The history of speed camera deployment in the UK is described briefly. A discrepancy often raised in the debate is that despite an increase in the number of cameras, the overall accident statistics across all roads (i.e. both with and without cameras) have not produced the expected improvements. Research to thoroughly examine the effectiveness of various methods of speed camera enforcement by analysing impacts on driver behaviour and accident statistics, thus allowing conclusions to be drawn about which methods are the most effective, is outlined. The approach adopted aimed to determine the "sphere of influence" of speed camera systems, and addressed the question of how they are affecting driver behaviour today, along the routes in question. Digital and video speed cameras were included in the study. The work proposed assesses speed camera effectiveness at each site firstly by measurement of the speeds of a random sample of 200 drivers at key locations around the speed enforcement systems and secondly by analysis of accident data for time-periods of equal length before and after the installation of the cameras. Plans for extending the study are given. For the covering abstract see ITRD E126595.
Abstract