Currently reading: 'Speed camera axe risks lives'

The AA has claimed buget cuts for speed cameras will put lives at risk

Scrapping speed cameras will put lives at risk, the AA has claimed.

The organisation has written a letter to transport secretary Philip Hammond about the issue, and has arranged to meet government officials.

The news comes after Oxfordshire County Council’s decision to turn off all 72 of its speed cameras after a budget cut of £600,000 – and other local authorities are set to follow suit, with further cuts expected to be implemented in the forthcoming Comprehensive Spending Review.

Steve Sutcliffe blog: Is this the end for speed cameras?

The government has also said that funding for new cameras will not be forthcoming.

According to the AA, there is a “void” in road safety policies, and it claims that motorists’ views are “not being reflected accurately” and that “ultimately, lives are at risk”.

Speed cameras have raked in roughly £100m a year in fines since their introduction in 1992, which has lead to arguments that the devices are nothing more than revenue-raisers for the government.

Ben Foulds

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