Motorists like cameras but still don’t trust them

Eighty-two per cent of people now think it is acceptable for authorities to use speed cameras, however 45% think that raising income is still a main reason for their use, according to the results of the IAM’s annual speed camera survey.

The results show that people think speed cameras are beneficial to road safety. Eighty-five per cent of people think that speed cameras have helped to contribute to the fall in road deaths since 1990s.

Speed cameras are least popular in Wales where 32% of people think their use is not acceptable. The survey also shows that Wales has the highest rate of people caught speeding – In the last three years 27% of people were caught speeding or knew someone in the household who was caught speeding.

In contrast, cameras are most popular in Scotland where only 15% think they are unacceptable. According to the survey, only 14% of Scottish were caught speeding or knew someone in the household who was.

Generally, people find that speed cameras are more acceptable than five years ago. In 2007, 30% of respondents said speed cameras were not acceptable, a figure which has reduced every year to 16% this year.