National campaign launched to reduce excessive speeding

Slow down, save lives - that is the simple message as the volume of traffic on our roads is set to increase with the full lifting of all Covid-19 restrictions in England.

Officers from across Northamptonshire Police will be taking part in a three-week national campaign to raise awareness of the dangers of speeding, which runs from Monday (July 19) until Sunday, August 8.

As part of the National Policing Chiefs’ Council #SlowDownSaveLives operation, officers will be out in force on our county’s roads looking for those road users who are driving at excessive speeds.

In the first six months of 2020, the Force has detected 41,799 speeding offences, with a record number of 9,787 drivers caught exceeding the limit in June. The top excess speeds recorded increased from 129mph in January to 155mph in June.

With speeding one of the main contributors in collisions and one of the fatal four driving offences, this campaign aims to reduce the number of people who are killed or seriously injured on the UK’s roads.

Safer Roads Operations Manager, Matt O’Connell, said: “It’s always disappointing, despite all the campaigns and warnings about speeding, that so many drivers still choose to drive at excess or inappropriate speeds.

“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.”

The first week of the campaign will focus on educating drivers of the risks to both themselves and other road users of driving at irresponsible and dangerous speeds and to encourage everyone to obey speeds limits.

This will be followed by two further weeks of enforcement. Anyone caught flouting the law will be reported for the offences and depending on the excessive speed recorded, drivers could receive a fine, have points added to their licence or be banned from driving.