Skip to main content

Brake speaks out to support UK motorway speed cameras

Responding to reports that the UK Highways Agency is to roll out speed cameras on stretches of ‘smart’ motorways, road safety charity Brake has spoken in support of the proposal. Julie Townsend, deputy chief executive, Brake, the road safety charity, said: "Speed cameras are an extremely well evidenced, cost-effective way to improve safety and reduce deaths and injuries on roads where they are placed, preventing families going through the trauma of a sudden bereavement or life-changing injury. Put simpl
February 4, 2014 Read time: 2 mins
Responding to reports that the 1841 UK Highways Agency is to roll out speed cameras on stretches of ‘smart’ motorways, road safety charity 4235 Brake has spoken in support of the proposal.

Julie Townsend, deputy chief executive, Brake, the road safety charity, said: "Speed cameras are an extremely well evidenced, cost-effective way to improve safety and reduce deaths and injuries on roads where they are placed, preventing families going through the trauma of a sudden bereavement or life-changing injury. Put simply: speed cameras reduce speeding, which helps to prevent deadly crashes. Breaking the speed limit is risky and illegal, so only drivers who break the law will face fines."

The cameras are to be installed as part of the UK Highways Agency Digital Enforcement Camera System (HADECS 3) managed motorway project to support the implementation of mandatory variable speed limits on selected motorways, in an effort to keep traffic flowing and increasing motorway capacity. Police already have the powers to enforce the 70 mph motorway speed limit.

Related Content

  • Safer roads need safe systems approach, better infrastructure
    January 19, 2012
    Some developed countries are far from leading the way when it comes to making road infrastructure safe. In fact, says the Road Safety Foundation's Joanne Hill, they learn a lot from what is happening in emergent nations. A new report from the Road Safety Foundation, 'Saving Lives, Saving Money - the costs and benefits of achieving safe roads', makes some startling assertions about attitudes to road safety. Although concerned predominantly with the UK, there are some universal lessons to be learned, accordin
  • Less support for speed cameras in 2013
    November 19, 2013
    The use of speed cameras are supported by the majority of the motoring public, according to the latest research published today by road safety charity, the Institute of Advanced Motorists, with eighty per cent of motorists accepting their use. However, this is down one per cent on last year’s survey. Seventy nine per cent think that speed cameras are useful to reducing injuries, a fall of six per cent from the 2012 findings. There is still scepticism amongst the motoring public. Over half of drivers (
  • US road safety continues to improve
    February 7, 2012
    Road safety continues to improve according to the latest figures from the US Department of Transportation. The recorded data shows that in 2009 the US had the lowest level of traffic fatalities since 1954.
  • Increased automation is already improving road safety
    April 20, 2017
    Richard Cuerden considers how many of the technologies developed as part of a move toward autonomous vehicles are already being deployed as ADAS improve road safety. The drive to create autonomous vehicles has caused a re-evaluation of what is needed to safely navigate today’s roads and the development of systems that can replace the driver in many scenarios. However, many manufacturers are not waiting for ‘tomorrow’ and are already incorporating these systems in their new cars as Advanced Driver Assistanc