Data and enhanced analytics are being utilised by Cumbria Constabulary’s Safety Camera teams to help make Cumbria’s roads safer for all.
Over the past month, the Constabulary has moved to focusing its use of Road Safety vans on specific hotspot areas, as identified via collision data compiled over a number of years.
This past month, three hotspot areas have been identified and focused upon. One of these has been the A66 at Eden – a road which has seen 198 collisions in the past five years.
Sergeant Jack Stabler said: “As a stretch of road, the A66 at Eden has seen 10 fatal collisions in the past five years - more than anywhere else in the county. It has also seen more than 80 injury collisions in that time period, with almost half (34) resulting in serious injuries.
“It is early days and it would be wrong to read too much into data collected over a single month. However, we are encouraged that our first month focusing our Road Safety van resources on the A66 at Eden has coincided with zero collisions on that stretch of road.
“Mobile speed cameras are often maligned. However, we are determined to use our safety camera van resources in the most effective way possible as we aim to significantly reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on our roads.”
Over the course of the first month focusing on the A66 at Eden, nine drivers were recorded at speeds in excess of 95mph – including one driving at 134mph and another at 133mph. These drivers will appear at court where they will face a potential driving ban.
The use of data and analytics comes as the Constabulary and its road safety partners adopt Cumbria Vision Zero 2040.
Vision Zero is a multi-national traffic safety initiative with the goal of no one being killed or seriously injured within the road transport network.
Sgt Stabler said: “Previously the Constabulary has spread its use of Road Safety vans over a wide area, with locations chosen based on a wide variety of factors which could often come down to which community is most effective in raising concerns about their own area.
“Moving forward, we will continue to listen to those voicing concerns but we will also be giving a far greater weight to what the data and analytics are telling us and pointing our resources where they can be most effective in making our county’s roads safer."