Safe Speed Forums

THREE QUARTERS OF DRIVERS CONTINUE TO SPEED DESPITE THE GROWTH IN CAMERAS

New research released today reveals that three quarters (74%) of UK drivers admit to speeding with nearly half (46%) only slowing down to the limit when they’re actually in sight of a speed camera.

The survey, carried out by vehicle management company LeasePlan, looked at how speed cameras affect driver behaviour. The results reveal that for some drivers the risks of being caught speeding and fined,
or even disqualified from driving, is clearly not a big enough deterrent to stop.

Worryingly, 2% of drivers actually admit that they ignore the presence of speed cameras altogether with the hope of not getting caught, with a further 2% of drivers purposefully avoiding driving on roads with
cameras.

David Brennan, managing director of LeasePlan UK, comments: “These figures draw attention to the significant number of drivers failing to take road safety issues seriously. Speed cameras are designed with
safety in mind, but they don’t seem to be acting as enough of a deterrent to a section of the driving public.”

Speed cameras have received a large amount of criticism in recent months as they have been estimated to generate £100 million a year in fines. This has led to many drivers seeing them purely as a
money-making initiative; a recent poll carried out by the RAC found that 72 per cent of motorists thought speed cameras were "more about raising revenue" than safety.

David Brennan continues: “Clearly, speed cameras alone cannot be relied upon to enforce speed limits, so education needs to play a prominent role in promoting the importance of road safety, changing the
attitudes and behaviour amongst drivers that speed.

“Businesses that run fleets of vehicles also need to ensure their employees are taking speeding seriously, especially with the Corporate Manslaughter Act driving duty of care issues swiftly up the corporate
agenda. Alongside the potentially severe consequences of driving irresponsibly, drivers should also be made aware of the social, environmental and economic benefits of cutting down on dangerous driving.

ENDS