National road safety group the Association of British Drivers today urged
pedestrians to take extra care when crossing the road near speed cameras.



As cameras positively encourage drivers to pay more attention to their
speedometers instead of the road ahead, the ABD believes that drivers will be less able to respond to dangers in the road ahead - regardless of their speed. Consequently, the ABD believes that crossing the road at camera sites may actually be more dangerous than at many other locations.


"We know that cameras are a major distraction for drivers as they approach the camera site, they look away from the road ahead and check the speedo", says Mark McArthur-Christie, the ABD's Road Safety Spokesman, "The problem is, because of the threat of prosecution, many drivers don¹t just glance they stare taking their eyes off the road and the hazards ahead". The ABD believes this puts the lives of pedestrians and other vulnerable road users in danger.



Rather than focusing on a numerical speed, the ABD believes that it would be far better for drivers' attention to be focussed on the road and hazards
ahead.



McArthur-Christie continues "We believe that the Government has done
insufficient research into this potentially very dangerous aspect of speed
cameras, and we need to investigate before the death toll on the roads rises even further". Until such more information becomes available about the distraction effects of cameras is available, the ABD warns pedestrians to ensure that they avoid crossing near speed cameras.