Young drivers 'more supportive of safety cameras'

Young drivers are the most supportive of speed cameras, a new study by the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) has found.

The research showed that 17 to 24-year-olds gave the highest approval ratings for the devices, having a more positive attitude towards them than many older people. Those aged over 45 were the least supportive.

Neil Greig, director of research and policy for the IAM, suggests the fact that younger have grown up in a “surveillance society” may have something to do with the results and that many people still think that the main job of these devices is to raise money.

The research also found that women are generally more supportive of the cameras.

Speed camera technology

A new type of speed camera that works in pairs in order to calculate a vehicle’s average speed over a distance of up to 6 miles is to be introduced on British motorways and in residential areas.

The ‘average speed cameras’ are currently in use on motorways during road works, and following these trials the government is expected to use the new technology as a replacement for Gatso and Truvelo cameras, which measure speed over only a short distance.

A spokesperson for the Environmental Transport Association (ETA) said: “The stretches of motorway currently covered by average speed cameras are arguably the only bits of road in Britain where every vehicle is driving at, or below, the limit.”

“No traffic camera system is a panacea, but average speed cameras will deliver environmental and safety gains – particularly in residential areas.”

Average speed cameras

Using cameras to measure the average speed travelled over a distance is much more effective than single standing cameras – simply because drivers cannot speed up between cameras. Average speed cameras are also better than road humps. Road humps are often only cushions and larger vehicles can go over them far faster than small vehicles, which encourages some people to buy bigger off-road vehicles.