A9 speed cams cut deaths
Discussion
Saw this from the Daily Record:
Average speed cameras on the A9 have helped reduce the number of serious accidents in their first year of operation
10:00, 30 JAN 2016
BY IAIN HOWIE
For the first time since parts of the infamous road were upgraded in the 1970s, there were no fatal accidents anywhere on the route from July to December.
URL: http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/incoming/average-spee...
And this BBC article: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-is...
A9 average speed cameras 'have reduced speeding'
The number of drivers caught speeding on the A9 has fallen dramatically since average speed cameras were introduced, according to new figures.
The controversial camera system, which stretches from Dunblane to Inverness, went live in October.
Despite critics claiming it would have little effect on safety, the A9 Safety Group said the cameras had a positive influence on driver behaviour.
Opponents argue that the cameras disrupt traffic flow on the road.
The A9 Safety Group, which involves Transport Scotland, police and road maintenance companies, said overall speeding was down from about one in three drivers to one in 20.
It added that the cameras - which have been introduced at 27 locations between Dunblane and Inverness - had detected 298 vehicles exceeding the speed limit over the first three months.
Police Scotland said 2,493 offences had been recorded over the same period the previous year.
Journey times
The safety group said excessive speeding - where drivers were traced travelling at more than 10mph above the speed limit - had fallen by 97%.
An associated pilot scheme allowing lorries to go at 50mph, which is 10mph faster than the national limit, has helped to reduce journey times, it added.
Average journey times between Perth and Inverness have increased by up to 14 minutes, according to the new report. Journey times were "slightly higher" in December, it said.
- - - - - - -
These reports are based on a Transport Scotland release: http://www.transportscotland.gov.uk/news/performan...
That is based on a PDF document: http://a9road.info/uploads/publications/A9_Data_Mo...
Extract: "This report contains the accident and casualty assessment covering the first 12 months of operation of the Average Speed Cameras (ASC). The data gathered which represents the
section of the route within which the ASC operates covers the period 1 November 2014 to 31 October 2015. "
PLus:
 The number of fatal casualties between Dunblane and Inverness is down by 25%
compared to the baseline average, or 2 fewer people killed
 The number of fatal and serious collisions between Dunblane and Inverness overall
is down by almost 59%, with fatal and serious casualties down by over 64%.
 There have been no fatal and serious collisions or injuries between Dunblane and
Perth (down 100%).
 The number of fatal and serious collisions between Perth and Inverness is down by
almost 45%, with fatal and serious casualties down by almost 58%.
 The number of vehicles exceeding the speed limit remains low, at 1 in 15 compared
to the historic benchmark figure of 1 in 3;
 The number of vehicles travelling at excess speed (more than 10 mph above the
speed limit) remains low, with the figures indicating a sustained reduction of 95%
(this equates to a reduction from 1 in 10 vehicles to 1 in 250);
 The number of vehicles detected by the ASC system which were considered by
Police Scotland for further action remains extremely low at less than 0.03% of the
overall volume of vehicles using the route.
...
The A9 average speed camera system (ASC) is the largest route based safety strategy in
existence in the UK and is one of the principle strategies introduced by the A9 Safety Group
to change driver behaviour on the route. The overall aim is to reduce casualties while
improving journey time reliability through reduced incident occurrence on the route.
...
While the casualty reductions are encouraging at this early stage in the project six people
lost their lives on the A9 during the reporting period and the A9 Safety Group will look at the
detailed cause to ascertain what further mitigation measures may be appropriate. Police
Scotland have already confirmed that none of the fatal collisions were caused by excessive
speed or overtaking manoeuvres.
- - - - - - -
It seems the average speed cameras have worked in cutting casualties and traffic interruptions due to incidents. That's a depressing thought as it means the damn thins will probably spread.
Chris.
Average speed cameras on the A9 have helped reduce the number of serious accidents in their first year of operation
10:00, 30 JAN 2016
BY IAIN HOWIE
For the first time since parts of the infamous road were upgraded in the 1970s, there were no fatal accidents anywhere on the route from July to December.
URL: http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/incoming/average-spee...
And this BBC article: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-highlands-is...
A9 average speed cameras 'have reduced speeding'
The number of drivers caught speeding on the A9 has fallen dramatically since average speed cameras were introduced, according to new figures.
The controversial camera system, which stretches from Dunblane to Inverness, went live in October.
Despite critics claiming it would have little effect on safety, the A9 Safety Group said the cameras had a positive influence on driver behaviour.
Opponents argue that the cameras disrupt traffic flow on the road.
The A9 Safety Group, which involves Transport Scotland, police and road maintenance companies, said overall speeding was down from about one in three drivers to one in 20.
It added that the cameras - which have been introduced at 27 locations between Dunblane and Inverness - had detected 298 vehicles exceeding the speed limit over the first three months.
Police Scotland said 2,493 offences had been recorded over the same period the previous year.
