SOME speed cameras in Dorset have not cut accident rates – and casualties near some cameras could even have increased, according to statistics.

Figures show that many cameras have done little or nothing to improve accident rates, but have proved highly effective in clocking up speeding fines.

There are just 15 fixed speed cameras left in Dorset; the vast majority of yellow boxes alongside the county’s roads are now empty.

Three red light/speed on green cameras have also been removed after local councils cut funding for Dorset Road Safe (DRS) and the number of mobile camera sites has reduced from 33 to 28.

The Department of Transport has published the figures for accidents near speed camera sites across the country.

Dorset Road Safe’s own figures show that the number of serious accidents have risen since a camera was switched on in Herbert Avenue, Poole in August 2002 with three serious injury accidents recorded until 2009 and eight slight injury crashes in 2007, the highest since 1998.

A camera was installed on the A341 Wimborne Road in Kinson in 2003 following a fatal accident in 2002.

In 2010 there were four serious injury crashes at the site and in 2009 eight slight injury collisions, the highest since 2004.

On the A35 Christchurch Road in Bournemouth a camera was installed in 2005.

There was a fatal crash the following year and a record number of slight injury accidents (17) in 2008.

After the A338 Wessex Way (Frizzell roundabout) camera was installed in 2002 there was a fatal accident in 2004. But the number of serious and slight injury crashes dropped.

Following the installation of a camera on Adastral Road, Poole in 2003 there were two serious accidents in 2008 but the number of slight injury collisions fell.