Rising fuel prices more effective than speed cameras

A new survey by RoadPilot has found that nearly half of UK motorists claim to have reduced their average speed in the past 12 months, with concerns over rising fuel costs – rather than the presence of speed cameras and other traffic enforcement measures – cited as the main reason for the change.

The British firm, which is Europe’s leading provider of GPS speed camera location data, identified that a desire to cut fuel costs was the main reason that 33 per cent of those questioned have reduced their speed, compared to just 13 per cent who cited traffic enforcement.  Other factors listed include greater road congestion (22 per cent) and environmental concerns (10 per cent).

The study also identified that 40 per cent of drivers are monitoring their vehicle’s fuel consumption more closely than they did a year ago.  In addition, the vast majority (86 per cent) of motorists said that fuel efficiency and emissions were quite or very important when buying a car.

“The cost of filling up seems to be a more effective deterrent to speeding for most drivers than the possible risk of incurring a speeding fine,” commented James Flynn OBE, CEO of RoadPilot.  “Driving remains an essential part of life for many people in the UK, but clearly motorists are feeling the pinch at present and are doing whatever they can to reduce their monthly outgoings.

“It appears that motorists are putting their own driving techniques under greater scrutiny than ever before, and as a result their average speeds have started to come down, which can only benefit road safety.

“Speed camera detection systems such as RoadPilot Mobile help motorists to be more aware of local speed limits via audio and visual alerts.  Being better prepared for changes to speed limits can help drivers to maintain a more steady speed and in so doing, improve their fuel economy,” Flynn concludes.

RoadPilot Mobile is a GPS speed camera alert application for smartphones, providing access to the firm’s comprehensive database of speed camera locations across the UK, Europe and numerous other countries around the globe.  The database can also be accessed through a ‘combined speed camera and traffic alert’ application for the Nokia Maps 3.0 satellite navigation software.

For further information, visit roadpilot.com.