As efforts to create safer roads across the county continue, South Yorkshire Police officers are taking part in the National Police Chiefs’ Council speed campaign to tackle speeding drivers.
The operation, which runs from 10 October until 30 October is about education as much as it is enforcement.
Whilst most people don’t speed, the campaign aims to change the behaviour of those that do and enforce against those who put their own lives, and the lives of other innocent road users, at risk by speeding.
Roads Policing Inspector Matt Collings explains more, he said: “Speed kills, it is a fact. Speed limits are there for a reason and driving a few miles per hour over the speed limit can have fatal and devastating effects on the victims and families of those involved in collisions.
“Every day officers from across our roads policing teams and districts are committed to making South Yorkshire’s roads safe, but as part of this national operation we are focussing our efforts on speeding drivers.
“During the next couple of weeks we will be raising awareness of the dangers of speeding as much as possible and using speed vans and cameras and stopping drivers who we believe to be speeding, to deter, prosecute and educate.”
Our communities tell us that speeding drivers are one of their top priorities they want officers to focus on, and as a force, this is a priority we are committed to achieving.
Since 1 January 2022, the Safety Camera Partnership has dealt with over 65,000 speeding offences in South Yorkshire.
Nationally, inappropriate speed contributes to 24 per cent of collisions that have resulted in deaths and 11 per cent of all injuries from road-related collisions reported to the police.
Inspector Collings continues: “We are urging drivers to think about their speed and remember that speed limits are there for a reason.
“We will also be educating and taking action against those who drive at inappropriate speed. This means they are driving within the speed limit but not to the conditions of the road. A speed limit means this is the absolute maximum speed you can drive, but it doesn’t mean it is safe in all conditions.
“Road conditions should be taken into consideration, such as the weather, the condition of the road and the time of day you are driving.”
Inspector Collings added: “If you kill or seriously injure someone because you were speeding, you will not only face time in prison, you will have to live with the long-term emotional consequences.
“Think, don’t speed. It could save a life.”
Chairman of SYSRP Strategic Board Tom Finnegan-Smith said: “Driving or riding too fast for the road conditions contributes to one third of road collisions.
“The speed limit is the absolute maximum and does not mean that it is safe to drive or ride at that speed in all conditions. Factors such as the weather, the state of the road and time of day should be considered when choosing what speed to travel at.
“The faster someone is driving, the longer it will take them to stop if something unexpected happens.
“Consider the consequences of causing a collision due to travelling at excessive speed. You will have to live with the emotional consequences of deaths or injuries caused to others.”
