Over a 100 drivers caught speeding in South Wiltshire in 24 period
Wiltshire's Police and Crime Commissioner is calling for more care on the roads
Wiltshire's Police and Crime Commissioner is calling for drivers on the county's roads to take more care after over a hundred drivers were caught speeding in 24 hours.
They were all caught in South Wiltshire as part of a road safety initiative called Project Zero, which aims to eliminate road deaths across Wiltshire.
On 29th May, 47 drivers were caught in an hour in South Newton, opposite Manor Farm, before another 27 were caught in just 30 minutes on The Avenue in Wilton.
On the morning 0f 30th May, a further 33 drivers were caught over the limit, with one driver recorded at almost twice the 30mph limit.
PCC Philip Wilkinson says speeding is an issue that has regularly been brought to his attention since taking office in 2022.
He said: “Speeding is dangerous, it can kill and leave others seriously injured and Wiltshire’s communities are rightly concerned about the risks this poses to them and their loved ones.
“Proactive policing targeting those drivers who take unnecessary risks on our roads such as Project Zero have my full support and these results from recent enforcement sessions in the south highlight just how needed this enforcement is and road safety continues to be a priority in my police and crime plan.
“There will be people who say that initiatives like this unfairly target motorists and that the police should focus on ‘real crime’.
“My challenge to them would be the hundreds of individuals killed or seriously injured on our roads each year and the devastation that causes – speed will have been a factor in many of these collisions and not always from those most seriously injured.”
Mr Wilkinson instigated an overhaul of the Community Speedwatch Scheme in 2022.
It now has 86 teams operating at 536 sites across the county with extra support from Wiltshire Police to allow for greater enforcement.
Speed Indicator Devices (SIDs) have been installed across the county to pinpoint speeding hotspots, and there has also been an increased enforcement capability through the employment of more designated specialist enforcement officers by the funding of three Community Speed Enforcement Officer (CSEO) posts.
Last year, the Police and Crime Commissioner also appointed a Road Safety Delivery Manager, to work with the Wiltshire and Swindon Road Safety Partnership to ensure clear communication and collaboration between agencies working within road safety.