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| {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2019}} | |||
| ] with the group's initials.]] | |||
| ] with the group's initials.]] | |||
| '''Safe Speed''' was a United Kingdom-based ] that campaigned against ]s, claiming that it did so on the grounds of road safety. | |||
| ==History== | |||
| '''Safe Speed''' is a ] web-based road safety and motorist advocacy organisation. Safe Speed primarily campaigns against ] of speed limits, arguing that abiding by a speed limit does not guarantee safe driving, and that all motoring laws should be enforced appropriately and proportionately. It is regularly cited in mainstream media such as the ] as an opposing view on road safety issues. Safe Speed claims that they do not campaign against reasonable speed enforcement against drivers who are driving dangerously. | |||
| The organisation was started in 2001 by Paul Smith, a former computer electronics engineer, which ran from Smith's home in Scotland. Following Smith's death in 2007<ref name=MCN>{{cite web | url = http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/News/newsresults/mcn/2007/December/december-10-16/dec1407paulsmithdies/?&R=EPI-97560 | title = Safe Speed founder Paul Smith dies | publisher = Motor Cycle News }}</ref> the campaign was taken over by his partner Claire Armstrong. | |||
| == |
==Criticism== | ||
| There have been few formal studies evaluating the claims made by Safe Speed: | |||
| Safe Speed is a non-profit organisation which receives notable media attention.<ref name=SSjoin> | |||
| {{cite web | |||
| | title = Safe Speed Needs YOU! | |||
| | publisher = Safe Speed | |||
| | url = http://www.safespeed.org.uk/join.html | |||
| }} | |||
| </ref> | |||
| The name ''"Safe Speed"'' originates from one of its core beliefs, namely, ''"Always ensure that you can stop comfortably, on your own side of the road, within the distance that you know to be clear."''.<ref name=SSbackground> | |||
| {{cite web | |||
| | title = Safe Speed Background Page | |||
| | publisher = Safe Speed | |||
| | url = http://www.safespeed.org.uk/background.html | |||
| }} | |||
| </ref> | |||
| One prominent supporter is academic Dr Alan Buckingham, a specialist in family life and relationships at ] and a contributor to ].<ref name=SSbuckingham> | |||
| {{cite web | |||
| | title = Dr Alan Buckingham | |||
| | publisher = Safe Speed | |||
| | url = http://www.safespeed.org.uk/buckingham.html | |||
| }} | |||
| </ref><ref> | |||
| {{cite web | |||
| | title = Personal Profile For Dr Alan Buckingham | |||
| | publisher = ] | |||
| | url = http://www.bathspa.ac.uk/about/profiles/profile.asp?user=academic\buca1 | |||
| }} | |||
| </ref> | |||
| ] | |||
| == Paul Smith == | |||
| Safe Speed was founded by Paul Smith (1955-2007), who described himself as a former computer electronics ].<ref name=SSPR440>{{cite press release | url = http://groups.yahoo.com/group/SafeSpeedPR/message/440 | title = "Safe Speed founder gives up life for road safety" | publisher = Safe Speed | date = ] ]}}</ref> and an "advanced motorist and road safety enthusiast".<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.safespeed.org.uk/prindex.html | title = "Press release index and media information" | publisher = Safe Speed }}</ref> Since founding the organisation in 2001, Smith ran the project as a hobby from his home in ] for some time but in ], following a heart attack, he wound down his computer engineering business and ran Safe Speed full time, at some significant personal cost.<ref name=SSPR440 /> He continued to run it until his death on 13 December 2007, aged 52.<ref name=MCN>{{cite web | url = http://www.motorcyclenews.com/MCN/News/newsresults/mcn/2007/December/december-10-16/dec1407paulsmithdies/?&R=EPI-97560 | title = "Safe Speed founder Paul Smith dies" | publisher = Motor Cycle News }}</ref> | |||
| The campaign has been taken over by his partner of 22 years, Claire Armstrong.<ref name=SSPR440 /> | |||
| Smith was also a member of the motorists' lobby group ] (ABD). | |||
| == Safe Speed's claims == | |||
| Several motorists’ groups claim that there is no observable correlation between camera use and speeding fines, and improvements in road safety.{{Fact|date=December 2007}} Safe Speed claims that use of cameras actively reduces safety. A number of their claims are listed below: | |||
| * "Speed kills, kills": That the prevailing safety message “speed kills” is misplaced, and that setting a safe speed for the conditions is more important. | |||
| * "One third of fatalities are now caused by speed cameras": By extrapolating the change in number of fatalities between two selected years to predict the fatality figure had that year-on-year trend continued, Safe Speed reach this figure based on the advent of speed cameras in the early ]. | |||
| * Distraction: That drivers, fearing a speeding conviction, may be distracted from driving, overshadowing any benefits from speed enforcement. Safe Speed claims that a one second distraction could increase the speed of any impact by about 10 mph. | |||
| * Judging a safe speed: To apply an appropriate speed for the road conditions, at all times. To select a speed at which the driver can safely stop in the distance seen to be clear ahead. That the use of speed limits may reduce a drivers' ability to judge an appropriate speed. | |||
