The safety camera programme was announced with a press release in December 1999. Eight trial areas were announced which would begin a roll-out of a number of Safety Cameras. These areas were Cleveland, Essex, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Nottingham, South Wales, Strathclyde and Thames Valley. The announcement was in part the result of a report commissioned by the UK Department for Transport (DfT) to look at the differing effects of various strategies related to the deployment of speed cameras. The main finding of the report was that camera deployment can reduce drivers' speeds markedly and that cameras on the survey roads were perceived to be reasonably effective. (Durham and North Yorkshire are the exceptions). Similar arrangements exist in Scotland and Northern Ireland. As the cameras became more widespread the issue became more contentious politically. In particular motoring bodies began to question the effectiveness of speed cameras as a means for accident prevention. There were also constitutional concerns about the membership of the Courts Service and the payments made to that body contrary to the fundamental principle of Natural Justice:
nemo iudex in causa sua. This created a demand for research showing whether or not the cameras were, in practice, effective at reducing deaths and injuries from road accidents, and to address the unlawful payments. Four independent evaluation reports were commissioned by the DfT to address this. Since April 2007 however, an annual specific (although not
ring fenced) 'road safety grant' which was no longer related to the number of penalties issued locally was given directly to the local authorities with a responsibility for road safety who were free to choose whether or not to re-invest this in their partnership. During 2007 a total of 1.26 million fixed penalties were issued, which was down 23% from the previous year. ==References==