Speed camera info to be made public

Full facts about the revenue raised by speed cameras and the number of accidents they prevent must now be published by all local authorities.

Road Safety Minister Mike Penning launched the initiative this week to publish figures showing the numbers of accidents and casualties at camera sites - both before and after cameras were installed.

Police forces will also publish the number of speeding prosecutions arising from each camera in their area, as well as force-wide information about whether offenders are fined, complete a speed awareness course or are taken to court.

Penning said: "We want to improve accountability and make sure that the public are able to make informed judgements about the decisions made on their behalf.

"So if taxpayers' money is being spent on speed cameras then it is right that information about their effectiveness is available to the public.

"That is why we want full details of accidents and casualties at camera sites, along with the number of offences arising from each camera, to be easily accessible. This will help to show what impact cameras are having on road safety and also how the police are dealing with offenders."

English highway authorities are now required to either publish or ensure publication of site by site casualty, collision and speed information for permanent fixed camera sites as soon as practical, and should provide the website address to the Department by 20th July.

The information should usually include annual collision and casualty data back to 1990 for the numbers of killed and seriously injured people and for all personal injuries.

The Department will set up a central hub providing links to local websites where the information is published.

The Highways Agency will publish site by site casualty, collision and speed information for permanent fixed camera sites on its network or provide links to where such sites are being included in what local authorities are publishing.