Personal car accident and work injury compensation claim at Injuries Direct

The never ending debate between those that think speed cameras reduce road traffic accidents and those of the opinion that they are merely ‘cash cows’ could be put to the test this August as Oxfordshire County Council appear likely to remove all 72 fixed speeding cameras in the county, with other councils across the country likely to follow suit.

Speed cameras were introduced to the United Kingdom in 1992 and are estimated to have generated over £100 million in fines each and every year, until recently this went back to local ‘safety partnerships’ but now goes back to the Treasury who use it to fund maintenance and installation of the cameras and it is this funding which is now being reduced by 40% in line with cuts to other Government departments.

Because of this reduction in funding local councils are being forced into removing the cameras (some of the councils have suggested that they may retain the yellow shells as a deterrent a move that is sure to antagonise the average motorist.)

Natalie Hatswell, of the Devon and Cornwall Safety Camera Partnership, told the BBC that this would lead to “far more road traffic collisions and possibly serious injuries”. However the Taxpayers’ Alliance claims the evidence cameras cut casualties just isn’t there.

Whichever opinion you agree with the sad fact remains that seven people lose their lives every day on the roads in Britain whilst seventy one are seriously injured.

The new coalition Government does appear to have placed itself into a no win situation with this decision due to the fact that if the number of road traffic accidents increases after the removal of the speed cameras the public will be outraged at the lack of funding, however if figures fall or remain the same the question which everyone will be asking is why did we have them in the first place?