Milford Mercury | Local News, Sport & Entertainment

Speed fines top £300k . . . but accidents continue to rise

From the Milford Mercury, first published Thursday 13th Jan 2005.

PEMBROKESHIRE'S only speed camera has raked in a staggering £300,000 in fines in just two-and-a-half years - but accidents have continued to rise.

Using the new Freedom of Information Act, the Mercury asked how much money had been made since the mobile camera was introduced in April 2002.

The Mercury had requested this information from the Mid and South Wales Safety Camera Partnership several times in the past but had been denied on the grounds that the amount "would detract from the safety message."

But under the new act, the partnership was forced to come back with the remarkable figure of £304,740.

And that amount only takes into account drivers who have accepted a £60 fixed penalty and three points on their licence.

At £60 a time, it means 5079 drivers in Pembrokeshire have been caught speeding by the mobile camera.

Drivers who decide to contest the fixed penalty and those caught well above the limit have their fines imposed by the courts - meaning the actual figure could be much higher.

And the Mercury can reveal that during the time that the camera has been operating, accidents in Pembrokeshire have actually gone up.

There were 381 accidents in 2002 (including six fatal) and 418 in 2003 (including eight fatal).

Official figures for 2004 are not yet available but a spokesman for Pembrokeshire County Council confirmed: "Road accidents in Pembrokeshire and throughout the Dyfed-Powys area have risen over the last three years.

"The Pembrokeshire Road Safety Forum, a partnership between the county council, Dyfed Powys Police, Pembrokeshire and Derwen NHS Trust and other agencies, are very concerned at the trend and are investigating it."

The spokesman added that while overall accidents are on the rise those involving children are falling.

John Rowling, manager of the Mid & South Wales Safety Camera Partnership, maintained: "Safety cameras are having an impact on casualties.

"The Department for Transport's report on the effectiveness of safety cameras shows a 28 per cent reduction in personal injury collisions (PICs) at camera sites in Dyfed Powys since the scheme was introduced. The report was published in April 2003 and can be found at www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_rdsafety/documents/downloadable/dft_r dsafety_029194.pdf."

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