Which is the greater deterrent to speeding on the motorway, knowing that a number of people have been prosecuted for doing so on a particular section of roadworks – or wondering whether or not a speed camera is switched on at a particular location?

It’s a difficult question to answer and one that is clearly causing some controversy following the refusal of West Yorkshire Police to respond to a request, made under the Freedom of Information Act, to supply figures relating to the number of motorists prosecuted for speeding between junction 25 and junction 30 on the M62.

The argument they put forward is that it would be wrong to give the impression that the chances of being caught in one location are less than in another; that the perception the cameras might be working is more effective.

Road safety campaigner Carole Whittingham, however, believes that proving prosecutions are taking place is a far better deterrent.

Whichever strategy turns out to be the best, there can be little doubt that the attitude of the police and of the West Yorkshire Casualty Reduction Partnership leaves a sour taste in the mouth.

State-sponsored misinformation can never be a good thing. The police do not have a right to tell “little white lies”: they should give people the truth, treat them as adults and let them make their own decisions – even if, like shadow chancellor Ed Balls, they end up breaking the law on the M62.