Speed cameras – the views of high mileage drivers

Reading this, you might be reminded of a time when you were driving along and suddenly noticed the double flash of a speed camera behind your vehicle. Had you just been caught speeding or was it as a result of the way the vehicle in front or behind you was driving?

And if you run a fleet of vehicles at work, you may be familiar with the number of speeding convictions that arrive for your company drivers and the impact this has on fleet costs,
insurance premiums and even the revoking of an employee’s licence. Amongst UK drivers, the subject of speed cameras is a relatively controversial one and one that can provoke a strong or even emotional response. Perhaps this is a result of several factors; being previously identified by one, the impression they can give of being part of “big
brother”, perceived simply as a means to raise funds at driver’s expense, of limited benefit towards improving road safety.

The number of speed cameras of all types now numbers in excess of six thousand in the UK and therefore they are part of every motorist’s life to a varying degree. But what do drivers really think of them and in particular, what do drivers who spend a lot of time behind the wheel (i.e. high mileage drivers) think of them?

In October 2014, the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) commissioned a survey to investigate the opinions and attitudes of drivers towards the deployment and effectiveness of speed cameras. For this exercise, we wanted to understand what high mileage drivers thought – by implication, high-mileage could very likely be a result of driving for work and therefore these opinions will be of relevance and importance to the business driver, fleet manager and to any company who has people who drive.

In total, 1,001 drivers across low, medium and high mileage use were asked the 8 eight questions of the survey and the results are here for you to analyse.