Speed cameras catch drivers who crash more.

Capt'n Midnight

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/west_midlands/4944834.stm

Crash risk is linked to speeding

The report shows speed cameras do catch bad drivers
Drivers who are caught by speed cameras are more likely to then be involved in an accident, a Midlands study reveals.

The research also reveals drivers with penalty points for speeding are more likely to have a crash than those with a clean licence.

The study was carried out at the Transport Research Institute on behalf of eight safety camera partnerships in the Midlands.

A spokesman said it challenges the myth the cameras do not catch bad drivers.

Professor Steve Stradling of the Edinburgh-based institute said almost 2,500 motorists were interviewed over six-months to get an understanding of drivers' behaviour on the roads.

He said: "We have been able to highlight the fact drivers who have been caught by speed cameras were significantly more likely to have had a collision than those who hadn't been caught - a finding which was evident among all groups, independent of age or mileage."

On Radio 4 the report said that while 40% of drivers had had a crash, it was 60% for those with 4 or more penalty points.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4871854.stm

The number of teenage motorists dying in road crashes in England and Wales has jumped in recent years despite fewer holding licences, figures show.

Young driver deaths stood at 113 in 2000 but by 2004 had increased to 151, the AA Motoring Trust research showed.

Those aged 16-19 holding licences in the same period fell from 41% to 26%.
...
Teenagers may be deciding to delay the time they start driving, a trend possibly connected to the rise in university admissions, said Mr Howard.

"More youngsters may travel in a vehicle as there are less drivers to go round. This makes multiple deaths in accidents more likely.

"Similarly, there is a smaller pool of drivers to be the 'designated driver' and stay off the alcohol.

"Much research has suggested that the 'car culture' - those young people whose lives rotate around cars - leads to a poor safety record," he added.

"As it is unlikely that those teenagers who are mad on cars will defer learning to drive, it could be that a higher proportion of young drivers now comes from this high-risk group."

seamus

I'm not overly familiar with the UK traffic system - do they put their speed cameras on cash-cow roads, or do they operate a very different system to over here?

That teenage figure is interesting - does that mean that teenage drivers are getting worse, or there are more scumbags driving unlicenced?

Victor

I heard Steve speak recently, very good speaker, well informed.

seamus wrote:

I'm not overly familiar with the UK traffic system - do they put their speed cameras on cash-cow roads, or do they operate a very different system to over here?

They have them all over the place. Something like 6,000 of them.

Capt'n Midnight

seamus wrote:

That teenage figure is interesting - does that mean that teenage drivers are getting worse, or there are more scumbags driving unlicenced?

Seems to me that there is a larger concentration of the type who argue that they can drive fast safely because of their "skills" :rolleyes:

Robbo

seamus wrote:

I'm not overly familiar with the UK traffic system - do they put their speed cameras on cash-cow roads, or do they operate a very different system to over here?

Speed camera partnerships are operated usually by the local constabulary for the county, the magistrates, the local NHS trust and the Highways agency. I believe it's the local police that have the most say in this one.

When I lived in Northamptonshire, they were very sporting about the mobile speed checks, they'd put up the list on their website on a Monday of where they were going to be for the week. Some counties are sparing with the cameras whilst others (North Wales) are known to be a bit OTT.

Also bear in mind the speed limit on a dualer over there is 70mph and you're in a minority if you're doing under 75-80mph on the motorway.

mackerski

Consider that one of the bigger driving sins is lack of observation. Observation is also a useful tool in the hands of a driver looking to evade a fixed speed camera. So I suppose on this basis alone you might see a goodish correspondance between accident-prone motorists and Gatso-victims.

Dermot

Aidan1

It would be also interesting to see if the figures were adjusted for total milage pa. Those driving very high miles will obviously be more likely to have penalty points and to have an accident. Ideally, the study should determine how much more, not just that there was a correlation.