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Campaign marks Dean's death 50 years on

A James Dean road safety pack praising the benefit of safety cameras was launched on the 50th anniversary of the Hollywood legend's death in a head-on car crash.

RoadPeace and the Slower Speeds Initiative say the pack may have saved the life of the actor, who was just 24 years of age when he was killed on his way to a race in his Porsche.

Amy Aeron-Thomas, the author of the pack, said: "TfL's Don't die before you have lived campaign could have been inspired by James Dean. Dead at age 24, he had only starred in three movies. While his life may have been unique, his death was not - road crashes are the leading cause of death for young men."

London mayor Ken Livingstone says the safety pack will help save lives by bringing objective information to the safety camera debate.

Mr Livingstone said: "RoadPeace's new pack contains important information on the effectiveness of safety cameras, which will be invaluable for people interested in tackling speeding traffic.

"In London, cameras have been responsible for reducing deaths and serious injuries by more than 20%, helping us to almost meet our 2010 road safety targets a full five years early.

"But 216 deaths a year is totally unacceptable and I have raised this target to an even more challenging 50% reduction. Safety cameras will play a vital role in helping us meet this."

Paige Mitchell , coordinator of the Slower Speeds Initiative, said: "We need to dispel the damaging and bogus arguments against cameras, since drivers who believe them will be more likely to speed. And all the research shows that drivers who speed are more likely to crash."

For further information go to: http://www.lse.co.uk/

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