Safe Speed Forums

'Yellow Vultures' to target speeders
Published Date: 11 April 2010 By David Leask

ROAD safety chiefs have signalled a huge roll-out of average-speed cameras across Scotland after research showed they led to a dramatic fall in speeding offences.
Sources close to Transport Scotland, the agency responsible for trunk roads, yesterday said they were calculating costs and identifying potential sites for the technology, which the police regard as life-saving.

The case for more Yellow Vultures – as they are nicknamed – has been given a boost by a steep drop in their price. A single set of average-speed cameras used to cost £1 million but now they can be bought up for as little as £200,000.
There are currently two Vulture systems in Scotland, on the A77 from Glasgow to Ayr, where systems are designed to keep speeds down to 50pm on a 32-mile stretch of the once notorious road, and on the A80.

Roads thought most likely to be among the first to get new average-speed cameras include stretches of the A82 from Glasgow to Fort William, the A1 from Edinburgh to Berwick, the A9 from Perth to Inverness, the A90 north of Aberdeen and the A72 in the Borders.

Transport Scotland has signalled it favours more of the cameras, which are designed to catch motorists who try to get round the current single cameras by braking on approach.
The second group of average-speed cameras were installed on the A80 last November.
Before they went up, police were snaring up to 100 drivers a day for failing to slow down for the roadworks. More than 600 were reported to the procurator-fiscal on serious speeding charges in the six months up to November. Since then, only 26 have been caught speeding by the cameras.

Jim Dale of the Scottish Safety Camera Programme, "We are working with Transport Scotland to look at criteria that would allow us to make a business case for more."

Jim Dale of the Scottish Safety Camera Programme, "We are working with Transport Scotland to look at criteria that would allow us to make a business case for more."

ROAD safety chiefs have signalled a huge roll-out of average-speed cameras across Scotland after research showed they led to a dramatic fall in speeding offences.

This would be a tragedy to Road Safety. With so many people admitting to driving at over the Posted Limit, where is the mass increase in accidents that we might expect when so many (75%) of people still 'speed'. Note that many speed limits are then reduced as they set the speed limits to an 'average' speed than the FREE TRAVELING 85th percentile that was in existence for ALL the years when we had the SAFEST Roads in the WORLD. (We are now 5th / 17th depending on precisely what you compare.)
This would be a highly dangerous manoeuvre too, that will lead to many more inattention and frustration accidents. (Inattention & Frustration are the two MAIN causes of accidents in this Country !)
In particular the A9 (200 miles) and A82 already cause mass tailbacks from long queues that build up due to lack of overtaking ability and lack of road upgrades. There are often no alternative roads North - it is either one or the other. So they will hold drivers to ransom.
There were moves to try and make the A82 a 40mph, but instead they achieved approval that they can have a mobile camera unit on it anywhere, they so choose.
The 200 miles stretch of the A9 especially, (nearly half is one of the remotest roads in the Country), will invite frustration as many lorry drivers have already reported incidents of appalling overtakes, and this will do nothing to improve the situation.
Average cameras are shown to cause a -6% PIA (Personal Injury Accidents)likelihood, whereas the Police presence proves the better option by a +25% benefit.

The 'business case' too that Jim of the 'ScottishSCP' mentions is precisely right - it is a 'business' and nothing to do with road safety. Plus what 'business case' can be made if you do NOT expect to have many fines ?
Policing on the cheap by using Enforcement Cameras is NOT in the interests of Road Safety.
We foresee many additional accidents if they seriously consider this. We will do all we can to fight it.
C Armstrong. Safe Speed