RoSPA Press Office : Press Release

June 15, 2004
CAMERAS SAVE LIVES BY CUTTING SPEED

New proof that speed cameras are saving lives was welcomed by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents today.

An independent review of the first three years of the safety camera programme reveals a 40 per cent fall in deaths and serious injuries in 24 Safety Camera Partnership areas. This means that 870 fewer people were killed or seriously injured at those sites each year, including 105 fewer deaths.

The number of vehicles exceeding the speed limit at the camera sites fell by one third and average speeds fell by seven per cent.

Kevin Clinton, RoSPA Head of Road Safety, said: “The latest figures show beyond all doubt that cameras reduce the number of drivers speeding, and by doing so significantly reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on our roads. Cameras save lives - hundreds of people are alive today because of safety cameras.

“Cameras are particularly effective in protecting vulnerable road users such as pedestrians. The figures show the number of pedestrians killed or seriously injured at camera sites fell by over one third.

“But it is important to remember that cameras are just one of the weapons in the fight against death and injury on our roads. Cameras should be used to supplement the work of traffic police not as a substitute for them.”

Read RoSPA's Speed Cameras Factsheet.