Casualties Plummet on Camera Routes
Speed cameras are dramatically reducing road casualties at the accident clusters where they are located. This is the key message from the Safety Camera Partnership for Hampshire and the Isle of Wight in their annual report for 2003/4.
The report shows that the number of people killed or seriously injured at camera sites fell by 62% whilst the number of people injured fell by 35% compared to baseline figures.
Commenting on the report the Chief Constable, Paul Kernaghan, said: “The figures are extremely positive but the figures alone do not tell the whole story. Casualty reduction is the goal and guiding ethos of the Safety Camera Partnership. A reduction in casualties means fewer homes visited by tragedy and less human suffering generally. This is an achievement that the whole community can be proud of.”
Julian Hewitt, spokesperson for the Partnership, said: “Hampshire drivers should be proud of the fact that, by taking extra care at the casualty clusters in the county, they have reduced the number of collisions in which people were injured by 186 and the number of people killed or seriously injured by 57. This not only reduces the misery and pain for individuals and families of those involved in collisions on our roads but also saves money and resources so the whole community benefits”
Revenue received from fines increased by 30% and the running costs of the Partnership increased by 39% in comparison to 2002/3. These changes are accounted for by the increase in 2003/4 of the number of fixed cameras by 21 and mobile routes by 2 with the resultant increase in capital and administrative costs.
Dr Marion Sinclair, Project Manager for the Partnership said: “Camera enforcement is working and will remain a vital aspect of road safety policy exactly because it is proving itself an effective means of reducing accidents. We continue to take great care in making sure that we locate cameras where they have the greatest potential to reduce casualties. Thanks go to our partners and to the general public for their support. Working together we will continue to improve our road casualty rate in the year ahead.”
The Report is available to the public on the Partnership web site www.safetycamera.org.uk and is being distributed to police stations, libraries and council offices and other public outlets.
Posted: Friday, December 24 2004
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