Speeding MP backs South Yorkshire cameras

A Sheffield MP who was caught speeding is backing a campaign to increase the number of safety cameras on South Yorkshire’s roads. Hillsborough MP Helen Jackson believes her fine was fair punishment and says she now thinks more about her speed – something other drivers should also do.

"I was caught by a camera at about 1am when driving home from Doncaster after coming up from London on the late train. I was doing 50 or so on the A630 when the camera flashed," said Helen. "I didn’t think I was driving dangerously but I was breaking the speed limit. Some people seem to think that if they are not driving dangerously they are in the right. But they are breaking the law. Nowadays I think more about the speed at which I drive."

As a member of the Commons transport select committee, Helen has seen convincing evidence that safety cameras can improve safety. That’s why she is backing the South Yorkshire Safety Camera Partnership, which is installing more cameras on roads with a poor accident record.

"The weight of evidence in the report shows a direct link between an intensive programme of cameras and enforcement and a reduction in deaths and casualties. It’s quite stark," she said. "I think the cameras need to be seen. The important thing is that people take them seriously - that people know they will get caught if they speed."

In 2001, 51 people were killed and 715 seriously injured in accidents on South Yorkshire’s roads, with speeding a significant factor in most cases. Work is due to start shortly on the installation of 22 new permanent camera sites and 15 new cameras.

"It’s good to have the support of someone like Helen Jackson who has had the chance to consider the case for safety cameras in some detail," said the partnership’s project manager, Chief Inspector Dave Charles. "We believe that the public – including the majority of drivers - are overwhelmingly in favour of cameras. At the end of the day, all we are asking is that people obey the law."

Helen Jackson can be contacted on 020 7219 6895/4587 or 0114 2322439.