Will camera switch-off increase deaths?
* 72% say cameras don't prevent accidents * in a Whatcar.com poll, but * RoadPilot survey says 66% fear switch-off...
Many more speed cameras could be switched off as the Government cuts road safety budgets, but opinion on the consequences is divided.
A whatcar.com poll of more than 1000 site visitors shows that the vast majority of motorists think there is nothing to fear from a switch-off with 72% saying that speed cameras do not prevent accidents.
In another poll by RoadPilot, which can alert drivers to the location of speed cameras, 66% of motorists said they feared roads would become more dangerous following camera deactivation.
Whatever the reaction of motorists may be, Government studies show that speed cameras prevent accidents, so a wide-ranging switch-off would inevitably lead to more injuries and deaths.
A group of safety and motoring organisations has estimated that speed cameras save around 100 lives a year.
So far, very few cameras have been switched off, however. While Oxfordshire safety camera partnership has switched off its cameras, and other partnerships are reviewing their policy, 97% of speed cameras remain active.
