Proof speed cameras work! Or perhaps don’t….


Road Safety Minister Mike Penning has yesterday announced, that as a result of the findings of a working group he set up in January, local authorities and Police forces are going to have to provide all the info they have about speed cameras.

It’s all about transparency apparently, but it will certainly be interesting to see the results.
    
Figures showing the numbers of accidents and casualties at camera sites – both before and after cameras were installed – will be published by
local authorities.

Police forces will publish the number of speeding prosecutions arising from each camera in their area, as well as force-wide information about whether offenders are fined, complete a speed awareness course or are taken to court.

Mike Penning said:

“We want to improve accountability and make sure that the public are able to make informed judgements about the decisions made on their behalf. So if taxpayers’ money is being spent on speed cameras then it is right that information about their effectiveness is available to the public.

“That is why we want full details of accidents and casualties at camera sites, along with the number of offences arising from each camera, to be easily accessible. This will help to show what impact cameras are having on road safety and also how the police are dealing with offenders.”

English highway authorities are required to either publish or ensure publication of site by site casualty, collision and speed information for permanent fixed camera sites as soon as practical, and should provide the website address to the Department by 20th July.

The information should usually include annual collision and casualty data back to 1990 for the numbers of killed and seriously injured people and for all personal injuries. Local authorities which support camera enforcement financially should also ensure that a deployment strategy is published.

The Department will set up a central hub providing links to local websites where the information is published.

Let’s just see if cameras do reduce casualties. After the removal and then replacement of cameras in Oxon and other areas amid claims and counter claims, it’ll be refreshing to see the figures.