Safe Speed Forums

As a result of the 3-year accident statistics for the Wiltshire M4 enforcement being published and appearing to show a 40% reduction in accidents, Thames Valley has decided they are now going to start enforcing all the motorways in their region...


Motorway speed enforcement to cut collisions

Rising numbers of casualties and collision on the motorways has prompted the Thames Valley Safer Road Partnership to take action.

The group, made up of police, the Highways Agency and local Highway Authority partners is sending out a fleet of speed enforcement vehicles which will operate from highly visible locations on bridges over the carriageway at sites across the motorway network.

"Up until now the partnership has not run speed enforcement on free flowing unrestricted motorway," said Dan Campsall, speaking for the safer roads partnership.
"Rising casualties and evidence of the success of enforcement measures means it makes sense to introduce enforcement."

More than 1,000 people are injured on motorways in the Thames Valley each year.
Casualties rose for the fourth successive year in 2007 and are at the highest level since 2000.

Road Safety Sergeant Chris Appleby explained that mile for mile motorways are some of the safest road, but the speed people are travelling means collisions are often serious.
"Unfortunately, when it does go wrong at 80mph the consequences are devastating often resulting in lost and ruined lives,” he said.

link to article


First speed cameras on M40
9:32pm Tuesday 21st October 2008

Speed cameras were out for the first time today on the M40.

Thames Valley Safer Roads Partnership has started parking speed camera vans on bridges over the motorway in Oxfordshire.

But the roads partnership will not install signs warning drivers of the enforcement as it is too expensive.

Spokesman Dan Campsall said the signs would cost up to £25,000 each to buy and install.

The enforcement follows an increase in accidents and deaths on the M40 for the fourth successive year.

There have been five deaths and 39 serious injuries on the motorway in Oxfordshire this year alone.

Claire Benson, head of specialist units road policing, said: "We believe that as part of the overall package of road safety measures, speed enforcement will help to reverse the current trends and reduce casualties on the motorway."

Andrew Howard, head of road safety at AA, said signs should be installed to stop motorists’ claims that the safety partnership is out to fine drivers, not encourage them to slow down.

He said: "The idea should be to deter people from speeding, not to catch speeders.

"The first most people will be aware the motorway is being enforced is when fines land on their doorstep."

From tomorrow, anyone caught speeding on the M40 will face a £60 fine and three penalty points.

link to article

You'd think that Sgt Appleby would realise that if it "goes wrong" at 65mph there will be devastating consequences. There in nothing magic about 70mph.

IMO this just shows the deterioration in driving standards which is occurring. Didn't you drive at 85mph on the motorway (like everyone else) in 2000 or were you going more slowly and safely then?

_________________
Malcolm W.
The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not represent the views of Safespeed.

Motorway camera vans probably do help to prevent some accidents, by reducing the speed of the fastest 10% of drivers, who do drive too fast for their abilities and cause accidents.

But what's fairly certain is that if the speed limit was increased to 80 mph and the cameras left in place, there wouldn't magically be more accidents than at 70 -- so really, if they're going to start using cameras on motorways widely, the limit needs to be raised.

The irony about this news is that they've said that no camera warning signs will be used, which means people will brake sharply when they suddenly see an unexpected talivan -- especially out-of-town drivers just passing through who wouldn't be expecting it.

[quote="orange"]

unexpected talivan --quote]

FOR TALIVAN READ -"ANY VAN (OF ANY COLOUR) PARKED ON A BRIDGE ABOVE A MOTORWAY "

So - we expect to see an increase in shunt incidents- as folks break to preserve their licence,on MOTORWAYS.And possibly an increase in the distance that the scamers are operating from

_________________
lets bring sanity back to speed limits.
Drivers are like donkeys -they respond best to a carrot, not a stick .Road safety experts are like Asses - best kept covered up ,or sat on

Are they gold plated then or has the cost of aluminium really gone up by that much recently?

Mike.

_________________
www.misspelled-signs.com - A tribute to illiterate signwriters.

If they haven’t been enforcing on motorways then what evidence are they using to justify enforcement and, casting blame on speeding motorist.



I wonder what percentage of those 1000 peoples injuries you could have put speeding down as a facture to the accidents that the caused the injuries.



