Speeding targeted on our roads as Autumn closes in

Over the next couple of weeks, North Yorkshire Police’s Traffic Officers will be targeting excess (above the posted speed limit) and inappropriate (within the speed limit but not appropriate for the conditions) speed on our roads.

Inappropriate speed contributes to around 11% of all injury collisions reported to the police, 15% of crashes resulting in a serious injury and 24% of collisions that result in a death.

Twenty-four-hour enforcement activity will take place across the county, with an aim of catching those who put other road users in danger.

The activity is part of a National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) speed enforcement operation across the UK. The operation is a vital way of highlighting the risks of driving above the speed limit. It’s also an opportunity to encourage drivers and riders to reflect on the speeds they choose, and if necessary to change their minds, slow down and help reduce risk.

Between 1 January and 31 December 2021, there were 85,610 speed violations captured by the Safety Camera Vans and Safety Camera Bike across the county.

In addition, during the last speed enforcement campaign in January of this year there were a total of almost 5,200 speeding violations during that month alone.

Traffic Constable Ali Hoyle said:

“These figures show just how much of an issue speeding is here for us in North Yorkshire and this is not a huge surprise as we have a vast road network across the county including hundreds of miles of rural roads.

“The reason why we do these types of deployments is because we are trying to prevent serious collisions on our roads and make them as safe as they can possibly be.

“There are so many dangers associated with excessive speeding, not least because it’s a major cause of fatal road traffic collisions. By slowing down and making sure you drive to the conditions of the road, you have more time to react to other drivers and hazards.

“As Autumn closes in, sunset will arrive earlier in the day when the roads are perhaps busier with commuters. Dusk can be tricky in terms of visibility, so we urge drivers to take account of this and travel at the appropriate speed.

“It is everybody’s responsibility to use the roads safely play our part in reducing the risk of death and serious injury, and I want to thank those drivers and riders who make this a priority on every journey.”

Speeding is more than just breaking the law - here is some further information on the risks associated with speeding

The consequences are far-ranging, including:

• greater potential for loss of vehicle control
• reduced effectiveness of occupant protection equipment
• increased stopping distance after the driver perceives a danger
• increased degree of crash severity leading to more severe injuries
• economic implications of a speed-related crash
• increased fuel consumption/cost.

Risk of injury and death

• The faster a driver travels, the more likely they are to crash and the greater the risk of serious injury or death.
• No matter what causes a crash, vehicle speed directly affects the force of impact.
• As speed increases, there is an increase in the following factors which in turn increase risk of serious injury if involved in a crash:
• stopping distance — both the distance travelled during reaction time and the distance
• travel after the brakes are applied
• the probability of exceeding the critical speed on a curve
• the chance of other road users misjudging how fast the speeding driver is travelling
• the probability of a rear-end crash if the driver has not accounted for the increased speed

If you have any concerns around speeding in your community, please report this visa our Speed Management Protocol here: Tell us about a speed concern | North Yorkshire Police

You can also join your local Community Speed Watch. For more information email [email protected]