Transport secretary Alistair Darling has welcomed an independent report showing that speed cameras reduce speeding and save lives.

The study found that the number of people killed or seriously injured at sites where safety cameras are in use has fallen by 40 per cent, saving more than 100 lives a year.

Compiled by experts from PA Consulting Group and University College London, it also concluded that the cameras had prompted a 33 per cent fall in injury accidents and a 35 per cent reduction in the number of pedestrians killed or seriously injured.

The benefit to society through casualties saved was put at about £221 million per year.

And the number of vehicles speeding at new camera sites dropped by 71 per cent.

The report also concluded that there was widespread backing for speed cameras, with 79 per cent of the public supporting the use of cameras to reduce casualties.

Proof

Responding to the report, the transport secretary said it had been proved that "cameras save lived".

"Up to 10 people are killed on our roads each day," Darling said.

"We owe it to them and their families to do everything we can to improve road safety even further."

The study suggested that there are only 245 instances where cameras have not led to casualty reductions.

Transport department officials now intend to "discuss these locations" with the local speed camera partnerships to determine what should be done with them.

"I have asked the partnerships who operate the cameras to take a look at the details of the sites," said Darling.

"It is for them to ensure that the cameras which have had less impact on reducing casualties are needed and are still the best road safety solution."

Objectives

Although there has been criticism in the media and from the opposition, which has suggested that speed cameras are being used to raise money, the report concluded that the programme had met its key objectives on speed and casualty reduction, public acceptability and funding arrangements.

Figures for 2002/03 show that the cameras generated receipts of £68,872,320 against costs of £54,256,502.

Welcoming the report, campaign group Transport 2000 said the results "should not surprise anyone".

"All the evidence shows that cameras save lives and repeated opinion polls show cameras are popular with both motorists and communities who want action to tackle speeding drivers," said assistant director Vicky Cann.

"It is a real shame that the speed camera rules restrict their use and that there are few cameras at sites where the risk of crash is high, but where there has not yet been a serious crash history.

"In these areas, local people will have to wait for people to be killed or seriously injured before cameras are installed."

Party reaction

Responding for the Conservatives, shadow transport secretary Tim Yeo said the government was agreeing with his policy that speed cameras should be positioned in genuine accident black spots. 

"Conservatives want to restore people's confidence in speed limits and how they are policed," he said.

"If speed cameras are saving lives because they are sited in genuine black spots, then they are rightly justified.

"However, there is a suspicion that many cameras are only serving to raise revenue.

"That is why we have called for a fully independent audit of speed cameras in Britain in order to establish safety needs and positioning of existing fixed speed cameras."

But the Liberal Democrats said politicians who call for the removal of speed cameras should reverse their policy.

"This research shows that appropriately sited cameras help save lives," said transport spokesman John Thurso.

"There is already a consensus that backs these cameras, and I hope this report will help to silence those politicians who have advocated their removal."