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Drive to cut Scottish speed deaths

A £650,000 anti-speed campaign, funded by the Scottish Safety Camera Programme, was launched last week.

The campaign comprises TV, radio and petrol-pump ads, backed by billboard posters, designed to highlight the true human cost of speeding.

Three different TV ads will be screened during the campaign, which will run for eight weeks. One shows a car that has been involved in an accident being pulled out of water, and then focuses on the 'Baby on board' sticker on the window.

Another features a young man in his car with a birthday card and flowers, as if he is off to visit his girlfriend - but he is then shown at a graveside.

The third shows a mother tidying her daughter's clothes away, as if she is cleaning her room, but gradually it becomes clear she is in mourning.

Each carries the tag line, 'The real penalty for speeding'.

Justice minister Cathy Jamieson said speeding was often not taken seriously enough. "Of all the major driving offences, speeding tends to be perceived as one of the most socially acceptable and incurring least stigma.

"Speeding motorists tend to be over confident and believe that the adverse consequences of their behaviour are unlikely to happen to them.

"However, excessive speed is frequently a significant factor in crashes and speeding motorists are guilty of an offence that can have much wider implications than simply a fine or penalty points.

"This campaign aims to make speeding drivers more aware of the human costs associated with their driving behaviour."

Neil Greig, head of policy in Scotland for the AA Motoring Trust, said the campaign is long overdue. "We have always felt cameras might have had more support if the money had been used for other parts of road safety than putting out more cameras," he said.

"They have been collecting revenue from fines for several years now. It has taken a long time for this first national campaign to come about. But the majority of law-abiding drivers will support a campaign that highlights the dangers of excessive speed."