Lies, all lies!

I just came across a news article on the BBC news web site entitled "Speeds cut by cameras says report". The article itself made interesting reading, saying that "the average speed in 30mph zones dropped from 33.7mph (54.2km/h) to 24mph (38.6km/h)". So, what about the important questions - have these camera's saved any lives? Well, half hour spent going through DfT figures for the county in question, Northamptonshire, seems to debate this. You see, current accident statistics are grouped together into something called "KSI" or "Killed/Seriously Injured" so providing the "serious injuries" go down by enough, deaths can increase and speed cameras look good. So, to the Northants Police web site. They have KSI figures from 1994 through to 2005-06 which, again, look as if the cameras are working - only problem is that the figures for 94-98 are averages and there were a couple of statistical blips between 94 and 99 which make the figures look high.

Do a bit of research and you find one website showing actual death figures for Northamptonshire (http://www.abd.org.uk/local/northamptonshire.htm) which shows that, forgetting a blip in 1999, deaths in Northants are not going down and for most years since cameras have been used have actually gone up!

The DtT reports aren't really much better. In many cases they actually show KSI increases at some camera sites. Some of the "pre-camera" casualties are in areas where the speed limit has since been reduced but the reports don't say that. The reasoning behind camera installation is itself, in some cases, dubious!

What also isn't mentioned is that Northants police have made a lot of money from fines by using these cameras. Like many other councils they have staff specifically hired to run this scam. If cameras were scrapped they would loose their jobs. They're going to keep using KSI as long as they can because it shows that they're doing their job... if it were proven beyond a doubt that cameras don't work they would all be picking up their P45's so don't expect those turkeys to vote for Christmas!

If like me you live in Northants you'll just have to get used to the fact that the cameras are here to stay. You'll have to watch your speedo and not the road if you want to avoid costly points and fines... the trouble is that if you are involved in an accident you'll be to blame for not watching where you're going.

I only ask one thing though... if you see a speed camera, check what the speed limit is. There is nothing more annoying than following an idiot who insists that 10mph below the speed limit is the best way to not get caught. It causes impatience and impatience causes accidents!