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Van insurance customers on alert over prospect of more speed cameras

02/04/07

The road safety charity Brake has welcomed the impending change in the law regarding where speed cameras can be sited, van insurance customers may be interested to know.
 
As many van insurance customers may already be aware, at present a camera can only be installed on a road that has seen four people killed or seriously injured during a three-year time period.
 
However, from April 1st 2007, this road safety procedure is set for an overhaul, which could potentially lead to more speed cameras being brought in across the UK.
 
After this date, road safety officers considering a speed camera application are allowed to consider range of different road safety incidents over a five-year period.
 
Explaining why it believes the news will help improve road safety, Brake has cited a report from the government in 2004 that suggested speed cameras have helped to cut the number of deaths and serious injuries by a full 40 per cent where they have been installed.
 
"We are delighted that the archaic rule where local communities had to wait for death or injury before their roads could be made safer has been ditched," commented Jools Townsend, head of education at the road safety organisation.
 
"Speed cameras are a proven and effective enforcement tool, deterring drivers from breaking an important safety law and rightly leading to their punishment if they do."
 
However, the news could potentially receive a different response from Paul Smith, founder of anti-speed camera pressure group Safe Speed.
 
Mr Smith set up the organisation to call for the abolition of speed cameras and has repeatedly argued they are a hindrance rather than a benefit to road safety.
 
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