Revealed: The rise of speed cameras on West Midlands roads
The West Midlands is one of 10 places across the UK that has seen an increase in the installation of speed cameras, according to a new study.
There are now average speed cameras on 256 miles of Britain's roads, with 12 installed in last year alone.
Fifty stretches of highways were found to have the cameras, including the A519 Woodseaves, the A515 Duffield Lane, and A38 Shenstone to Bassetts Pole, all in Staffordshire.
Research for the RAC Foundation by Road Safety Analysis revealed that many stretches of road are broken down into subsections and monitored by several sets of cameras.
One of the reasons for the growth is the fall in the cost.
Mark Deaville, Staffordshire county council's cabinet member for highways and transport, said the council aims to maintain its road safety standards.
He said: "In Staffordshire we have some of the safest roads in the country, which is a position we're working hard to maintain and improve.
"There are three average speed cameras on the county's A-roads and although there are several criteria to be considered, we tend to install them where we need to enforce a consistent speed over quite a distance."
The devices are also often used on a temporary basis during roadworks, but those were not included in the research.
Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, said many motorists viewed fixed speed cameras as 'more about raising revenue for the Treasury than saving lives', while those that measure average speeds had 'greater potential to bring drivers on side'.
But he added that more research was required to find out whether the frequency of crashes had been reduced since the average speed cameras were installed.
"Average speed cameras are becoming a more common fixture on Britain's roads," he said.
"Unsurprisingly, the indications are that compliance with the speed limit through stretches of road managed by average speed cameras is high, but the acid test is whether accident and casualty rates have also fallen.
"That is what the next part of this research project should tell us."
The news follows a Freedom of Information request made by the Express & Star in November last year that revealed since 2012, reckless drivers had reached speeds of 97mph, 80mph and 79mph on the notorious Birmingham New Road. The road has a 40mph speed limit.
The top speed recorded in 2014 was 100mph – which the driver hit whilst travelling between the A463 junction at Coseley and Vicarage Road West, Tipton.
