Speed cameras Sheffield: More vans and cameras used in city in new crackdown on those breaking the limit

Police officers are taking part in a national campaign to tackle speeding drivers, which was launched on October 10 and runs until October 31. They stress it “is about education as much as it is enforcement”.

Roads Policing Inspector Matt Collings, of South Yorkshire Police, said: “Speed kills, it is a fact. Speed limits are there for a reason and driving a few miles per hour over the speed limit can have fatal and devastating effects on the victims and families of those involved in collisions. Every day officers from across our roads policing teams and districts are committed to making South Yorkshire’s roads safe, but as part of this national operation we are focussing our efforts on speeding drivers.

“During the next couple of weeks we will be raising awareness of the dangers of speeding as much as possible and using speed vans and cameras and stopping drivers who we believe to be speeding, to deter, prosecute and educate.”

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Since January 1, 2022, the South Yorkshire Safety Camera Partnership has dealt with over 65,000 speeding offences in South Yorkshire. Nationally, inappropriate speed contributes to 24 per cent of collisions that have resulted in deaths and 11 per cent of all injuries from road-related collisions reported to the police.

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Inspector Collings added: “We are urging drivers to think about their speed and remember that speed limits are there for a reason. We will also be educating and taking action against those who drive at inappropriate speed. This means they are driving within the speed limit but not to the conditions of the road. A speed limit means this is the absolute maximum speed you can drive, but it doesn’t mean it is safe in all conditions.”

He continued: “Road conditions should be taken into consideration, such as the weather, the condition of the road and the time of day you are driving. If you kill or seriously injure someone because you were speeding, you will not only face time in prison, you will have to live with the long-term emotional consequences. Think, don’t speed. It could save a life.”

Chairman of the South Yorkshire Safer Roads Partnership Strategic Board, Tom Finnegan-Smith, said: “Driving or riding too fast for the road conditions contributes to one third of road collisions. The speed limit is the absolute maximum and does not mean that it is safe to drive or ride at that speed in all conditions. Factors such as the weather, the state of the road and time of day should be considered when choosing what speed to travel at.

“The faster someone is driving, the longer it will take them to stop if something unexpected happens. Consider the consequences of causing a collision due to travelling at excessive speed. You will have to live with the emotional consequences of deaths or injuries caused to others.”

South Yorkshire Police can be contacted on 101.