Cameras help reduce fatalities on NI roads

Deaths and serious injuries have almost halved on roads with speed cameras in Northern Ireland.

Deaths and serious injuries have almost halved on roads with speed cameras in Northern Ireland.

Roads which operate safety camera schemes have seen a 41 per cent decrease in collisions over six years. Four fixed camera sites had a 74 per cent fall in deaths and serious injury.

The Safety Camera Scheme was launched in July 2003 and is run by the PSNI, the Northern Ireland Court Service and the Northern Ireland Office.

There are four fixed camera sites, one average speed enforcement system (SPECS), 31 mobile camera sites and 33 mobile camera routes.

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In order to reduce the number of fatalities and serious injuries on the roads, cameras are placed at locations where there is a history of collision. Road signs tell drivers where speed enforcement is taking place.

Chief Insp Brian Kee said: "The number of collisions involving serious injury or death from July 1st, 2000 to June 30th, 2003 at safety camera sites was 563. From July 1st, 2003 to June 30th, 2006 there were 334.

"This is a significant reduction and we want to thank motorists who have slowed down and helped us reduce casualties across the province."

Mr Kee said there were 125 deaths on Northern Ireland's roads last year, which was still too high.

"Speeding is a leading contributory factor in just over one in three fatal road collisions. This is a shameful situation and it is all the more shameful because it is avoidable. Speed is not something to be proud of," he said.

Northern Ireland has the highest number of traffic collisions per 100,000 population, the most injury collisions per 10,000 vehicles and more collisions per one million kilometres than anywhere else in the United Kingdom.