Safe Speed

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Safe Speed's logo, a roundel with the group's initials.
Safe Speed's logo, a roundel with the group's initials.

Safe Speed is a British pressure group. Safe Speed primarily campaigns against speed cameras, arguing that abiding by a speed limit does not guarantee safe driving, and that motoring laws can be more appropriately and proportionately enforced without the use of these devices. It is often cited in mainstream media such as the BBC in order to represent another view on road safety issues. Safe Speed claims that it does not oppose speed enforcement against those who drive dangerously.

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[edit] Safe Speed

Safe Speed is a non-profit organisation which receives notable media attention.[1] The name "Safe Speed" originates from one of its core beliefs, namely, "Always ensure that you can stop comfortably, on your own side of the road, within the distance that you know to be clear.".[2] One prominent supporter is academic Dr Alan Buckingham, a specialist in family life and relationships at Bath Spa University College and a contributor to The Centre for Independent Studies.[3][4]

A GATSO speed camera
A GATSO speed camera

[edit] Paul Smith

Safe Speed was founded by Paul Smith (1955-2007), who described himself as a former computer electronics engineer.[5] and an "advanced motorist and road safety enthusiast".[6] Since founding the organisation in 2001, Smith ran the project as a hobby from his home in Scotland for some time but in 2003, following a heart attack, he wound down his computer engineering business and ran Safe Speed full time, at some significant personal cost.[5] He continued to run it until his death on 13 December 2007, aged 52.[7] The campaign has been taken over by his partner of 22 years, Claire Armstrong.[5]

Smith was also a member of the motorists' lobby group Association of British Drivers (ABD).

[edit] Safe Speed's claims

Several motorists’ groups claim that there is no observable correlation between camera use and speeding fines, and improvements in road safety.[citation needed] Safe Speed claims that use of cameras actively reduces safety. A number of their claims are listed below:

  • "Speed kills, kills": That the prevailing safety message “speed kills” is misplaced, and that setting a safe speed for the conditions is more important.
  • "One third of fatalities are now caused by speed cameras": By extrapolating the change in number of fatalities between two selected years to predict the fatality figure had that year-on-year trend continued, Safe Speed reach this figure based on the advent of speed cameras in the early 1990s.
  • Distraction: That drivers, fearing a speeding conviction, may be distracted from driving, overshadowing any benefits from speed enforcement. Safe Speed claims that a one second distraction could increase the speed of any impact by about 10 mph.
  • Judging a safe speed: To apply an appropriate speed for the road conditions, at all times. To select a speed at which the driver can safely stop in the distance seen to be clear ahead. That the use of speed limits may reduce a drivers' ability to judge an appropriate speed.
  • Regression to the mean: That government claims of reduced casualties at crash sites are inevitable and do not represent real improvement. That is, the number of accidents prior to placement of the camera was abnormal, so the subsequent drop is statistically expected.
  • Travel speed vs. impact speed: Safe Speed criticise claims that reduced vehicle speed increases pedestrian survival in the event of a crash. They argue that this is misleading, as impact speed is much lower. Safe Speed has lodged at least one (so far unsuccessful) formal complaint against public information films on this theme.
  • "Cameras don't catch dangerous drivers": That speed cameras cannot assess dangerous driving or catch dangerous drivers. Safe Speed also notes that cameras do not stop drivers on site, as police do.
  • Excessive speed unimportant: That 15% of collisions are caused by excessive speed, citing Transport Research Laboratory report 323 published in the 1990s (see appendix H).
  • Traffic policing more effective: That traffic police numbers have decreased since the 1990s, due to the introduction of speed cameras. Safe Speed argue that police speed traps are more effective and can detain offenders on site.
  • Camera accuracy: That there have been "slip error" issues with the accuracy of speed cameras including LTI 20-20/21 type cameras (Lidar) and GATSO devices.

[edit] Questioning the case for speed enforcement

In a report by the Department for Transport figures from 2005 show that breaking the posted speed limit accounts for 5% of crashes.[8] The report shows figures for crashes involving speeding are:

  • Fatal crashes 12%
  • Serious crashes 7%
  • Slight crashes 4%
  • All crashes 5%

The British Medical Journal published a report that questioned the accuracy of the police STATS19 reporting method which is at odds with data reported by hospitals.[9] The BMJ in this report concluded that "The overall fall seen in police statistics for non-fatal road traffic injuries probably represents a fall in completeness of reporting of these injuries."

[edit] Opposition and criticism

There have been few formal studies evaluating the claims made by Safe Speed. Safe Speed's interpretation of research has in some cases been directly rebutted by the authors of that research, including TRL and Hans Jocksch.[citation needed] Critics such as George Monbiot have argued that Safe Speed is much more about speed than safety,[10] and is part of a "culture of speed".[11] Reduction of traffic speeds in residential areas (including by use of home zones and so-called "Shared Space") remains a core road safety policy in the UK.[citation needed]

[edit] One third of fatalities

The "one third" claim is disputed by the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS) and the National Safety Camera Liaison (NSCL), which cite seatbelt and alcohol laws introduced prior to the 1990s, and recent increased road use and mobile phone use as better explanations for the perceived increase in casualties. The method of extrapolating from two years' data is also disputed.[12] NSCL also point out that Safe Speed's figures are based entirely on accident totals, rather than distinguishing roads with or without speed cameras.

Which? magazine reported that NSCL cite three studies which do allow for long-term trends, and which confirm the correlation between speed cameras and accident reduction.[12]

[edit] Travel speed vs. impact speed

Hans Jocksch responded to Safe Speed's calculation of pedestrian fatality risk at low speeds stating that this formula could not be used for speeds below 40mph and asking for all references to his name to be removed. The page still exists and is still based on his formula.[citation needed]

[edit] Which Magazine

Which? magazine magazine reported that TRL dispute Safe Speed’s interpretation of TRL 323.[12] In particular they point out that the study was dependent on subjective judgements of primary cause, and that many of the other primary causes listed also implied excessive speed - however, excessive speed is not necessarily the same as 'exceeding the posted limit'. Other TRL studies (e.g. 421 and 511) have directly examined the relationship between speed and accidents, finding a strong association. A study of over 300 roads and encompassing several hundred thousand observations demonstrated that the higher the average speed of traffic on a given type of road, the more accidents there are. The study also demonstrated that injury accidents rise as average speed increases (if all else remains constant).

Safe Speed claim that these and other studies are propaganda.[13][14]

[edit] Further reading

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ Safe Speed Needs YOU!. Safe Speed.
  2. ^ Safe Speed Background Page. Safe Speed.
  3. ^ Dr Alan Buckingham. Safe Speed.
  4. ^ Personal Profile For Dr Alan Buckingham. Bath Spa University.
  5. ^ a b c Safe Speed (31 December 2007). ""Safe Speed founder gives up life for road safety"". Press release.
  6. ^ "Press release index and media information". Safe Speed.
  7. ^ "Safe Speed founder Paul Smith dies". Motor Cycle News.
  8. ^ "DfT Road Casualty Statistics 2005". Department for Transport.
  9. ^ "Changes in safety on England's roads". British Medical Journal.
  10. ^ " Paul Smith and Safe Speed - the Self-Exposure of a Crank". Monbiot.com.
  11. ^ " The Anti-Social Bastards in Our Midst". Monbiot.com.
  12. ^ a b c "Speed Cameras" (October 2004). Which?: 18. 
  13. ^ TRL421 etc
  14. ^ TRL Fudge
  15. ^ The national safety camera programme: Four-year evaluation report (PDF). PA Consulting (2005). Retrieved on 26 February 2006.


[edit] External links