More than 1,000 motorists caught speeding on county's roads during UN-backed Global Road Safety Week
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More than 1,000 motorists were caught speeding as Staffordshire Police joined forces with Community Speedwatch groups across the county during the UN-backed Global Road Safety Week.
In total, 1,277 drivers were clocked exceeding the speed limit on the county’s roads either by one of 29 Community Speedwatch groups who clocked up 51 hours and 35 minutes voluntarily keeping law-abiding road users safe with the support of the force’s Roads Policing Unit, or one of Staffordshire Police’s mobile speed camera vans.
The week ran from May 17th to May 23rd and is part of the UN’s Global Decade Of Action For Road Safety running from this year until 2030. It was set up because, according to the UN, “every 24 seconds another person is killed in a road traffic crash”.
In Staffordshire Police’s week of action, as well as the speeding motorists five drivers were found to be using their mobile phone at the wheel.
Three drivers were reported to the force’s Roads Policing Unit or Specials to carry out a home visit as they were caught either travelling at a particularly high speed or as a repeat offender.
From left, Simon Walsh, Richard Sharp and Malcolm Beeston of the Yardley CSW group with PC Barry Joynson, Inspector Mark Joynson and Sergeant Tom Watson
One driver from outside Staffordshire will be receiving a separate letter about being caught speeding for a third occasion in 12 months on the county’s roads.
All drivers caught speeding were either offered a Speed Awareness Course or hit with a fixed penalty for their offences. No court summons were issued.
Simon Walsh, a member of the Yarnfield Community Speedwatch group who were one of the 29 working with Staffordshire Police during the week, said: “Our village can be used as a rat run by commuters and the speed limit is often not obeyed. So we joined together to form the group and go out and throughout the whole of May, not just this week, we spent about 27 hours on the roads and caught hundreds of speeding motorists.
“We do it for the good of the village and I’d definitely recommend it to everyone else to do the same in their communities. It’s extremely rewarding. Once you’ve done it for a period of time you’ll notice the difference. Here, driver behaviours have changed and you can see a difference in their driving style which will benefit the community and help keep people safe.”
Sergeant Tom Watson of the Roads Policing Unit, who oversaw the coordination of the force’s efforts for Global Road Safety Week, said: “It was a very successful week. Staffordshire Police supported Global Road Safety Week this year, focussing on speeding offences on lower-speed-limit and residential roads.
Inspector of Proactive Operations Mark Joynson, left, with Roads Policing Unit Sergeant Tom Watson
“Our Roads Policing Unit have visited a number of Community Speedwatch locations across the county to bolster the activity our residents were undertaking and to reinforce the message around the ‘Fatal 4’ offences leading to people being killed and seriously injured on our roads.”
These are - inappropriate speed, using a mobile phone, not wearing a seatbelt, and drink or drug driving.
“Over the course of the week, 1,277 speeding offences were recorded with the vast majority of people being educated around the offences and it being highlighted to them the dangers speed poses in our communities," Tom added.
“Staffordshire Police is committed to continually targeting the offences which lead to increased risk to road users in a bid to reduce the number of casualties on our roads and keep our communities a safer place to live and work.”
The full list of Community Speedwatch Groups out as part of the week reads: Armitage & Handsacre, Barlaston, Barton, Betley, Bishops Wood, Bramshall, Branston & Henhurst, Brewood, Denstone, Derrington, Eccleshall, Heath Hayes & Wimblebury, Hixon, Kings Bromley, Loggerheads, Mayfield, Meir Park & Meir Heath, Newborough, Salt, Saverely Green, Stone, Tatenhill & Rangemore, Tower (Winshill), Upper Longdon, Uttoxeter Town, Weston, Wheaton Aston & Stretton, Whitmore, and Yarnfield.
Community Speedwatch is a national initiative where communities work with Police forces to clamp down on speeding motorists on their roads. For more information and to set up a group in your community, visit www.staffordshire.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/wsi/watch-schemes-initiatives/csw/community-speedwatch/
From left, Simon Walsh, Richard Sharp and Malcolm Beeston of Yarnfield CSW, with PC Barry Joynson