Safety Cameras Save Lives

Transport 1650 welcomes Transport Secretary Alastair Darling's release of the 4th Year Report into the Safety Camera Programme, which proves beyond all doubt that safety cameras have played a hugely significant role in reducing road deaths. The report has exhaustively investigated all mobile and fixed safety camera sites, and has found that the number of people Killed or Seriously Injured has fallen by 50%, which is equivalent to 1800 people being alive now who would have otherwise been dead.

Transport 1650 spokesman Steve praised these results: "With the release of this report there can be no doubt that safety cameras are saving lives day in, day out. The astonishing 50% reduction in deaths and serious injuries is a complete vindication of safety camera policy".

Predictably, Paul Smith of the pro-speeding, anti-child Safe Speed group said, "The headline results of this report are unbelievable. Dig deeper into the report's appendix and you find that once general road safety trends and regression to the mean have been taken into account, the real improvement due to cameras is nearer 10%. The fact that this section of the report has been completely overlooked by the press is a scandal".

Steve countered these misleading allegations by saying, "The fact that pro-speeding groups are having to resort to digging up technicalities in the back pages of the report shows just how much they want to believe that safety cameras are failing, and the lengths they will go to in order to make people to believe them. But, just like in Space Cadets, eventually these people need to accept that no matter how much they might want to believe in something, it simply isn't the truth".

Following on from the overwhelming success proven by this report, Transport 1650 is calling for additional cameras to be placed at all existing camera sites. "If installing one camera leads to accidents falling by 50%, there's no reason to think that installing a second wouldn't reduce accidents by a further 50%", contributed Steve. "The Government needs to adopt a policy of installing further cameras at each existing site until accidents have been eliminated".

Steve also welcomed the Government's announcement that all local authorities must review all their speed limits within the next 5 years. "The vast majority of road speed limits are far too high", he commented. "The maximum speed limit in urban areas should be 20 mph, with a relaxation to 30 mph permitted on rural roads and motorways. Now that safety cameras have been proven to be so effective, blanket coverage of all routes -- especially motorways -- with cameras is not only advisable, but absolutely essential. Any accident on a section of road without a camera will be blood on Mr Darling's hands."