The public’s perception of speed cameras must undergo a dramatic shift if the devices are to be appreciated as road safety tools, IAM Motoring Trust has said.
A survey of 500 motorists reveals that only 35 per cent believed that speed cameras are positioned at serious crash sites.
Less than half (42 per cent) of the people asked expressed the belief that revenue raising was not the main purpose of speed cameras.
From April this year, road safety funding for local authorities will be linked to the lowering of death and injury rates – a move welcomed by a member of the IAM Motoring Trust.
"Breaking the link between enforcement and revenue should encourage local authorities to deploy the right countermeasure for each road safety problem and use cameras only where they are the best tool for the job," said Kevin Delaney, head of road safety for the group.
"The government must ensure that the new funding arrangements not only fulfil the prime aim of reducing death and injury but also convince cynical motorists that, when properly deployed, ‘speed’ cameras really are ‘road safety’ cameras."
Public approval for speed cameras is currently at around 69 per cent, compared to 90 per cent in 1999.
