And that certainly seems to be the million dollar question, following the recent statistics released by the Home Office.
According to their latest batch of data, in 2009, 935,000 people were caught speeding, by roadside cameras. And while this is certainly not an insignificant figure, it is actually the first time in over 10 years since this figure has fallen below one million.
In 2005 the cameras caught a massive 1.8 million people speeding, that’s almost double the number of motorists caught in 2009.
So why are we seeing these numbers drop? Have motorists stopped speeding, or are drivers just becoming more savvy about the location of the cameras and simply slowing down as they pass?
One thing we can be certain of is that these figures are likely to drop further as more and more cameras are being disabled across the country.
Many motorists will have noticed the number of speed cameras in their areas that have been covered over, or removed altogether. Last year, following the election and the newly formed Coalition government, many councils took the decision to disable the cameras in a bid to save money.
Robert Gifford, Executive director of the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety is also having difficulty understanding the drop in figures. “Are people becoming more compliant? Do they merely slow down for the camera? Has the emphasis on educational alternatives encouraged people to obey the law?”
“Whichever of these is the answer, it is good to see fewer people issued with speeding tickets”.
And he won’t be the only person happy to see that fewer tickets are being issued. In the past, drivers have been incensed by the increasing number of fines and points been handed out. Many blaming the government, accusing the cameras of an underhand way of collecting more taxes from the public.
Think Insurance, the specialist motor trade insurance provider, were surprised to learn that the number of people being caught for speeding had fallen so significantly. Garrath Hussey, Chief Executive at Think said, ‘It would appear that no one really knows why these figures have fallen, but whatever the reason, we hope it indicates that Britain’s roads are safer. We are optimistic that these figures will continue to fall, and hope it will be because less people are speeding, not just because there are fewer cameras to catch them.