So if the motorways are some of the safesest roads it can't be down to speeding motorists, it's just that when things go wrong. There’s nothing new there then, it can all go wrong anywhere on the public roads and at any speed which can end with devastating results in lost and ruined lives.

Once again they’re using their usual spiel to justify the use of speed cameras on motorways and, make people lives a further misery.

_________________
Useless laws weaken necessary laws.

OK found this on Wiltshire & Swindon SCP site.



We all know how they can fiddle the KSI's so that leaves the Fatalities. I wonder how many of those killed (or injured) was due to speed being the cause of the accident. The figures are also taken over a 6 year period and only run to 30th June, what happened to the rest of the year to September? I'd be interest to see a year by year breakdown of those figures. RTTM springs to mind.

Anyway we all now know what Swindon council think about "safety" cameras don't we, but then their jobs don't depend on revenue from "safety" cameras do they.

_________________
Useless laws weaken necessary laws.

_________________
The world runs on oil, period. No other substance can compete when it comes to energy density, flexibility, ease of handling, ease of transportation. If oil didn’t exist we would have to invent it.”

56 years after it was decided it was needed, the Bedford Bypass is nearing completion. The last single carriageway length of it.We have the most photogenic mayor though, always being photographed doing nothing

Cost of labour to install from ordering the sign, making it and installing it.


Does a van work? Don't know. We do not have many problems enforcing with both unmarked and unmarked cars on our stretch of the A1(M) and folk can be tempted up to some daft speeds to be honest.

We manage within budget anyway. Must be doing something right then!

_________________
Take with a chuckle or a grain of salt
Drive without COAST and it's all your own fault!

A SMILE is a curve that sets everything straight (P Diller).

A Smiley Per post
FINES USfor our COAST!

Approach love and cooking with reckless abandon - but driving with a smile and a COAST calm mind.

From the plan:



Someone's telling porkies

_________________
Useless laws weaken necessary laws.

I was interested in the variable count:



And:



And when this report disappears, as it will, I have it saved !

_________________
The world runs on oil, period. No other substance can compete when it comes to energy density, flexibility, ease of handling, ease of transportation. If oil didn’t exist we would have to invent it.”

56 years after it was decided it was needed, the Bedford Bypass is nearing completion. The last single carriageway length of it.We have the most photogenic mayor though, always being photographed doing nothing

ABD PR 449 is a bit old now but contains some interesting data. If very few KSIs were caused by speeding, why would the cameras improve matters so much?

http://www.abd.org.uk/pr/449.htm

_________________
Malcolm W.
The views expressed in this post are personal opinions and do not represent the views of Safespeed.

If a single sign costs £25,000, then just how much is it costing to put up those pointless signs every half a kilometre (humm, metric, i wonder who mandated them?) on our motorways telling us how far we are from their "start"?????

And not just motorways - A-roads as well (e.g. the A38).

mb

Call me cynical but if other local authorities follow the lead of Swindon then funding for the SCP industry will need to be found elsewhere. Cue, The HIghways Agency, direct government funding, no fear of elected representatives making the wrong decision.

#
Well NHS Trusts are part of this pratnership. I would love the cash allocation donated on behalf of NHS be spent on NHS instead


Amount paid on behalf of police would also buy us a few more officers too.

Disband the SCPS and go back to the tried and tested

_________________
If you want to get to heaven - you have to raise a little hell!

Smilies are contagious
They are just like the flu
We use our smilies on YOU today
Now Good Causes are smiling too!

KEEP SMILING
It makes folk wonder just what you REALLY got up to last night!

Smily to penny.. penny to pound
safespeed prospers-smiles all round! !
But the real message? SMILE.. GO ON ! DO IT! and the world will smile with you!
Enjoy life! You only have the one bite at it.

But where would all the staff find work ?
Are there any jobs for under qualified sadists ?
On the good side, the mags courts would be no longer be part of the scam.....

_________________
The world runs on oil, period. No other substance can compete when it comes to energy density, flexibility, ease of handling, ease of transportation. If oil didn’t exist we would have to invent it.”

56 years after it was decided it was needed, the Bedford Bypass is nearing completion. The last single carriageway length of it.We have the most photogenic mayor though, always being photographed doing nothing