| * ]: That government claims of reduced casualties at crash sites are inevitable and do not represent real improvement. That is, the number of accidents prior to placement of the camera was abnormal, so the subsequent drop is statistically expected. | |||
| * Travel speed vs. impact speed: Safe Speed criticise claims that reduced vehicle speed increases pedestrian survival in the event of a crash. They argue that this is misleading, as impact speed is much lower. Safe Speed has lodged at least one (so far unsuccessful) formal complaint against public information films on this theme. | |||
| * "Cameras don't catch dangerous drivers": That speed cameras cannot assess dangerous driving or catch dangerous drivers. Safe Speed also notes that cameras do not stop drivers on site, as police do. | |||
| * Excessive speed unimportant: That 15% of collisions are caused by excessive speed, citing ] report 323 published in the 1990s (see appendix H). | |||
| * Traffic policing more effective: That traffic police numbers have decreased since the 1990s, due to the introduction of speed cameras. Safe Speed argue that police speed traps are more effective and can detain offenders on site. | |||
| * Camera accuracy: That there have been "slip error" issues with the accuracy of speed cameras including LTI 20-20/21 type cameras (]) and ] devices. | |||
| ==Questioning the case for speed enforcement== | |||
| In a report by the ] figures from 2005 show that breaking the posted speed limit accounts for 5% of crashes.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_transstats/documents/downloadable/dft_transstats_612588.pdf | title = "DfT Road Casualty Statistics 2005" | publisher = Department for Transport }}</ref> The report shows figures for crashes involving speeding are: | |||
| * Fatal crashes 12% | |||
| * Serious crashes 7% | |||
| * Slight crashes 4% | |||
| * All crashes 5% | |||
| The ] published a report that questioned the accuracy of the police ] reporting method which is at odds with data reported by hospitals.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/333/7558/73 | title = "Changes in safety on England's roads" | publisher = British Medical Journal }}</ref> The BMJ in this report concluded that ''"The overall fall seen in police statistics for non-fatal road traffic injuries probably represents a fall in completeness of reporting of these injuries."'' | |||
| == Opposition and criticism == | |||
| There have been few formal studies evaluating the claims made by Safe Speed. Safe Speed's interpretation of research has in some cases been directly rebutted by the authors of that research, including ] and Hans Jocksch.{{Fact|date=December 2007}} Critics such as ] have argued that Safe Speed is much more about speed than safety,<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.monbiot.com/archives/2005/12/22/paul-smith-and-safe-speed-the-self-exposure-of-a-crank/ | title = " Paul Smith and Safe Speed - the Self-Exposure of a Crank" | publisher = Monbiot.com }}</ref> and is part of a "culture of speed".<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.monbiot.com/archives/2005/12/20/the-anti-social-bastards-in-our-midst/ | title = " The Anti-Social Bastards in Our Midst" | publisher = Monbiot.com }}</ref> Reduction of traffic speeds in residential areas (including by use of ]s and so-called "]") remains a core road safety policy in the UK.{{Fact|date=December 2007}} | |||
| *] has argued that Safe Speed is much more about speed than safety,<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.monbiot.com/archives/2005/12/22/paul-smith-and-safe-speed-the-self-exposure-of-a-crank/ | title = Paul Smith and Safe Speed - the Self-Exposure of a Crank | publisher = Monbiot.com }}</ref> and is part of a "culture of speed".<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.monbiot.com/archives/2005/12/20/the-anti-social-bastards-in-our-midst/ | title = The Anti-Social Bastards in Our Midst | publisher = Monbiot.com }}</ref> | |||
| === One third of fatalities === | |||
| The "one third |
*The claim that "one third of road deaths are due to speed cameras" was disputed by the ] (PACTS) and by the ] which cite seatbelt and alcohol laws introduced prior to the 1990s, and recent increased road use and mobile phone use as better explanations for the perceived increase in casualties. Safe Speed's method of extrapolating from two years' data is also disputed.<ref name="which">{{cite journal | ||
| | journal = Which? | | journal = Which? | ||
| | title = Speed Cameras | | title = Speed Cameras | ||
| | |
|date=October 2004 | ||
| | |
| pages = 18}}</ref> | ||
| *] reported that the ] (PACTS) and the ] (NSCL) cite three studies which do allow for long-term trends, and which confirm the correlation between speed cameras and accident reduction. The magazine also reported that the ] (TRL) disputes Safe Speed's interpretation of TRL 323.<ref name="which"/> In particular they state that the study was dependent on subjective judgements of primary cause, and that many of the other primary causes listed also implied excessive speed.<ref name="which"/> Other TRL studies (e.g. 421 and 511) have examined the relationship between speed and accidents and suggest a strong association. A study of over 300 roads, encompassing several hundred thousand observations, demonstrated that the higher the average speed of traffic on a given type of road, the more accidents there are. The study also demonstrated that injury accidents rise as average speed increases (if all else remains constant).{{Citation needed|date=August 2009}} | |||
