Police in new crackdown on speeding motorists

POLICE in Warrington are taking part in a national crackdown on speeding motorists.
The three-week long ‘Speed Enforcement’ campaign is being co-ordinated by the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and will run until Sunday, January 27.
Aims of the campaign are to:
* Reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on UK roads
* Tackle irresponsible and dangerous drivers committing speeding offences
* Increase awareness of the dangers – both to offenders and to other road users – of speeding
* Encourage motorists to drive at speeds that are safe for the road environment and to always adhere to speed limits.
Warrington has already suffered its first road death of the year – although there has been no suggestion that excessive speed was an issue.
Cheshire Constabulary and Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service are both supporting the national campaign.
The police force will be undertaking enforcement and educational activities over the course of three weeks as it continues to tackle a recent spike in road deaths in Cheshire.
Inspector Steve Griffiths, from Cheshire’s Roads Policing Team, said: “Speeding can have fatal consequences – driving at an unsafe speed has been shown to be a contributory factor in nearly a quarter (24 per cent) of road deaths.
“Inappropriate speed is one of the fatal four offences that Cheshire Constabulary actively tackles all year round, with the others being drink and drug driving, not wearing a seatbelt while driving and using a handheld mobile device while driving.
“We are placing extra emphasis on tackling speeding this month as we try to reduce the number of casualties and fatalities on Cheshire’s roads and motorways.”
“More than twice as many people (41) died on the county’s roads and motorways last year than they did in 2017, and this year there has already been five fatal collisions in just nine days in Cheshire, which is clearly a big concern for us.
“While enquiries into the causes of many of these incidents are ongoing, they act as a reminder of the importance of road safety, which is a critical issue for all communities.”