Drivers must accept speeding is not a victimless crime, says police

The UK's biggest independent road safety charity has backed the national police chiefs' council's current crackdown on speeding on our roads '“ saying that there is clear evidence that '˜speed kills.'
Watch more of our videos on Shots! 
and live on Freeview channel 276
Visit Shots! now

IAM RoadSmart has throw its support behind the message, quashing the myth that speeding is a victimless crime, and calling for drivers to take responsibility for their actions.

The NPCC is encouraging police forces around the country to highlight these dangers in their own areas in the two-week campaign, which started earlier this month.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Neil Greig, IAM RoadSmart director of policy and research, said: “Many people see speeding as a victimless crime – that is total nonsense. Many drivers think they can easily handle the speed they drive, and assume their skills are great enough to handle an emergency. We at IAM RoadSmart would like to ask those people to take a long, hard look at their attitudes and stop kidding themselves they are always safe.”

Cleveland and Durham Road Policing Unit are having a crackdown on speeding drivers.Cleveland and Durham Road Policing Unit are having a crackdown on speeding drivers.
Cleveland and Durham Road Policing Unit are having a crackdown on speeding drivers.

The latest annual road safety statistics shows that the contributory factor of ‘exceeding speed limit’ was recorded in 203 fatalities, 1,212 serious injuries, and 5,855 slight injuries.

In addition, the figures reported for those who crashed because they were ‘travelling too fast for conditions’ revealed 136 fatalities, 1,327 serious injury collisions and 4,483 slight injury collisions.

Chief constable Anthony Bangham, NPCC lead for Roads Policing, said to IAM RoadSmart: “Driving or riding at safe speeds is a key theme of the National Roads Policing Strategy and the speed campaign during January means police forces across the UK will focus on those who are travelling too fast on our roads, putting themselves and others at risk by doing so.

“Respecting the speed limit is fundamental to reducing danger on our roads. Enforcing those limits falls to the police and officers will be doing just that.”