PUBLIC acceptance of speed cameras has increased significantly over the last five years amid growing support for their role in increasing road safety, a survey has found.

Research by the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) found 85% of the public believed speed cameras had contributed to a drop in fatal road accidents since the 1990s, with Scotland having the highest enthusiasm for the devices.

The proportion of people describing safety cameras as unacceptable fell from 30% in 2007 to 16% this year, IAM's annual poll found.

Public acceptance in Scotland was far higher, with 82% of people saying they were either very or quite acceptable, compared to a UK average of 77%.

However, the same survey found nearly half – 45% – of UK-wide respondents thought their main purpose was to raise money.

IAM chief executive Simon Best said: "Speed cameras are an essential part of the policing toolkit and are becoming more and more accepted, but it's clear that some people need reassuring about their purpose and funding."

Scottish Government figures out last month showed there were two-thirds fewer deaths and serious injuries on Scotland's roads where safety cameras are installed.

The debate about their use is complicated by what is known as "regression to the mean" – a term used to describe the fall in fatal road accidents that would be expected to occur at an accident blackspot regardless of whether safety cameras are installed.