Motoring News » speed cameras

Study says speed cameras do slow traffic

Alan — Sat, 09 Oct 2010 00:59:50 +0000

An international study of speed cameras shows that they directly improve safety and reduce road crashes. Researchers at the University of Queensland in Australia have studied speed camera analysis from Australia, Germany, United States, Hong Kong, Britain, New Zealand, Finland, Canada, Netherlands, Norway, and Denmark.

They found that the cameras reduced the standard speed by as much as 15 per cent and that they cut the percentage of vehicles that exceeded speed limits by as much as 65 per cent. The presence of cameras also lowered the number of crashes by up to 49 per cent and the number of fatal crashes by as much as 44per cent.

Even though the studies were in no way consistent, being from so many different nations, enough solid evidence was found to conclude that speed cameras not only reduce speeds but reduce crashes and fatalities as well.

The analysis also suggested that the speed camera effect is as definitive in rural settings as it is in urban ones. There was no great disparity of results no matter into what sort of area the cameras had been placed.

In general, the study concludes that speed cameras are a worthwhile investment internationally for slowing traffic and reducing crashes.

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Spain will use cameras to catch British speeders

Alan — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 03:03:36 +0000

Cameras have been installed in Spain that can take photos of vehicles with foreign plates and send them via wi-fi to patrol cars. Thus, officers can chase down any offenders and give them £500 fines on the spot instead of searching for a home address to send the fine notice.

If a motorist will not pay the fine, then the vehicle is immobilized by police.

The new cameras are placed in four popular holiday areas next to speed cameras. The areas are all extremely popular choices for foreigners and are areas where holiday goers make up about 50% of those on the roads.

A Direccion General de Traffico (the Spanish version of the DVLA) spokesman stated that outside of rare occasions, non-residents that are seen speeding usually do not get issued a speeding ticket because the country is not able to locate an address to track them down with.

The spokesman added that this is a problem in many countries in the EU and not only in Spain. He also noted that it is not a witch hunt against drivers from out of town, but that excess speed is the leading cause of about 33% of fatal accidents so taking extra measures to slow drivers down may save lives in the long run.

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Satellite speed cameras track your every move

Alan — Thu, 13 May 2010 02:02:05 +0000

Speed cameras that can send information back and forth via satellite are being tested undercover on Britain’s roads. The devices can track driver’s speeds for miles and determine if they have broken the speed limit during their journey.

The cameras combine global positioning satellites and number plate recognition technology so that tens of thousands of cars can be monitored across the network.

The system is called SpeedSpike and is used to enforce the London congestion charge allowing two cameras to in essence speak to each other if it looks as if a vehicle has travelled a long distance in a short period of time.

The trial was conducted nationally and was not publicly known until just a few days after a report showed that so far motorists have been fined around one billion in speeding tickets.

There are two test sites for the trial, one on the A374 in Cornwall between Antony and Torpoint and one in Southwark in London. The Conservative Party immediately questioned if such an ‘alarming’ level of surveillance should have been raised so covertly.

Conservative MP Geoffrey Cox, stated that it is always necessary to question if watching or spying on people is appropriate, and that at some point it becomes a comfortable routine, which it never should reach in a free society.

The cameras were created by PIPS Technology Ltd, an American company that has a business base located in Hampshire. The company boasts that its cameras can capture number plates 24/7 and in all weather conditions at a low cost.

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