News: For immediate release

The Safe Speed web site maintains a doomsday clock for the future of speed cameras. Called the "Camera Meltdown Countdown" the count has been reduced to just 15 days in the light of  this week's press reports.

Like its spiritual grandfather, "The Doomsday Clock", the Camera Meltdown Countdown is not intended to be taken too literally. 

Safe Speed will alter the countdown to reflect changes in the evidence that supports speed cameras and the strength of public opinion.

Evidence that has emerged in the last ten days showing that "speeding" is not a large cause of accidents and that UK road safety is improving more slowly than any other country in Europe has prompted the latest adjustment.

Paul Smith, founder of the Safe Speed Campaign said: "Last year a large scale study by the Transport Research Laboratory told us that vehicle activated speed warning signs were three times more effective than speed cameras at slowing down traffic in areas of danger. If these signs are three times more effective, what on earth do we need speed cameras for?"

Paul continues: "The Camera Meltdown Countdown" is just a bit of fun, but the underlying message is of vital importance. Speed cameras have spectacularly failed to make our roads safer and must be scrapped as soon as possible before more harm is done."

The Camera Meltdown Countdown can always be viewed at http://www.safespeed.org.uk

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Notes for editors:

The History of the Doomsday Clock:
http://www.bullatomsci.org/clock/doomsdayclock.html

TRL report 548 that shows vehicle activated signs are three times more effective than speed cameras at reducing speeds in areas of danger:
http://www.trl.co.uk/static/dtlr/pdfs/TRL548.pdf

Commentary about the future of speed cameras:
http://www.safespeed.org.uk/cameras.html
 
 

About Safe Speed:

Since setting up Safe Speed in 2001, Paul Smith, 48, an advanced motorist and road safety enthusiast, and a professional engineer of 25 years UK experience, has carried out in excess  of 4,500 hours of research into the overall effects of speed camera policy on UK road safety. We believe that this is more work in more detail than anything carried out by any other organisation. Paul's surprising conclusion is that overall speed cameras make our roads more dangerous. Paul has identified and reported a number of major flaws and false assumptions
in the claims made for speed cameras, and the whole "speed kills"  system of road safety.    

The inescapable conclusion is that we should urgently return to the excellent road safety policies that gave us in the UK the safest roads in the World in the first place.    

Safe Speed does not campaign against speed limits or appropriate enforcement of motoring laws, but argues vigorously that automated speed enforcement is neither safe nor appropriate.    
 

Contact Safe Speed:    

web: http://www.safespeed.org.uk    
email : psmith@safespeed.org.uk   
telephone: 01862 832000 anytime.    
mobile: 07799 045553    
note: the mobile does not work well at our office. Always try land line first.    
Location: North Scotland    

We are available for press and media interviews.