Speed cams 'can cause bad driving' heading

SPEED cameras can cause erratic driving by motorists, according to a survey.

As many as 81 per cent of drivers said they looked at their speedometers rather than the road when a camera came into view, the poll by insurance company LV= revealed.

And 5 per cent admitted braking suddenly when in sight of speed cameras. The poll of 1,532 drivers showed 31 per cent had witnessed an accident or a near-miss as a result of drivers' erratic behaviour when faced with a camera.

Almost half (46 per cent) of those surveyed reckoned cameras diverted attention away from other areas of their driving, while 11 per cent believed cameras actually increased the risk of an accident and 46 per cent reckoned they existed only as a revenue raiser.

Of those polled, 91 per cent admitted speeding, with 15 per cent exceeding limits on a regular basis. Only 9 per cent said they did not speed.

LV= insurance managing director John O'Roarke said: "Speed cameras have been a feature on UK roads for almost 20 years, yet the feedback from drivers is that while they may reduce speed they also appear to impair driving ability or, at the least, concentration on the road."