SPEED CAMERAS DO WE REALLY NEED THEM?

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THE DEBATE ABOUT THE EVER-INCREASING RELIANCE ON SPEED CAMERAS TO POLICE OUR STREETS GOES ON UNABATED. ARE THE AUTHORITIES WINNING THE ARGUMENT OR IS THE ROAD LOBBY EXPOSING THE REAL TRUTH BEHIND THE MASSIVE GROWTH IN SPEED CAMERA USE?







The speed camera debate rumbles on with both sides claiming that the statistics justify their position and point of view. On the one hand the authorities, represented by the police, magistrates, local councils and government, claim that the increased use of cameras has reduced deaths and injuries at notorious accident black spots. From the other perspective, motoring organisations represented by the RAC Foundation and the British Drivers Association, claim that many more lives have been lost due to the reliance on speed cameras and the consequential reduction in police traffic patrols.



The motoring organisations have latched on to the fact that on average about 3,500 people die on our roads each year and despite the prolific increase in speed cameras, the figures seem to remain relatively constant. They go even further by claiming that before the wide spread use of cameras, the number ...