New Report On Accident Causes

[Lissa]

Not sure if this should go in here, but it's not strictly a bike-related issue so if's it in the wrong place could someone please move it.

http://motoring.aol.co.uk/call-to-sc...29050509990001

[Stu]

Driver inattention - sounds like mobile phones could be a part of this.

Originally Posted by

Anti speed-camera groups are calling for a change in the Government's road safety policy as official figures show that driver inattention rather than excess speed is the major cause of accidents.
In the first report of its kind, the Department for Transport (DfT) published details of contributory factors to road accidents.
Covering most accidents that took place in 2005, the report said that failure by drivers to look properly was the most contributory factor in 32 per cent of accidents.
Exceeding the speed limit was the contributory factor in only five per cent of accidents and going too fast for the conditions was a contributory factor in 10 per cent.
Speed or going too fast for conditions were a contributory factor in 26 per cent of fatal accidents.
Five of the six most frequently reported contributory factors were some kind of driver or rider error, or reaction.
The Safe Speed campaign group said the Government should use the findings to scrap speed cameras.
It added that the DfT's "entire road safety policy has been based on dodgy data''.
The RAC Foundation said drivers needed to concentrate more, while the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents said the fight against speeding was "not just about cameras''.
The AA Motoring Trust called for "a greater visible police presence on the roads''.

Originally Posted by Stu

The RAC Foundation said drivers needed to concentrate more

Originally Posted by Some other statistical body that makes things up on the spot

Speed camera's serve as a distraction to drivers.

End of argument about speed cameras, IMO.

So the report basically says everything we already knew

Speed camera's != (Do Not Equal) saftey
We need more police on the road
It's numpties not paying attention or driving to the conditions that cause most accidents.

[Biker Biggles]

Have to see this from the politician's point of view.
Speed cameras are cheap(indeed profitable)visible easy technology and are a great sop to the "something must be done" brigade.
The fact that they don't work and distact drivers from more important issues has got nothing to do with it.
Enforcing full concentration or driving according to road conditions is neither cheap nor easy,so speed cameras it is then.