A77 Average Speed Cameras
Young Driver Safety
Speakers
A77 SPECS
George Henry
Transport Scotland
Young Driver Safety
Brian Field and Mark Caldwell
Strathclyde Police Traffic Education Support Team (TEST)
|
A77 Average Speed Cameras
George Henry from the Road Safety Group at Transport Scotland started the evening off with an interesting talk on the introduction of average speed cameras on 32 miles of the A77 Ayr to Stranraer route.
Being the first Scottish scheme for average speed cameras, there was no shortage of statistical analysis of the impact on average speeds and accident rates. Designed by Amey and involving the installation of 40 cameras, the £775,000 scheme has seen an 80% reduction in accidents since its 2005 launch.
The technology behind the SPECS average speed cameras was explained using diagrams and movie clips. Automatic Number Plate Reading and infra red cameras allow the tracking of vehicles day or night through the zone allowing the average speed to be calculated.
A summary of the financial considerations explained the cost benefit analysis, and incident statistics revealed an 80 percent drop in speeding, and Killed/Serious statistics down from annual average of 12 to 8 in the first year of operation.
Members can find detailed information on the A77 scheme by visiting the official website at www.a77safetygroup.com.
More information on the SPECS system can be found at www.speedcamerasuk.com/SPECS.htm.
Young Driver Safety
The evenings second presentation was given by Brian Field and Mark Caldwell of Strathclyde Police Traffic Education Support Team.
The presentation included many hard hitting movie clips from advertising campaigns aimed at the target group of young drivers aged 17-25 year olds, who account for 23 percent of all road casualties.
"A disproportionately high number of road accidents involve people aged 17-25. There are obviously many factors at play here; inexperience for one, the belief they are invincible, another, and the pursuit of thrills." TEST.
"The Traffic Education Support Team is acting positively to reduce the number of deaths on Strathclyde's roads. Individuals and organisations are being encouraged to call to see if they can benefit from the team's expertise." TEST
The Traffic Education Support Team can be reached on 0141 337 1725
