DRIVERS caught by speed cameras are more likely to have a crash than those with a clean licence, new research suggests.

A study of 2,500 motorists was carried out over a six-month period in a bid to understand drivers’ behaviour on the road.

It found those with points on their licences were more likely to have had an accident and those behind the survey say it challenges the ‘myth’ that cameras do not catch bad drivers.

It was carried out by the Transport Research Institute on behalf of eight safety camera partnerships in the West Midlands.

Professor Steve Stradling, based at the institute, said: ‘We have been able to highlight the fact that drivers who have been caught by speed cameras were significantly more likely to have had a collision than those who hadn’t been caught – a finding which was evident among all groups, independent of age or mileage.’

The study’s findings should prompt fleets to identify those drivers most at risk and take action to rectify the problem, experts claim.

Charles Davis, head of driver and fleet solutions at the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), said: ‘Points can easily build up and put drivers off the road and this study shows that those who speed are also more likely to crash.

Businesses cannot afford to lose drivers in this way.There are ways for fleet managers to spot drivers who are most likely to offend and become a problem, not just for their own company but for other road users.’

Paul Smith, founder of the Safe Speed road safety campaign said: ‘I believe that this research is nonsense, strongly influenced by pre-conceptions and vested interests. Speed cameras do not identify risky drivers nor do they make our roads safer.’