PR350: Red light cameras not working (surprise!)

news: for immediate release

The Scotsman today reports that red light cameras are failing to prevent red
light jumping with steady numbers of drivers continuing to jump the lights and
trigger the cameras.

From the Scotsman:

Colin McNeill, the manager of the Lothian and Borders Safety Camera
Partnership, said: "This is really worrying - we are getting the same number,
month in, month out."

Safe Speed points out that this should be no surprise because the cameras
cannot address the main causes of red light running. Which are:

Observation failure. A driver did not see the lights. Cameras make no
difference because they cannot force drivers with poor observation to see the
traffic lights.

Judgement failure. A driver thought he could get through safely before the
lights changed. Cameras cannot improve judgement.

Criminals. Someone in a stolen car may recklessly and deliberately drive
through red lights but a camera will neither deter nor prevent.

Paul Smith, founder of the Safe Speed road safety campaign
(www.safespeed.org.uk) said: "This is depressingly typical of modern road
safety policy. Nothing is being thought through properly. A simple logical
analysis of the real-world errors that result in red light running soon reveals
that cameras are unlikely to make much difference."

"Everyone wants safer roads, but we will not get them until we disband the
incompetent partnerships and ditch the useless cameras. We need to refocus road
safety policy away from regulation and compliance and back towards skills and
attitudes."

"British road safety was the best in the world. Now it is institutionally
incompetent at the highest level."

<ends>

Notes for editors
=================

Scotsman article:
http://news.scotsman.com/scotland.cfm?id=1278312006



About Safe Speed
================

The Safe Speed road safety campaign is primarily the work of engineer-turned
road safety analyst Paul Smith.

Since setting up Safe Speed in 2001, Paul Smith, 51, an advanced motorist and
road safety enthusiast, and a professional engineer of 25 years UK experience,
has carried out over 10,000 hours working on the campaign with well over 5,000
of those hours researching the overall effects of speed camera policy on UK
road safety. In addition to those 10,000 hours, Paul has funded to campaign to
the tune of £10,000.

We believe that this is more work in more detail than anything carried out by
any other organisation. Paul's surprising conclusion is that overall speed
cameras make our roads more dangerous. Paul has identified and reported a
number of major flaws and false assumptions in the claims made for speed
cameras, and the whole "speed kills" system of road safety.

The inescapable conclusion is that we should urgently return to the excellent
road safety policies that gave us in the UK the safest roads in the World in
the first place. Far from saving lives, speed cameras are a dangerous
distraction.

Safe Speed does not campaign against speed limits or appropriate enforcement
of motoring laws, but argues vigorously that automated speed enforcement is
neither safe nor appropriate.

Safe Speed is very slimly funded by voluntary contributions to the web site.
We are urgently seeking improved funding.

The Safe Speed web site contains more than 350,000 words of road safety
analysis and information. We are seeking publishers for 'the book of the web
site'.

It has turned out to be quite an amazing story and there are opportunities for
journalists and broadcasters to explore how all this came about, what it
means, and where road safety has gone so badly wrong.



Contact Safe Speed - We have moved
==================================

description: Safe Speed road safety campaign
web: http://www.safespeed.org.uk
email: psmith@...
telephone: > 01862 893030 < Primary number
ISDN Audio: 01862 894772
mobile: 07799 045553

Location: North Scotland

We are always available for further comment on your road safety story.

To be added to our PR distribution list send an email to
psmith@... or visit our press pages at:
http://www.safespeed.org.uk/prindex.html

Recent press releases (since November 2004) are automatically and immediately
uploaded to:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SafeSpeedPR

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Note new address and telephone numbers
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