SPEEDING motorists in Warwickshire are being asked to obey speed limits by the county’s police force.
Warwickshire Police has launched the #SlowDownSaveLives campaign to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on the county’s roads.
Despite the pandemic, 40 people in Warwickshire were killed and 317 seriously injured in collisions where speed and/or loss of control was a factor in the last three years.
In 2019, 45,783 people were caught speeding in the county, and 33,640 were caught in 2020 – during lockdown when fewer vehicles were on the road.
Ch Insp Faz Chishty said: “The role of Warwickshire Police is to help protect people from harm, and this includes those who travel on our roads. Speed limits are there to protect the public and to assist traffic flow as well as improving the quality of life for local residents.
“Driving too fast or at an inappropriate speed for the road environment or conditions means that drivers have less time to react and near misses can easily turn into collisions. That is why our officers will actively target those who speed on our county’s roads as well as on our motorway network.”
A Warwickshire Police spokesperson urged passengers in speeding cars to ask the driver to slow down.
They added: “If they challenge you, tell them that 40,000 people are caught every year in Warwickshire because it is illegal and dangerous. Most people do not speed and there is little benefit to speeding. Most of us have been overtaken by a speeding driver only to pull up behind them at the next junction.
“Research into air quality on our roads has also found that slowing down just 10mph on our motorways, for example, can have a positive impact on the environment as emissions are reduced.
“Roadside cameras also play an important role in reducing the numbers killed and seriously injured on Warwickshire’s roads as many speeding offences are dealt with by fixed roadside speed cameras.”
Speeding drivers who are eligible for and accept a conditional offer of a fixed penalty receive three penalty points and £100 fine. Fines are collected by Her Majesty’s Courts & Tribunal Service and go directly to the Treasury.
Excessive high speed offences will not get a conditional offer and will be prosecuted via the courts.
Drivers could be disqualified if they build up 12 or more penalty points over three years. New drivers who receive six or more points within the first two years of driving will have their license revoked.
Drivers who admit the offence of speeding and are eligible may be offered the opportunity to attend the National Speed Awareness Course on the effects and dangers of speeding, as an alternative to a speeding fine and penalty points.
The course aims to influence the attitudes and behaviour of drivers by directly challenging attitudes towards speeding, offering motorists insight, awareness and understanding about their speed choices, and helps equip participants to change their behaviour. Drivers can only attend one speed awareness course every three years.
Warwickshire Police also offer a National Motorway Awareness Course, which can only be attended once every three years.
Throughout the campaign, police officers, PCSOs, special constables and Community Speed Watch volunteers across Warwickshire will be out in local communities taking part in a mixture of enforcement and educational initiatives.
