Injury lawyers praise speed cameras
Injury lawyers have announced their support for speed cameras, after road accidents in Herefordshire dropped by 37%.
The speed cameras have had a massive influence on motorist’s behaviour in the area, so much so, that crashes have been dropping steadily over the past three years.
As a result personal injury claims and accident claims have dropped too.
The reduction in collisions was also joined by a drop of 81% in accidents involving those killed or seriously injured (KSIs) and was recorded at camera sites across the county between 2006-9 compared to 1999-2001.
Across the county as a whole, there was an 18% decrease in PICs and a 25% decline in KSIs for the same period.
A total of 53 people have been killed or seriously injured on Herefordshire roads in the first five months of 2009.
Beth Fylan, from Brainbox Research, stated that one of the reasons so many young men were involved in accidents is because they face pressure to drive quickly and take risks.
Speeding reform
The new figures were released during the Safer Roads Partnership conference in Hereford. The group spent 846 ‘enforcement’ hours in the region in 2008, operating from 14 mobile sites and two static sites.
Rod Reynolds, from the SRP, told the conference a mobile camera at Aylestone Hill in Hereford had been removed as it had achieved a reduction in casualties.
The organisation has adopted the A49 as an enforcement route. It is seeking to enforce speed limits across the whole of its length in the county.
“We are trying to create a culture and understanding that we could be anywhere along a route,” Reynolds said.
Councillor Brian Wilcox, Herefordshire Council’s cabinet member for highways and transportation, proudly told the conference the number of people seriously injured or killed in the county had fallen to 93 last year compared to 133 the previous year.
“Road improvements can have a major impact on the number of injuries but this won’t work on its own and we also need to promote and support training for cyclists, motorcyclists and motorists so they put safety first,” he stated.
Herefordshire Council’s cabinet heard that the county will probably miss its 2009 target to reduce road casualties, following the relatively low number of such casualties recorded overall last year.
Lewis Hamilton, Formula 1 favourite, stated that speed cameras are there for a reason, and that driver’s should adhere to them.
“The speed limit is there for a reason and I think everyone should stick to it. I do.”He also spoke about having made speeding “mistakes” and how he had learned from these driving errors.
He added: “The message I would try and send out is take a step back and think before you act. You could easily make a mistake and lose your friend's life or your own life. It's about being sensible and making the right decisions. If you want to have fun, go to a go-kart circuit.
“On the roads it's not just you out there you have oncoming traffic, you have people crossing the road and you may have passengers.”
Injury lawyers have reminded drivers that they could claim compensation if they have been injured in a car accident.
Updated on 15/10/2009