Safe Speed issued the following PR at 04:00 this morning:
PR570: Fatal error: DfT defrauds again as speed camera tension mounts
news: for immediate release
The Telegraph today reports of "Anger as fines from speed cameras soar" [1].
Astonishingly a Department for Transport spokesperson is quoted as saying:
"Independent research shows a 42 per cent reduction in the number of people
killed or seriously injured at camera sites - that means more than 100 fewer
deaths each year." But the implied claim - that cameras are responsible for the
observed reduction - is wholly falsified by the VERY SAME 'independent
research'[2].
Safe Speed pointed out this FRAUD within hours of the report being published in
our PR268 [3], yet astonishingly it is still being repeated 2 years later. The
research isn't even independent. It was paid for by Department for Transport.
Paul Smith, founder of SafeSpeed.org.uk, said: "Speed cameras have been a road
safety disaster. Despite millions of fines each year we have not even seen the
road safety improvements that we expected. Safer vehicles, improvements to road
engineering, improvements to post crash medical care and rescue are major
factors that are expected to lead to around a 5% reduction in road deaths each
year, even after allowing for the growth in traffic. But we have only seen a 7%
improvement in the last 8 years. This is absolutely terrible performance and it
is perfectly clear to me that 'bad road safety policy' is responsible."
"The problem with speed cameras is that they come with side effects. The cure
has proved to be far worse than the disease. Our 'side effects' report [4]
lists 40 different negative side effects caused by the speed camera programme.
But Department for Transport cancelled their research into speed camera side
effects [5]. I can only imagine that the initial results were far too scary."
"Road deaths are 1,200 per annum above levels that anyone standing in 1993
would have confidently projected. National road deaths should be down to about
2,000 per year by now - but there's been no significant fall for a decade."
"Department for Transport quite clearly know that speed cameras are a failed
road safety policy. They are extremely busy trying to disown them.[6]"
"I could not be more disgusted with Department for Transport. Not only are they
deliberately using misleading figures to defend the failed speed camera
programme, but also they quite clearly know that the programme has failed.
Instead of owning up to their mistake they are trying to shift responsibility
to local authorities. This picture of utter incompetence and the complete
failure to take responsibility is a characteristic of this government."
"Department for Transport is not fit for purpose. They would rather save face
than save lives. Their road safety policies have failed in spades but they
don't have the decency to admit it."
"We will not get British road safety policy back on track until Department for
Transport admits their fatal error and scraps every last speed camera."
<ends>
Notes for editors
=================
[1]
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jh ... eed104.xml
[2] Current url for '4th year report'
http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roadsafety/sp ... aprogr4598
[3]
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SafeSpeedPR/message/117
[4]
http://www.safespeed.org.uk/sideeffects.pdf
[5]
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SafeSpeedPR/message/314
[6]
http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/roadsafety/sp ... lyasked461