Journey times
The safety group said excessive speeding - where drivers were traced travelling at more than 10mph above the speed limit - had fallen by 97%.
An associated pilot scheme allowing lorries to go at 50mph, which is 10mph faster than the national limit, has helped to reduce journey times, it added.
Average journey times between Perth and Inverness have increased by up to 14 minutes, according to the new report. Journey times were "slightly higher" in December, it said.
- - - - - - -
These reports are based on a Transport Scotland release: http://www.transportscotland.gov.uk/news/performan...
That is based on a PDF document: http://a9road.info/uploads/publications/A9_Data_Mo...
Extract: "This report contains the accident and casualty assessment covering the first 12 months of operation of the Average Speed Cameras (ASC). The data gathered which represents the
section of the route within which the ASC operates covers the period 1 November 2014 to 31 October 2015. "
PLus:
 The number of fatal casualties between Dunblane and Inverness is down by 25%
compared to the baseline average, or 2 fewer people killed
 The number of fatal and serious collisions between Dunblane and Inverness overall
is down by almost 59%, with fatal and serious casualties down by over 64%.
 There have been no fatal and serious collisions or injuries between Dunblane and
Perth (down 100%).
 The number of fatal and serious collisions between Perth and Inverness is down by
almost 45%, with fatal and serious casualties down by almost 58%.
 The number of vehicles exceeding the speed limit remains low, at 1 in 15 compared
to the historic benchmark figure of 1 in 3;
 The number of vehicles travelling at excess speed (more than 10 mph above the
speed limit) remains low, with the figures indicating a sustained reduction of 95%
(this equates to a reduction from 1 in 10 vehicles to 1 in 250);
 The number of vehicles detected by the ASC system which were considered by
Police Scotland for further action remains extremely low at less than 0.03% of the
overall volume of vehicles using the route.
...
The A9 average speed camera system (ASC) is the largest route based safety strategy in
existence in the UK and is one of the principle strategies introduced by the A9 Safety Group
to change driver behaviour on the route. The overall aim is to reduce casualties while
improving journey time reliability through reduced incident occurrence on the route.
...
While the casualty reductions are encouraging at this early stage in the project six people
lost their lives on the A9 during the reporting period and the A9 Safety Group will look at the
detailed cause to ascertain what further mitigation measures may be appropriate. Police
Scotland have already confirmed that none of the fatal collisions were caused by excessive
speed or overtaking manoeuvres.
- - - - - - -
It seems the average speed cameras have worked in cutting casualties and traffic interruptions due to incidents. That's a depressing thought as it means the damn thins will probably spread.
Chris.
wc98 said:
they have stopped the main cause of the serious accidents ,ill considered overtaking attempts .turning it all to dual carriageway would have achieved the same outcome .more expensive in the short term though,and we are all about short termism these days.
you say that like it was possible to convert the whole road to dual in the space of a couple of years. I'm no engineer or project manager but I could see it taking at least 10-15 years from start to finish to complete a dual from perth to Inverness. I remember taking part in the hustings for the AWPR and that must have been nearly 15 years ago now, certainly at least ten.I'll add that in my experience, the A9 is now a far better road to drive with traffic a lot better spaced out and I fully support the average speed cameras and the way they are deployed several miles apart to allow for a bit of high speed overtaking where it might be necessary. Still a bit hairy at the dual sections nearer Perth though.
ModernAndy said:
wc98 said:
they have stopped the main cause of the serious accidents ,ill considered overtaking attempts .turning it all to dual carriageway would have achieved the same outcome .more expensive in the short term though,and we are all about short termism these days.
you say that like it was possible to convert the whole road to dual in the space of a couple of years. I'm no engineer or project manager but I could see it taking at least 10-15 years from start to finish to complete a dual from perth to Inverness. I remember taking part in the hustings for the AWPR and that must have been nearly 15 years ago now, certainly at least ten.I'll add that in my experience, the A9 is now a far better road to drive with traffic a lot better spaced out and I fully support the average speed cameras and the way they are deployed several miles apart to allow for a bit of high speed overtaking where it might be necessary. Still a bit hairy at the dual sections nearer Perth though.
The A9 report does not contain any measurement of the effect of site-selection (also known as regression to the mean), the figures are not adjusted for trends, and there are no estimates of the effects of other safety work that was completed. The entire casualty reductions may therefore have had nothing to do with the cameras.
We must conclude that the A9 report does not present any evidence that the average speed cameras have resulted in any casualty reduction.
Average speed cameras seem to be all the fashion at the moment with many more being installed yet we still have no evidence of any road safety benefit. We need to start using an evidence-led approach where all road safety interventions are deployed within scientific trials. Scientific trials are simple, they are cheaper than trying to produce estimates and, most importantly, scientific trials are the most accurate test.
http://speedcamerareport.co.uk/02_scientific_trial...
We demand that every other safety product is proved to be safe and that the benefits claimed are real, why should the products sold to us by the authorities not meet the same high standards?
