Nine out of ten driving offences in South Yorkshire linked to speeding, figures reveal

Speeding drivers in South Yorkshire accounted for almost 90 per cent of motoring offences recorded in the county last year, Home Office figures have revealed.
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Research by the RAC Foundation found that motorists were caught driving too fast 55,461 times by South Yorkshire Police in 2018-19.

It means 88 per cent of the 63,162 motoring offences recorded over the period were for speeding – 16 per cent higher than the year before.

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This was a higher proportion than the average across England and Wales as a whole. Eighty-four per cent of the 2.8 million motoring offences recorded across the two countries were for speeding.

Speeding accounted for nine out of ten motoring offences in South Yorkshire in the last year.Speeding accounted for nine out of ten motoring offences in South Yorkshire in the last year.
Speeding accounted for nine out of ten motoring offences in South Yorkshire in the last year.

A South Yorkshire Police spokesman said: “Officers pro-actively patrol our roads every day, and every day we see drivers putting themselves and others at risk.

“Speeding can easily be avoided and laws are in place to protect drivers, other road users and pedestrians – even if you are one mile an hour over the speed limit, it can have serious consequences and devastating effects on victims and families of those involved in collisions.

“Where appropriate we are robust in dealing with drivers who are caught driving over the speed limit and work hard to bring them before the courts.

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“We are also investing in our Community Speedwatch scheme which sees our PCSOs and neighbourhood teams working closely with local people to deter speeding in key areas.

“Our Operational Support Unit also has a dedicated vehicle, which targets speeding hotspots, including the motorway network, under Operation Illuminate.”

Fifty-seven per cent of offences in 2018-19 were dealt with by sending the driver on a speed awareness course.

Thirty-four per cent were fined, while five per cent resulted in court action and three per cent of offences were cancelled.

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Steve Gooding of the RAC Foundation said: “The simple rule for drivers who don’t want to risk ending up with a speeding ticket is not to break the limit in the first place.

“Where limits are properly signposted, and clearly feel right for the road in question, then motorists have no excuse for going faster.”