Roads safer with speed cameras, says survey

The public opinion survey, carried out by South Yorkshire Police on behalf of the South Yorkshire Safety Camera Partnership, also found that 80 per cent of people think safety cameras are meant to encourage drivers to drive within the speed limit.

Respondents were also asked what they thought of using mobile camera vans to catch drivers committing other types of offences.

Of those surveyed, 81 per cent thought that cameras should be used for recording people not wearing seatbelts and 91 per cent thought they should also be used to catch those using hand-held mobile phones.

Chief Supt Keith Lumley, chairman of the South Yorkshire Safer Roads Partnership, said: "At a time when the Government has announced some huge cuts to spending on road safety across the country this survey shows that the majority of the public in South Yorkshire are in favour of keeping safety cameras to help make South Yorkshire roads safer.

"Since the introduction of safety cameras in South Yorkshire during 2002 we have seen the number of people killed and seriously injured on our county's roads drop significantly.

"In 2002, 740 people were killed or seriously injured on the roads of South Yorkshire, in 2009 this figure dropped to 530.

"Every death is, however, a tragedy and we will strive to reduce further the numbers of people killed on our roads through what we know are successful reduction methods."

More than 3,000 people in South Yorkshire took part in the study, which also found that 55 per cent of respondents think cameras are the most effective way to stop drivers from speeding.