Dewsbury, Batley and Spen motorists warned to ‘expect the unexpected’ as changes made to use of speed cameras in West Yorkshire

Sixty-five people died and over 5,000 people were injured in collisions on the roads of West Yorkshire last year. The majority of these collisions were entirely preventable, with excessive or inappropriate speed being one of the most common factors in fatal and serious injury collisions.

Drivers and motorcyclists are being warned to ‘expect the unexpected’ as changes are made by the Safety Camera Partnership to the way safety cameras are deployed in the county – with one change being that there won’t necessarily be signs anymore warning that you are approaching a speed camera.

The two main changes are:

Cameras at sites of concern – Under these new arrangements, safety cameras will continue to be deployed to evidenced ‘high risk’ sites with a history of fatal or serious injury collisions, but in addition, cameras may also be utilised at community concern sites where there is clear evidence of emerging risk due to excessive speed. This represents a more proactive approach, trying to address issues with excessive speed on a road before a fatality or serious injury occurs. Safety cameras may also be deployed during periods of roadworks to protect the workforce and other road users, or potentially following the opening of a new road where no speed or collision data exists.

Signage warning of upcoming safety cameras – Currently there is signage to indicate when you are approaching a safety camera or enforcement van. Under the new strategy, some sites of concern may be enforced without signage being present with the aim to encourage safe speeds across the network and not simply in the vicinity of established enforcement locations.

As part of the launch of these new changes, a video has been filmed with Ian Greenwood, whose 12-year-old daughter Alice died because of a speeding driver.

Ian said: “People say to me, road crashes are inevitable and there’s nothing we can do to stop them. I tell them they are wrong, and this is a great example of what can be done.

“Most people are law abiding, but my message is to those who take an unnecessary risk and don’t think about the consequences. The result of the speeding driver was a dead 12-year-old with a broken neck, and he also managed to kill himself and his passenger. It was all totally avoidable.

“If you disagree with speed cameras, my message is simple, drive safely and you don’t need to worry. If the driver who caused Alice’s death had done so, she would still be with us.”

Paul Jeffrey, West Yorkshire Police lead for the West Yorkshire Safety Camera Partnership, said: “Over recent years I believe there has been a change in public opinion around issues such as drink driving and seatbelt use, but unfortunately some people still have a mindset that it is okay to speed.

“The reality is that every day our officers and the NHS see the devastating impact of people driving at excessive and inappropriate speeds. These changes will ensure that safety cameras are used more effectively to encourage safe driver behaviour, prevent crashes, and save lives.

“Last year we had to tell over 60 families that their loved ones were not coming home. We often hear the line, ‘go and catch some real criminals’ and in response to that I reaffirm our commitment to preventing deaths and injuries by deterring people from speeding.

“Where appropriate we will provide driver re-training opportunities as an alternative to prosecution, with the more serious or persistent offenders being referred to court. Our aim is to intervene before speeders must face the consequences of killing or injuring someone on our roads.

“Our commitment to Vision Zero is all about influencing driver behaviour and reducing exposure to speed related risks. No-one should die or be seriously injured on the roads. Inappropriate and excessive speed leads to deaths and injuries which are often preventable.”