While mobile safety camera vans have had a significant impact on reducing deaths and serious injuries on the county’s roads, many drivers remain confused about where and how the vans operate.
So this week, the Kent & Medway Safety Camera Partnership is quite literally making a big effort to address the problem – by erecting giant billboard posters in every district telling drivers what to look for to avoid getting caught out.
The posters, which are going up at 22 sites across Kent and Medway, clearly show drivers that black and white roadside camera signs indicate that they are approaching a fixed yellow safety camera and / or a site where a mobile safety camera van is operating.
“Our research has shown that while 76% of drivers know that there are black and white signs warning them that they are approaching a fixed yellow safety camera, only 25% are aware of the fact that these signs can also mean you are approaching a mobile safety camera van site,” says the Partnership’s Communications Officer, Katherine Barrett.
“We do everything we can to warn drivers and prevent them from getting a ticket, so we’re obviously concerned that some people are still unclear about how and where mobile camera vans operate.
“While a combination of educating motorists, effective publicity campaigns and enforcement has significantly helped raise awareness of and support for the role that both fixed and mobile safety cameras play in making the county’s roads safer, we hope that these billboard posters will help address any remaining confusion.”
Latest research shows that the number of people killed or seriously injured at sites in Kent and Medway where mobile safety camera vans operate fell by 68% between 2008 and 2010, compared to the three years prior to the camera vans being introduced – down from 192 to 62.
When it comes to public opinion, however, people have a far more negative view of mobile safety cameras than they do of fixed roadside cameras.
According to the Partnership’s most recent perception study*, while nearly 71% of people questioned thought that fixed safety cameras were clearly visible to motorists, only 21% thought the same about mobile safety cameras.
In fact, almost 55% of people surveyed thought mobile safety cameras in vans were deliberately hidden from motorists.
“Although we’re not legally required to do so, all our vans are clearly marked with camera symbols, and all cameras and vans are clearly visible,” says Katherine. “What’s more, they can only operate over a 5km stretch of road where at least one person has been killed or seriously injured in a speed-related crash in the three years prior to installation. It’s a myth that they are free to roam the county and stop wherever they choose to.”
The locations of all fixed cameras and mobile camera van sites are listed on this website >>.