News Items
North East ‘least supportive’ of speed cameras (17/06/2011)
Support for speed cameras is lowest among drivers in the North East, according to Public Opinions of Speed Cameras, the latest research report from the IAM.
The survey of nearly 1,000 respondents shows a 67 per cent approval rating for cameras in the North East, compared to a Great Britain average of 79 per cent. The most supportive region is London with an 85 per cent approval rating.
Nationally, 70 per cent of motorists agree that speed awareness courses are a better idea than prosecution or fines (63 per cent in the North East). Despite their doubts about cameras, the North East’s drivers are most in favour of proposals to pay for operating cameras using income from speed awareness courses. Sixty-three per cent of drivers support the idea compared to an average Great Britain rating of 48 per cent. The least supportive region for this is Wales with 28 per cent.
Less than a third of Britain’s motorists think that speed cameras are used at sites with a bad record of crashes and injuries, and 50 per cent think that raising money is their primary motive (20 per cent did not express an opinion either way). In the North East 35 per cent think that speed cameras are related to raising money. Londoners are the group least likely to think that revenue-raising is the primary aim of speed cameras.
Eighty-one per cent of all respondents think that speed cameras contributed to falling road death rates over the past decade and nearly half of all respondents think that road deaths and serious injuries would increase if cameras were turned off.
IAM director of policy and research Neil Greig said: “While lower than elsewhere, support for speed cameras in the North East is still high, as is support for speed awareness training.
“Prosecuting and fining drivers does not improve driving skills or awareness of the hazards that come with speed. Training would reduce the number of casualties and prosecutions. That so many drivers want training is very positive.
“While most motorists want speed limits to be enforced, many continue to believe the motivation for speed cameras is to make money. In times of cut-backs to police budgets, speed cameras are an essential part of the policing toolkit, but it’s clear that the public need reassuring about their purpose and future funding.”
IAM Welcomes New Child Seat Initiative(6/9/10)
The IAM welcomes the launch of a new national child seat campaign which offers parents and
carers the opportunity to have their child seat checked locally by an expert.
The Good Egg Campaign details has been a big success in Scotland and is now being rolled
out across the UK by Road Safety GB, the umbrella body for local road safety officers.
Neil Greig, IAM Director of Policy and Research, said: “A child seat is useless if it’s not fitted
properly, and we encourage parents to use this opportunity to learn how to use their seat to its
full safety potential. “Seat size, angle and layout are different in every car model, and getting
the safest possible combination of child seat and seat belt is much easier with expert help to
show you the pitfalls. Many people buy a car seat and then don’t take the time to fit it properly,
needlessly endangering the life of their child.”
Vehicle Recalls and Safety Notices:
If a fault is discovered in a vehicle after manufacturing it might be subject to a recall. To find out if your vehicle is subject to a recall use the Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) recalls database.
Accelerator stuck? Keep Calm...
As Toyota recalls millions of its cars due to accelerator problems the IAM today offers advice to drivers on what to do in event of an engineering malfunction.
Stephen Mead, IAM Assistant Chief Examiner, said "Keep calm - surprisingly the perception of the average driver with a stuck accelerator is that they can't brake either, but this is a misconception brought on by panic.
"Press the brake firmly, then the clutch, disengaging the power. In an automatic, drivers should brake, wait for a reaction from the vehicle and then put the car into neutral. You can still steer, too, so a stuck accelerator isn't actually the disaster it sounds," added Mr Mead.
Look for somewhere to stop safely, indicate and make the manoeuvre as you would under normal circumstances. There will be loud revving in the background and you will probably be in a state of shock, but if you remain calm you can avoid serious danger."
Mr Meed offered this advice for owners of car models subject to recall: "Do look into getting a recall as soon as possible. Surprisingly, few people actually approach manufacturers for recalls, which means the vehicles get sold on with the fault going unknown."
New Insurance Benefit for IAM Members' families
introduced January 2010
IAM Surety Family is a competitive car and motorcycle insurance service offered for the first time to the immediate family of IAM members.
Please note this is a separate scheme from the Adelaide Insurance service which is exclusively for IAM members.
(issued by IAM headoffice 27.01.2010)