Staffordshire Police support national speeding campaign

Police in Staffordshire will be focusing on drivers who speed in a bid to reduce the number of deaths and casualties on the county’s roads.

With the gradual relaxing of lockdown restrictions officers will be taking part in a two phase operation to remind motorists of the importance of travelling within the speed limit. This operation is deliberately timed as travel restrictions start to ease, to keep people safe as the volume of traffic increases.

The targeted activity is part of a national approach co-ordinated by the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC).

Phase one begins today with the sharing of messages across social media and other platforms encouraging the public to slow down and save lives, in addition to normal speed enforcement activity.

Phase two, from the 25 May, will see visible speed enforcement activity for the following two weeks, focussing on roads and areas where speeding is known to be an issue or there is a history of serious collisions.

Every year, a number of people sadly die on Staffordshire roads and speeding is one of the major contributing factors in road traffic collisions. Between 2014 and 2018 speed contributed to 29.5 per cent of crashes in which someone died.

The force’s roads policing unit, together with Staffordshire Safer Roads Partnership, police community support officers and special constables, will be out and about in local communities taking part in a number of enforcement initiatives.

The safety camera team will be using their combination of fixed and mobile cameras to enforce the law and support the campaign. The mobile cameras can also pick up when a driver isn't wearing a seat belt or when they’re using a mobile phone which are also key factors in serious and fatal collisions.

Chief Inspector Matt Derrick of Staffordshire Roads Policing Unit said: "As people begin to use the roads more as lockdown restrictions are eased, we're asking all road users to travel within the speed limits. Remember just a few extra miles per hour can make all the difference to your reaction, breaking distances and ultimate consequence of any collision.

“Although the roads have been significantly quieter during lockdown, sadly we have seen some very excessive speeds on our county’s roads. Now more than ever we need people to be speed aware and protect themselves and other road users; particularly at a time when more cyclists and pedestrians are about.

"This campaign supports our on-going work as part of Operation Lightning, which aims to reduce the number of deaths and serious injuries on the roads of Staffordshire and to disrupt and deter criminals from using the road network."