Cheshire Police will be targeting speeding motorists as part of a Europe-wide enforcement operation.
The operation, organised by the European Traffic Police Network (TISPOL), will run from Monday 16th to Thursday 26th April.
Sergeant Bradley Hughes said: "Many people think of speeding as a minor offence, but the fact is people are being killed and seriously injured on our roads because of motorists driving at excessive speed.
"While travelling a couple of miles over the speed limit may not seem like much – A pedestrian hit at 40mph is four times more likely to be killed than being hit at 30mph– which is why we are committed to doing all we can to tackle this issue."
The latest national figures suggest that speeding is a contributory factor in 15.1% of all fatal collisions in the UK, leading to 222 deaths in 2015 alone.
Throughout the operation officers from the Force Roads Policing Team will be targeting offending motorists on a number of problem routes across the county.
Meanwhile, officers from the Local Policing units will also be conducting speed enforcement operations on roads where concerns have been raised by local residents.
David Keane, Police and Crime Commissioner for Cheshire, said: "I fully support this campaign to stamp out speeding on our roads. Too many people are being seriously or fatally injured because of the careless actions of speeding drivers.
"Road safety is a major concern for many of the residents that I represent across Cheshire, and I am pleased to see that the constabulary is taking part in this international campaign to crack down on speeding and help save lives."
As part of the operation officers are keen for local residents to get involved, either by joining a local Speed Watch group or by logging on to the Cheshire police website and reporting concerns or issues over speeding in their communities.
Any intelligence received will reviewed by officers, who will look to see what action can be taken and work with the local authority to see if measures can put in place to combat the issue.
Comments
Here's what readers have had to say so far. Why not add your thoughts below.
This is not a campaign of which the Police should be proud! It is an admission that they are failing to provide the services which we expect of them.
1. All the potholes do not seem to be stopping speeding. If the roads are that bad why are cars going so fast?
2. If we residents all complied with the rules of the road and didn't travel at whatever speed WE think is appropriate, the police wouldn't then need to 'waste' their time trying to get offending motorists to drive in an acceptable, appropriate and safe manner that the MAJORITY of residents expect. If you think that driving irresponsibly around our local roads is just a "relatively small misdemeanour" I suggest you meet with someone whose child was killed by a motorist driving too fast and have them put your opinion in the rubbish bin where it belongs. I suppose you think that breathalysing motorists is also a waste of the police time? Lump drink drivers in with speeding motorists and class them all as a group on which our police shouldn't waste their time. I don't know what job you have Mr Barlow, but if you let us all know we can then avoid giving you our custom and hence avoid paying your wages if we think that your stance on this issue is inappropriate and out of order. That the police do not have the time for 'minor' crimes could be as a result of fewer officers, which is directly connected to the finance available. Perhaps we should all pay a bit more council tax or become interested in local politics to ensure that our local tax is spent wisely? See the following link:
https://ind.pn/2qArtMM
3. This 'campaign' IS an admission by the police that motorists are ignoring the rules of the road - which we all 'signed up for' and accepted when we passed our driving test. One of the services that I expect from MY police in the area that I live is that they identify motorists who do not think that the rules of the road apply to them or do not pay enough attention to their driving such that they comply with the rules. A bit like drink driving, using a mobile phone at the wheel, having no insurance - or car tax, or MOT. Stopping a motorist for one offence often flags up some other misdemeanour - tax, insurance, MOT, stolen car, carriage of firearms, drugs. Highlighting this issue is letting us all know they are doing what IS required of them.
So if you three contributors to this posting have anything positive to say on this very applaudable initiative - then please let those residents who disagree with you a bit more reasoning behind your statements.
My point was that the police should be doing this all the time - as, indeed, they should be doing many other things.
Another stark thought - of those involved in serious RTA's that aren't killed - many are so horribly injured that they wish they had been.
Or 45mph in a 40 zone?
Exceeding the speed limit does not cause deaths, it's losing control or some other factor (braking to meet the speed limit perhaps? - this is fact not hearsay).
What's the speed limit on the Autobahn? There is no speed limit, and yet millions of motorists seem to be alive at the other end.
I'm not condoning excessive speeding or inconsiderate driving, but it isn't as black and white as most people seem to make it out to be.
Mind how you go.
I think someone has been watching too much Police Interceptors on Channel 5...
....because it isn't.
Even this article states that only 15% of accidents have excessive speed as a contributing factor, not causational factor, and excessive speed includes speeds under the speed limit but where conditions suggested a speed contributed to an accident.
If you look up the DfT figures, less than 3% of KSI stats are in part attributable to excessive speed, and less than 1% of fatalities. Dangerous Driving or careless/reckless driving cause 13% of deaths 20% of KSI stats. Drink driving saw 6% of KSI stats, 16% of fatalities similar. Even drugs has a higher rate than speed (4%), as does the use of mobile phones (3%). In total, excessive speed (above and below the speed limit) was a contributing factor in 29 deaths last year.
Over 90% of KSI stats result from cars travelling under the speed limit. Speeding needs to be targeted, but its importance and obsessive focus needs to be reflected in targeting more important areas. Police, following pressure from ignorant/disingenuous lobbying groups, are too busy on their PR exercise efforts of catching motorists at 34 in a 30 on roads with no history of any incident whilst missing the true cause of problems on the road.
"While parts of the autobahns and many other freeway-style highways have posted limits up to 130 km/h (81 mph) based on accident experience, congestion and other factors, many rural sections have no general speed limit."
The accident and death rate is notably higher than in the UK - what is this directly attributed to?
And there’s a heck of a difference between 45 and 40mph if I’m trying to cross the road in front of your approaching car. You may not hit me but you’ll scare me and I don’t want to be scared by you. And you’re selfish.
I have had a clean licence for 15yrs. The only speeding offence I have had in the last 20yrs was 3pts for doing 76mph at 5.30am on a dry, sunny June morning on a deserted A34 heading towards Handforth in a 1-litre Toyota Yaris courtesy car (that didn't feel like it could do over 70mph). Tell me that was an effective use of Police time?
For it is I Rachel Bailey Clouseau who ' thinked' up this cunning ploy to fill my shrinking coffers. That was coffers not coppers. Cato you silly minx.