Ten days after the deactivation of speed cameras across Oxfordshire, and so far the merchants of doom have not been proven right. If we were to believe the anti speed lobby then the roads would resemble a scene from the movie Death Race 2000.

Although the predicted carnage has not happened yet, it appears that more people are breaking the speed limit in some areas of the county. Two cameras had equipment left on – although only in a monitoring capacity – have recorded an increase in speeding of up to 88 per cent.

Although incidents involving serious injuries or fatalities are no worse than before the big switch-off, the Thames Valley’s Safer Road Partnership has described the increase in speeding as potentially “very worrying”. That’s rich coming from the organisation that switched them off after Oxfordshire County Council withdrew funding to save £600,000 of its budget.

A similar experiment with speed cameras in Swindon has been going for a couple of years and statistics show that there has been no significant increase in death or injury.

It’s probably true that most low speed limits are in residential areas or places with a high percentage of pedestrians but why does everyone assume that in a collision between a speeding car and a pedestrian, it is always the driver’s fault? Unless the car was on the pavement or driving through a shopping precinct then it’s safe to assume that the pedestrian was in the road.

Most motorists respect the fact that they are not allowed to drive on the pavements, footpaths and pedestrianised areas of the county; it is a shame that pedestrians don’t have the same outlook when it comes to roads.

Pedestrianised areas have bollards and other barricades to keep traffic out, so perhaps we should experiment with roadside barriers to stop idiots from stumbling into the path of oncoming traffic.

A common traffic offence is driving without due care and attention, maybe the law should be expanded to include strolling, dog walking or even drunken staggering, without due care and attention?

On a more serious note ... what about the fate of the nesting birds that live in the fake speed camera of Station Road, Lower Heyford? For years the disguised bird box has deterred speeding drivers but now a new generation of boy racers will see it as just another defunct camera ...