http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/ ... ory=510786
Speed cameras 'are not working'
- Campaigner attacks their safety value
By Jonathan McCambridge
jmccambridge@belfasttelegraph.co.uk
12 April 2004
A LEADING road safety campaigner today raised doubts over the extension of Northern Ireland's speed camera programme at a time when many cameras are being removed in other parts of Britain.
The Government has already said that another six to 10 of the controversial fixed road safety devices will be introduced in the province at accident blackspots in the next six months.
However, hundreds of the cameras are due to be removed in England amid calls for a national audit of cameras and public anger that they are being used as a tax on motorists.
Northern Ireland currently has four fixed speeding cameras and a number of hand-held devices. The Belfast Telegraph recently revealed huge disparities in the number of motorists being caught speeding in different parts of the province.
Hardest-hit was Castlereagh with over 5,000 detections while Moyle had only 10.
Paul Smith from the Safespeed campaign recently made a presentation to MPs at Westminster about speed cameras and has visited Northern Ireland to argue that they do not increase road safety.
He said: "In Northern Ireland you are many years behind the rest of Britain; you are just starting to get the cameras when we have had them for 10 years.
"In those 10 years we have seen vehicles getting safer and safer but we have not seen large reductions in the number of road deaths so the cameras are not working.
"The number of accidents which are caused purely by speed is very small. By putting up more of these cameras all you will achieve is making motorists afraid of losing their licence.
"In places where you have these cameras drivers pay more attention to their speedometer than the road ahead and we know that over 75% of accidents are caused by inattention.
"The cameras put so much emphasis on legal speed that they allow drivers to think they will be safe if they drive within a certain limit which may not be the case; the real safe speed may be lower depending on conditions.
"The cameras also lead to horrendous administration problems and they are driving a wedge between the police and the public. People would rather see police patrols on the road who can catch people who drive in a dangerous way.
"Most experienced drivers know instinctively that speed cameras are the wrong general approach to road safety."
Mr Smith added: "When I was in Northern Ireland recently I did a presentation where I said I believed these cameras would not save lives; there is growing support for this point of view in the rest of the UK."
Police have said the cameras are intended to reduce the number of deaths at "clearly identified" hot- spots, and to encourage drivers to change their attitudes and behaviour.
Secretary of State, Paul Murphy, said recently: "The cameras are used to enforce speed restrictions in all areas where there is a history of road traffic collisions resulting in fatalities and serious injuries, or where there is evidence of speeding."
He also revealed that speeding cameras in Northern Ireland, including four fixed cameras on the Antrim, Newtownards, Springfield and Saintfield Roads, had raised £461,753 which is passed to a UK Consolidated Fund.