| | pages = 18}}</ref> NSCL also point out that Safe Speed's figures are based entirely on accident totals, rather than distinguishing roads with or without speed cameras. | |||
| ==References== | |||
| ] reported that NSCL cite three studies which do allow for long-term trends, and which confirm the correlation between speed cameras and accident reduction.<ref name="which"/> | |||
| {{reflist|30em}} | |||
| == Further reading == | |||
| === Travel speed vs. impact speed === | |||
| * DfT's "four-year" report. {{cite web | |||
| Hans Jocksch responded to Safe Speed's calculation of pedestrian fatality risk at low speeds stating that this formula could not be used for speeds below 40mph and asking for all references to his name to be removed. The page still exists and is still based on his formula.{{Fact|date=December 2007}} | |||
| === Transport Research Laboratory === | |||
| ] magazine reported that TRL dispute Safe Speed’s interpretation of TRL 323.<ref name="which"/> In particular they point out that the study was dependent on subjective judgements of primary cause, and that many of the other primary causes listed also implied excessive speed - however, excessive speed is not necessarily the same as 'exceeding the posted limit'. Other TRL studies (e.g. 421 and 511) have directly examined the relationship between speed and accidents, finding a strong association. A study of over 300 roads and encompassing several hundred thousand observations demonstrated that the higher the average speed of traffic on a given type of road, the more accidents there are. The study also demonstrated that injury accidents rise as average speed increases (if all else remains constant). | |||
| Safe Speed claim that these and other studies are propaganda.<ref></ref><ref></ref> | |||
| ==Further reading== | |||
| *DfT's "four-year" report. See Appendix H for discussion of "Regression to the mean".<ref name ="rep2005">{{cite web | |||
| | year = 2005 | | year = 2005 | ||
| | url = http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_rdsafety/documents/downloadable/dft_rdsafety_610816.pdf | | url = http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_rdsafety/documents/downloadable/dft_rdsafety_610816.pdf | ||
| | title = The national safety camera programme: Four-year evaluation report | | title = The national safety camera programme: Four-year evaluation report | ||
| | format = PDF | |||
| | publisher = PA Consulting | | publisher = PA Consulting | ||
| | |
| accessdate = 26 February 2006 | ||
| }} | |||
| | accessyear = 2006 | |||
| }}</ref> | |||
| *Dr Mountain's work at the RSS: http://www.rss.org.uk/rssadmin/uploads/3452_Speed%20cameras%20Mountain%20nov04.pdf | |||
| == Footnotes == | |||
| <references/> | |||
| ==External links== | ==External links== | ||
| * {{Official website|http://www.safespeed.org.uk/index1.html}} | |||
| * {{cite web | |||
| | url = http://www.safespeed.org.uk/ | |||
| | title = "Safe Speed" | |||
| | publisher = Safe Speed | |||
| }} | |||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
Latest revision as of 02:05, 18 October 2024
Safe Speed was a United Kingdom-based pressure group that campaigned against speed cameras, claiming that it did so on the grounds of road safety.
History
The organisation was started in 2001 by Paul Smith, a former computer electronics engineer, which ran from Smith's home in Scotland. Following Smith's death in 2007 the campaign was taken over by his partner Claire Armstrong.
Criticism
There have been few formal studies evaluating the claims made by Safe Speed:
- George Monbiot has argued that Safe Speed is much more about speed than safety, and is part of a "culture of speed".
- The claim that "one third of road deaths are due to speed cameras" was disputed by the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS) and by the National Safety Camera Scheme which cite seatbelt and alcohol laws introduced prior to the 1990s, and recent increased road use and mobile phone use as better explanations for the perceived increase in casualties. Safe Speed's method of extrapolating from two years' data is also disputed.
- Which? magazine reported that the Parliamentary Advisory Council for Transport Safety (PACTS) and the National Safety Camera Liaison (NSCL) cite three studies which do allow for long-term trends, and which confirm the correlation between speed cameras and accident reduction. The magazine also reported that the Transport Research Laboratory (TRL) disputes Safe Speed's interpretation of TRL 323. In particular they state that the study was dependent on subjective judgements of primary cause, and that many of the other primary causes listed also implied excessive speed. Other TRL studies (e.g. 421 and 511) have examined the relationship between speed and accidents and suggest a strong association. A study of over 300 roads, encompassing several hundred thousand observations, demonstrated that the higher the average speed of traffic on a given type of road, the more accidents there are. The study also demonstrated that injury accidents rise as average speed increases (if all else remains constant).
References
- "Safe Speed founder Paul Smith dies". Motor Cycle News.
- "Paul Smith and Safe Speed - the Self-Exposure of a Crank". Monbiot.com.
- "The Anti-Social Bastards in Our Midst". Monbiot.com.
- ^ "Speed Cameras". Which?: 18. October 2004.
Further reading
- DfT's "four-year" report. "The national safety camera programme: Four-year evaluation report" (PDF). PA Consulting. 2005. Retrieved 26 February 2006.