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MORE SPEED CAMERAS FOR BRITAIN
More speed cameras are to be installed across Britain, although
a hard core of reckless drivers continue to ignore them. And the
government is considering increasing speeding penalties, according
to transport secretary Alistair Darling.
Department for Transport (DfT) figures published on Tuesday indicate
roads with speed cameras have seen a 35% drop in deaths and serious
injuries. This means more than 280 have been prevented, saving tax-payers
£112m. The figures show no government could justify scrapping
them, according to Mr Darling.
The number of people killed or seriously injured in the areas around
cameras fell by up to 67% in Strathclyde, 62% in Lincolnshire and
53% in Cleveland.
But in Essex the number of deaths and serious injuries within 545
yards (500 metres) of a camera rose by 15%. And the number of injuries
near cameras in the Thames Valley rose by 14%.
Mr Darling said cameras in Essex and the Thames Valley might need
to be moved. And he told The Times newspaper: "We shall review
the level of penalty points and fines." Of the £27m in
fines paid by thousands of drivers caught on film in Cleveland,
Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Nottinghamshire, Strathclyde, Essex,
south Wales and the Thames Valley during the past two years, £21m
was used to buy more speed cameras and £6m went to the Treasury.
DfT officials say the fines can now pay for the number of working
cameras to double. At the moment as few as one out of every 10 actually
contain film. But the government believes drivers now accept the
need for speed cameras. And it hopes they will become common across
the country.
Source: BBC News - Web site, Tuesday, 11 February, 2003.
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