The research, carried out for the RAC Foundation by Road Safety Analysis, found that average speed cameras were permanently installed on 256 miles of roads at the end of 2015, in addition to those used on a temporary basis for roadworks. This is more than double the figure of 117 miles at the end of 2012.
Last year saw 12 new systems installed, bringing the total number of stretches of road covered to 50.
A large part of the increase is down to the installation of average speed cameras on over 98 miles on the A9 in Scotland in a move to reduce accident rates.
Richard Owen, operations director at Road Safety Analysis, added that a further key reason for the increase in usage has been the reduction in how much it costs to install permanent cameras – it’s now typically around £100,000 per mile, compared with around £1.5m per mile in the early 2000s.
He added: “Some of the old fixed speed cameras have been around for 25 years and they are based on 35mm film. They are coming to the end of their life and are starting to be replaced, in some cases with average speed camera systems.”
The next part of the research will look at the cameras’ effectiveness in terms of reducing casualties.
Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, said: “Unsurprisingly, the indications are that compliance with the speed limit through stretches of road managed by average speed cameras is high, but the acid test is whether accident and casualty rates have also fallen.
“Rightly or wrongly many motorists perceive the current ‘spot’ speed cameras to be more about raising revenue for the Treasury than saving lives, but average speed cameras have greater potential to bring drivers on side. Clearly a high compliance rate means a very low penalty rate and hence both road safety and drivers wallets could benefit from greater use of these systems in appropriate places.”
