Speed cameras save £8m in a year

Speed cameras across the Northumbria Police force area have saved health and emergency services millions of pounds over the past year, it is claimed.

The area's Safety Camera Partnership says fewer deaths and injuries at camera sites saved more than £8m - nearly double that received in fines.

There were three fewer deaths, 18 fewer serious injuries and 27 fewer minor injuries reported at camera sites.

The area's 45 fixed cameras raised almost £4.3m over the past 12 months.

Casualty reduction

Project manager Ray King said: "There will always be those who want to focus on the money issue, at the expense of everything else.

"Safety cameras play an important part in reducing the number of people killed and seriously injured on our roads, as these figures show.

"We would rather not be taking anyone's money to achieve an improvement in casualty reduction, but unfortunately there are some drivers who feel it's acceptable to break the limit, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary."

Mr King said the introduction of forward facing cameras at seven collision hot spots had a marked effect on speeds.

He added: "This year we are trialling vehicle activated signs at specific sites to determine their effectiveness.

"We will also seek to influence driver behaviour further through a combination of publicity, education and speed enforcement."