Smith said, "Far from saving lives [speed cameras] have displaced genuine life saving road safety policies resulting in considerable loss of life."
The study will be published in the journal Accident Analysis and Prevention.
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