Lancashire's Speed Cameras - the "official" view

The Lancashire Partnership for Road Safety is responsible for Lancashire’s speed cameras.

As statements designed to rile the reader, this must rank fairly high. But, so say the Partnership, cameras, fines and tickets are used as a last resort for those who refuse to change their behaviour.

Launched in November 2001 the Partnership aims to improve safety on Lancashire’s roads through four main steps:

· The wearing of seatbelts and child restraints

· Non drinking and drug driving

· Driving at appropriate speeds, within the speed limits

· The non use of mobile phones while driving

I spoke to Linda Sanderson about the partnership and, following this report in the Lancashire Evening Post, and I asked her if fixed Gatso Cameras save lives and what average speed cameras would do for Lancashire’s roads.

Speed Cameras - The Good, The Bad and The Undecided

We’ve all heard the excuses, speed cameras are a stealth tax, they’re a money making “scam”, they distract your attention from the road.

But despite all the negative reports about Gatso speed cameras, the figures prove that they do save lives. In 2007 there were 139 fewer deaths on Lancashire’s roads than 2006.

This has come, however, with a 500% increase in mobile and static cameras in Lancashire, and the issuing of 502,000 speeding tickets, only 60,000 less than the total number of cars on Lancashire’s roads.

At a cost of between £20,000 and £40,000 per camera and over 4000 cameras on the roads, the cost to the UK Taxpayer is staggering.

Estimates by insurance company Swift Cover say that speed cameras cost the nations motorists £150million per year in increased insurance premiums, fines and tickets. There are also claims that speed cameras cause drivers to erratically “yo-yo” between speed cameras, only slowing down when a camera comes into view, and that when cameras are by the side of the road they distract the motorist.

Despite the proliferation of sites decrying speed cameras as either a stealth tax, a cash machine for the government or even a dangerous distraction, official figures support the fact that they save lives, and that the public recognise this.

Lancashire Partnership for Road Safety surveyed 401 Lancashire motorists and found that over half agree there are fewer accidents on roads where cameras are installed. Just over a third thought cameras were there to make money, but almost three quarters of respondents felt that primary aim of speed cameras was to save lives.


For a list of speed cameras in your area and a map of their locations, click here.

Picture credits:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/8106654@N06/2127948641/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pikerslanefarm/2428232674/