Speeding prosecutions hit six-year high
Average Speed Cameras installed on UK Motorways measure and calculate the Vehicles average speed through sections of Motorway.
Smart motorways, speed cameras and increasingly graphic awareness campaigns of the dangers of speeding – it’s hard to imagine that drivers exceed the road limits today…
Well, it appears some motorists are taking no notice of the heightened initiatives, as new statistics published by the Department for Transport show the number of people with a need for speed has reached record highs.
Figures show there were 1.1 million speeding prosecutions in 2010, doubling to 2.2 million in 2016.
Response times
Jason Wakeford, Director of Campaigns at road safety charity Brake, said the number show that “speed limit remains a major safety issue”.
He says how quickly a motorist reacts to the unexpected depends on how fast they’re going.
“Driving is unpredictable and if something unexpected happens on the road ahead, such as a child stepping out from between parked cars, it’s a driver’s speed that determines whether they can stop in time and, if they can’t, how hard they will hit,” he continued.
Action to reduce casualties
Branding the figures “highly concerning”, Mr Wakeford is pushing for urgent action to address the growing number of road casualties.
He says excess speed is attributed to nearly a quarter of all fatal crashes, according to figures for the past year.
“Brake is calling for increased enforcement by the police, a default 20mph limit in all built-up areas and ‘Intelligent Speed Adaptation’, which helps drivers stay within the limit, to be fitted as standard to all new vehicles,” he added.
The campaign’s head says improved safety measures are “essential” to lowering the increasing number of road casualties in Britain.
Make sure you’re following the rules of the road and take a look at our guide to 2017 motoring law changes.
