More than 1400 motorists caught speeding during two week operation

Motorists are again being asked to slow down after more than 1,400 speeding offences were detected in Northamptonshire in just two weeks.

Between May 25 and June 7, officers from Northamptonshire Police’s Safer Roads, Neighbourhood Policing and Special Constabulary teams carried out speed checks across the county.

The checks were carried out as part of the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) Slow Down, Save Lives campaign, which aimed to make our roads safer following the easing of the Covid-19 travel restrictions.

From these checks, a total of 1,450 offences were recorded with cars making up the vast majority of offenders with 1,355 drivers caught exceeding the speed limit. Other roads users found to be speeding were vans (63), HGVs (22) and motorbikes (10).

The majority of these offences were committed on roads with 30mph speed limits. A total of 782 road users were caught flouting the law, including one motorcyclist who was caught riding at 65mph – more than double the speed limit.

A total of 316 people were recorded exceeding on roads with 40mph speed limits, with the highest speed recorded again double the required threshold as one driver was clocked in their car doing 80mph.

While no roads users were found to be exceeding the 50mph speed limits, a total of 75 and 277 motorists were detected committing offences in 60mph and 70mph zones respectively.

One motorist was caught driving at a reckless 152mph on the M1 motorway, more than double the speed limit of 70mph, while another was clocked doing 105mph on a 60mph road.

Safer Roads Operations Manager, Matt O’Connell, said: “It is really disappointing, despite all the warnings that this operation was taking place that so many drivers still chose to drive over the limit.

“Speeding kills – it is as simple as that. It is one of the four biggest dangers while driving and the difference of even just a few miles per hour can be the difference between life and death.

“It is hard to understand why so many people continue to put their own life and the lives of others at risk by speeding when the consequences of getting it wrong are so extreme, and can leave families devastated by the loss of loved ones.”

Last year, 42 people were killed on the county’s road network, and a further 347 were seriously injured. Excessive speed was a contributing factor in 14 per cent of collisions.

ENDS