Speed Camera Alerts Reduce Speeding By 30%

[RobBrady]

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It won't come as a surprise to many, but research has shown that 80% of UK fixed speed cameras are hard braking black spots. More than 1 billion miles of driving behaviour data was used in the analysis.

It also won't come as a surprise that the research reveals a 30% reduction in speeding is achieved by those provided with feedback via personal dashboards or smartphone devices - such as our own CamerAlert Speed Camera Warnings.

This overall general reduction in speed is fine, but the telematics company Wunelli claims that 8 in 10 cameras cause drivers (those you would imagine who don't use camera warning alerts) to reduce their speed by 6.5mph or more over just one second, i.e. slamming on their brakes.

Analysis has shown that on average sudden braking increases on average by 689% in speed camera locations.

A spokesman for Wunelli said: "These findings question whether speed cameras are serving their purpose as a road safety tool or whether they are instead encouraging poor driving behaviour."

He added: "Driving behaviour analysis is now possible on a range of vehicle factors. If you wanted to identify which car driver is least likely to be involved in an accident based on the driving behaviour we have recorded, they would be the owner of an estate car, gold colour, four-wheel drive and about £10k in value."

The table below shows where the most hard braking events occur near speed camera sites in the UK, based on the number of hard braking events recorded within 50 metres of the speed camera in comparison with the number of hard braking events recorded within 50-100 metres of the speed camera.

The analysis was based on Speed Camera location data of 2012. The results are of over 5500 cameras analysed by Wunelli, the top 10 speed cameras were selected on the following criteria:

* Camera was not a red light camera nor at a railway level crossing

* Braking events near the camera had a low propensity to be caused by other local features, such as side streets, intersections

* There was a significantly higher proportion of braking events within 0-50m of the camera compared to 50-100m of the camera (Braking event cluster)

* More than 25 braking events were recorded within 50m of the camera

The 10 speed camera sites most likely to trigger hard braking

1. M4,Eastbound, near Boston Manor train station, London

2. Rochdale Road, Middleton, Manchester. South of the M62 and north of Slattocks Link Road (A627M)

3. Leighton Buzzard Rd (A4146),north out of Hemel Hempstead just past Piccotts End.

4. B5206, Shevington, Wigan. North out of Shevington on the B5206

5. Iver Ln (B470), Uxbridge, Middlesex, near Hayes, London. Just past Palmer's Moor Lane

6. Garstang Rd, Bilsborrow, Preston

7. Chester Road (A556), Mare, Knutsford, Cheshire

8. A4010, High Wycombe

9. Western Avenue (A40), Ruslip, West of A4180 junction

10. Watergate Bank, Consett Road (A692), Gateshead

Wunelli's key findings relating to speeding:

* 80% of the UK speed cameras investigated are creating braking black spots

* Motorists hard braking activity increases on average by 689% at these locations

* Women exceed the speed limit 12% less than men and hard brake 11% less

* Motorists are most likely to speed at 5:59 am and least likely to speed at 5:16 pm

* Motorists driving in 30 mph zones are found to be speeding 12% of the time and at least 18% over the speed limit

* Motorists in Caithness speed 36% of the time, whilst motorists in Greater London only speed 8% of the time

* A 30% reduction in speeding is achieved by those provided with feedback via personal dashboards or smartphone devices

Source

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Robert Brady

[DennisN]

[AliOnHols]

LO L!
It's so unique, I think that we would all crash into one another while we were staring at it.

I love statistics.
My ideal job would be either a statistician or a weatherman. Money for old rope!
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[Philip]

[dales]

No I don't think so.

It's because these cameras, which are causing hard braking, are probably the nasty ones at the very start of a (30 eg) limit which doesn't "feel" appropriate to drivers (especially 85% of them !!).

The sight of such cameras merely brings people down to around the posted limit, and isn't necessarily followed by acceleration.

Dales.
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nuvi 2599LMT-D, oregon 700, basecamp, memory-map.

[Kremmen]

I don't tailgate, but another reason to have the database running - to be aware of possible hard braking.

One road near me is 50mph but the number who late brake to 40 is quite high.

Round here, the statement about 'they accelerate after the camera' is certainly true
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[Bunty1948]

At the risk of starting another argument off, I notice that drivers almost always brake when they see a speed camera and not all of them are driving in excess of the speed limit. I was following one vehicle last week travelling at a steady 45mph in a 60mph limit. I must admit that without CamerAlert I would almost certainly have overtaken him as the road was straight, level and traffic free, however, I was aware of a potential camera site so I sat behind, at a reasonable distance, and waited till I could see if the camera van location was occupied. and yes you've guessed there was a bright white van waiting patiently for us. Then the vehicle in front braked and quite sharply. By the time he passed the camera site we were doing 35mph! There was absolutely no way that he could have presumed that there was any other speed limit in place, no street lights, wide clear verges etc. So why brake. It's a natural reaction. We almost all do it unless of course we know where they might be and are confident that we are within the speed limit.

I am also always surprised that almost no-one will overtake a police car either, even if driven well under the limit. I've lost count of the number of times I see a driver brake on a dual carriageway and then sit at an indicated 65mph behind or even alongside a marked police car causing congestion and frustration.

In my experience this is far from unique.

[actd]

[Guivre46]

I have referred to the A40 Ruislip camera several times. Not only severe braking, but swerving into different lanes as well. I have not yet seen in this thread any of the snippy comments from those who seem to equate criticism of speed cameras as some pathological need to speed.

PS: Apart from being black, my car is a 4WD estate worth about 10K.
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Mike R [aka Wyvern46]
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[Graculus]

Are we to believe these numbers? No, of course not. Both the article here and the source article don't indicate how the data was collected. Presumably it's from telematics systems in cars, e.g. those that insurance companies provide in some circumstances. So the vehicles being monitored are highly unlikely to represent an "average" cross-section of all vehicles. Maybe they're skewed to the type of high-risk drivers who are more likely to have such devices? Or rental cars where such devices may be more likely to be installed? Who knows. Without that information, nothing can be drawn from this.

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