Police in Scotland have deactivated more than 100 roadside speed cameras, acknowledging that this action could lead to an increase in individuals breaking speed limits. The decision was made as part of an effort to determine the actual impact of these cameras on road safety.
Documents obtained through a Freedom of Information request indicate that police concluded deactivating cameras was the only method to accurately assess their effect on road safety. This occurred even in locations where speeding offenses were reportedly on the rise. In one instance, a camera recorded more speeding drivers in the month before it was turned off than in the entire preceding year.
While the Scottish Government stated that the deactivated camera sites had shown no speed-related injury collisions and consistent compliance for several years, the obtained figures contradicted this, showing increased speeding offenses at multiple locations. The police force disclosed that over a five-year period at the sites where cameras were deactivated, there were seven fatalities, 73 serious injuries, and 162 slight injuries.
In an assessment of a camera on the A89 Coatbridge Road in North Lanarkshire, which was originally installed in 1993 after a fatal accident, police noted that speeds were likely to increase upon its deactivation. A report stated that while dormancy was recommended to assess collision rates without the camera, it was acknowledged that this could lead to increased speeds. This camera was made dormant in 2018 but had to be reactivated a year later.
Similarly, a camera on Kingston Road in Neilston, East Renfrewshire, was switched off despite the local council expressing significant reservations. Police files highlighted that the road is used daily by approximately 550 children attending Neilston Primary School and Madras Nursery. The local community council raised serious concerns about safety, particularly due to the passage of heavy goods vehicles en route to a nearby quarry, and noted recent complaints about speeding.
Despite these reservations and the increased risk, the police report concluded that it would still be prudent for the site to enter dormancy. These decisions have drawn criticism from road safety advocates. Ruth Billingham, head of campaigns for the pedestrians’ charity Living Streets, questioned the move, noting that high speeds are a factor in nearly one in five fatal collisions annually in Scotland and that speed cameras have been proven to reduce incidents by up to 39 percent.
A spokesperson for the Police Scotland Safety Cameras Unit stated that the selection of camera sites is evidence-led and data-driven, focusing on areas with the highest rates of serious collisions and casualties to ensure effective deployment.