The provided charts illustrate the correlation between the installation of speed cameras and road safety statistics in Melbourne between 2002 and 2005. Overall, it is evident that the deployment of speed cameras rose sharply, yet this did not lead to a reduction in the percentage of road accidents or fatalities, both of which saw an increase by the end of the period.
In 2002, there were 30 speed cameras in operation. This figure grew steadily to 40 in 2003 and 70 in 2004, before experiencing a substantial surge to 145 cameras by 2005. Despite this rapid expansion in surveillance, the percentage of accidents on Melbourne's roads followed a fluctuating but generally upward trajectory. Starting at 3.4% in 2002, the rate dipped slightly to 3.3% in 2003, before climbing to 3.6% in 2004 and reaching a peak of 3.9% in 2005.
A similar pattern is observed regarding road deaths. The percentage of fatalities began at 0.8% in 2002, decreased marginally to 0.7% in 2003, and then rose to 1.0% in 2004. By 2005, the proportion of deaths reached 1.2%, marking a notable increase over the four-year period.