The number of people killed or seriously injured at sites where safety cameras are in use has fallen by 40%, Transport Secretary Alistair Darling announced today. This equates to over 100 fewer deaths a year.
The results come from an independent report evaluating the first three years of the safety camera scheme and coincide with the publication of details of every site where a camera may be used, including data on the reasons for their approval and the impact they have had on casualties.
The three year report covering 24 partnerships shows:
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Effect on casualties at camera sites - beyond the long-term downward trend
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There was a 40% reduction in the number of people killed or seriously injured (KSI);
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There were 870 fewer KSIs per year, including over 100 fewer deaths;
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There was a 33% fall in injury accidents - 4,030 fewer per year;
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There was a 35% reduction in pedestrians killed or seriously injured.
Effect on speed
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Average speeds at new sites fell by around 7% or 2.4mph;
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Average speed at urban sites fell by around 8%;
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The number of vehicles speeding at new camera sites dropped by 71%.
Other findings
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79% of people asked support the use of cameras to reduce casualties;
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The benefit to society through casualties saved is about £221 million per year.
Alistair Darling said:
"These figures prove that cameras save lives. The number of people speeding has come down and there has been a significant reduction in deaths and injuries at camera sites.
"Up to ten people are killed on our roads each day. We owe it to them and their families to do everything we can to improve road safety even further.
"Most camera sites have achieved good results. We will be asking the partnerships where results were not as good as other sites to see what more could be done to achieve the greatest casualty reductions."
The release of the casualty data coincides with the publication of detailed camera site data. This shows the location of every approved camera site and gives the road safety justification.
Alistair Darling added:
"We've published the location of every site where a camera may be used. These show why the cameras were installed and the effect they have had on casualties. The vast majority have delivered real benefits in safety and prove that the cameras are justified and they're effective.
"I have asked the partnerships who operate the cameras to take a look at the details of the sites. It is for them to ensure that the cameras which have had less impact on reducing casualties are needed and are still the best road safety solution."
The attached tables casualty reductions show the casualty reduction at camera sites. Table 1 shows the reduction in killed and seriously injured in the partnerships who have been in the scheme for 18 months or more.
Notes to editors
The independent report was commissioned by the Road Safety Division of the Department for Transport and produced by University College London and PA Consulting Group.
The three year report and data on individual camera sites are available at www.dft.gov.uk
For cameras installed before a partnership joined the programme the data in column G shows the average annual KSI casualty before the site was brought into the programme. This may reflect a period after the site was established. As such the camera may have already reduced casualties which the table would not show.
The pilot system began in April 2000 and lasted until March 2002. The eight areas involved were: Cleveland, Essex, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Nottingham, South Wales, Strathclyde and Thames Valley. National roll-out began with a first tranche in October 2001 and added safety camera partnerships for Cambridgeshire, Derbyshire, Lancashire, Norfolk, North Wales, Staffordshire and Warwickshire. In a second tranche Avon, Somerset and Gloucestershire, Bedfordshire, Hampshire, Leicestershire, London, joined the scheme in April 2002.
Casualty reduction for those counties appears in this report. Other counties have since joined the scheme but after the scope of this report. They are: From July 2002: Dorset, Kent & Medway, London (metropolitan and city). From October 2002: Devon & Cornwall, Hertfordshire, Sussex, West Midlands, Grampian. Joined 2003: Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Humberside, North Yorkshire, Northumbria, Suffolk, West Mercia, Lothian & Borders, Dumfries & Galloway, Tayside, Northern Ireland.
All casualty and accident reductions shown take account of the long-term national trend.
