Speed cameras are the bane of the life of the motorist in the UK, and so it’s no surprise to us that when the Labour government were in power, they managed to extort over one billion pounds by way of speeding fines from seventeen million drivers across England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland.

This year’s RAC report found that seventy four percent of drivers believed that speed cameras are there to raise revenues for the councils and the government rather to promote road safety as we are led to believe. And the RAC want the government to consider raising the speed limit on appropriate sections of the motorway to promote the flow of traffic and ensure that there are fewer accidents.

Supporters of the speed camera claim that they are actually saving lives on the roads as they cause drivers to slow down, but research suggests that they may have been the cause of over twenty eight thousand crashes in the past ten years. Experts claim that rather than promoting road safety, the cameras causes drivers to drive erratically, pay more attention to what is on the side of the road, and to brake suddenly when they see one of the familiar yellow boxes. More than eighty percent of drivers say that they are more likely to look at their speedometer when they see a speed camera as opposed to paying attention to the vehicle immediately in front of them, and therefore are at a risk of rear ending the driver in front.

A spokesman said: ‘RAC calls on all local authorities to carry out an independent audit of their speed cameras to ensure those that make roads safer remain and those that do not are considered for removal. RAC also wants the Government to consider raising the speed limit to 80mph on appropriate stretches of motorway under the right conditions.’

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