A ROAD safety study of the past 17 years has revealed speed cameras have led to a reduction in crashes and deaths across the Thames Valley, including Oxfordshire.

The Thames Valley Safer Roads Partnership report shows an overall drop of 94 collisions in which people were killed or seriously injured and 802 fewer crashes causing slight injuries in the past three years at speed camera sites compared to the period 1992 to 1994, before they were installed.

Operations manager Richard Webb said: “This report is the result of a great deal of work to improve and interpret the historic data that we hold, it shows safety cameras do have a significant role to play as part of a coherent road safety strategy.

“We cannot police the entire road network with cameras, nor would we ever want to, but working alongside our commitment to driver education, engaging with the public and improvements to road engineering, they do reduce casualties.”

Andrew Howard, head of road safety at the AA, said 69 per cent of its members back speed cameras on the roads.