We must conclude that the A9 report does not present any evidence that the average speed cameras have resulted in any casualty reduction.
Average speed cameras seem to be all the fashion at the moment with many more being installed yet we still have no evidence of any road safety benefit. We need to start using an evidence-led approach where all road safety interventions are deployed within scientific trials. Scientific trials are simple, they are cheaper than trying to produce estimates and, most importantly, scientific trials are the most accurate test.
http://speedcamerareport.co.uk/02_scientific_trial...
We demand that every other safety product is proved to be safe and that the benefits claimed are real, why should the products sold to us by the authorities not meet the same high standards?
Dave Finney said:
The A9 report does not contain any measurement of the effect of site-selection (also known as regression to the mean), the figures are not adjusted for trends, and there are no estimates of the effects of other safety work that was completed. The entire casualty reductions may therefore have had nothing to do with the cameras.
We must conclude that the A9 report does not present any evidence that the average speed cameras have resulted in any casualty reduction.
Average speed cameras seem to be all the fashion at the moment with many more being installed yet we still have no evidence of any road safety benefit. We need to start using an evidence-led approach where all road safety interventions are deployed within scientific trials. Scientific trials are simple, they are cheaper than trying to produce estimates and, most importantly, scientific trials are the most accurate test.
http://speedcamerareport.co.uk/02_scientific_trial...
We demand that every other safety product is proved to be safe and that the benefits claimed are real, why should the products sold to us by the authorities not meet the same high standards?
LOL, as they say.We must conclude that the A9 report does not present any evidence that the average speed cameras have resulted in any casualty reduction.
Average speed cameras seem to be all the fashion at the moment with many more being installed yet we still have no evidence of any road safety benefit. We need to start using an evidence-led approach where all road safety interventions are deployed within scientific trials. Scientific trials are simple, they are cheaper than trying to produce estimates and, most importantly, scientific trials are the most accurate test.
http://speedcamerareport.co.uk/02_scientific_trial...
We demand that every other safety product is proved to be safe and that the benefits claimed are real, why should the products sold to us by the authorities not meet the same high standards?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occam%27s_razor
tapereel said:
well who would have thought it?
Come on Steve, you're an expert when it comes to the manipulation of statistics. Surely you'd realise that the cameras aren't as effective as claimed?The figures are misleading with the number of fatal accidents on the Perth to Inverness section rising from four in 2013 to six within the 12 month period from November 2014 – October 2015. In at least three of these six incidents, Police Scotland stated that initial findings revealed that neither excessive speed nor overtaking was a contributory factor.
To argue that speed cameras are making the road much safer because none of those deaths happened during the second half of 2015, is more than a little facile.
The road hasn’t suddenly become safer since July 2015. In fact, there was another death just two weeks ago on the dual carriageway section south of Dunkeld.
Suddenly the zero deaths statement sounds decidedly hollow.....
Taxi for Steve Callaghan!
Nigel Worc's said:
I'm open to be very wrong and things could have changed, but that was England & Wales, not Scottyland.
You are indeed mistaken. The limit for HGVs on the single carriageway sections of the A9 between Perth and Inverness has been increased to 50mph for a trial period. Cat
Cat said:
Nigel Worc's said:
I'm open to be very wrong and things could have changed, but that was England & Wales, not Scottyland.
You are indeed mistaken. The limit for HGVs on the single carriageway sections of the A9 between Perth and Inverness has been increased to 50mph for a trial period. Cat
When did Scotland come into line ?
Nigel Worc's said:
I clearly remember seeing the signs on the M74 reminding drivers that the limit was changing in England and Wales (and they specified England and Wales) , just before the changes took place, and I think I saw the signs still being displayed in the Highlands August time last year, that say 7.5 tons 40 MPH.
When did Scotland come into line ?
Scotland hasn't come into line. The limit on the A9 was increased in October 2014 for a trial period. When did Scotland come into line ?
Cat
Cat said:
Nigel Worc's said:
I clearly remember seeing the signs on the M74 reminding drivers that the limit was changing in England and Wales (and they specified England and Wales) , just before the changes took place, and I think I saw the signs still being displayed in the Highlands August time last year, that say 7.5 tons 40 MPH.
When did Scotland come into line ?
Scotland hasn't come into line. The limit on the A9 was increased in October 2014 for a trial period. When did Scotland come into line ?
Cat
There'll be no possibility of any confusion there then, ever !
I have travelled the A9 from Inverness going to Edinburgh and Glasgow regularly since 1978/79 when lots of the old road was still in use, I could allways cover the Inverness to Perth section in 2 hours, since the introduction of the average speed cameras and the raising of the HGV limit it now takes me 2 hours 15 minutes.
wc98 said:
they have stopped the main cause of the serious accidents ,ill considered overtaking attempts .turning it all to dual carriageway would have achieved the same outcome .more expensive in the short term though,and we are all about short termism these days.
Making it all dual carriageway has started. Gassing Station | Speed, Plod & the Law | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff