Speed camera pilots fly high
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• The number of road accident casualties could be halved if the success of a pilot speed camera scheme is replicated by police forces throughout the country. The news comes as new Home Secretary David Blunkett slams the expansion of the speed camera network. He wants police forces to concentrate on violent crimes rather than targeting road users.
The scheme, launched nine months ago to identify road accident hotspots in eight police force regions, attempted to discover whether the installation of speed cameras at these sites would reduce casualty rates.
Ian Bell, Chief Inspector of Lancashire Constabulary's Road Safety Division, says the results have proved to be "very positive, with reductions in casualty rates as high as 40% being recorded".
The official figures are due to be presented to the Department of Transport in September.
An amendment to the recently passed Vehicle Crime Bill allows police forces to apply to the government for extra funding to install speed cameras in areas with high accident rates. However, Bell plays down recent press speculation: "Media rumours that there will be speed cam eras on every corner are untrue."
He also rejects claims from the AA that growing numbers of drivers are being wrongly accused of speeding because of errors in roadside cameras and police records (C/V17-13 June).