Drivers are being asked to watch their speed as national figures show it contributes to around half of all fatal collisions in Britain.

Locally, in West Yorkshire, 3 people died and 57 were seriously injured in collisions where excessive speed was a factor in the first half of 2024.

In the same period, Safety Cameras in the county detected 101,442 speeding offences. A further 3,303 motorists, whose standard of driving was shown to present a risk to themselves, and other road users were caught thanks to members of the public submitting dash cam footage.

The figures have been revealed by West Yorkshire Vision Zero, who are supporting the “Is pushing it worth it?” campaign from THINK!

The initiative highlights the consequences of driving too fast for the conditions, especially on rural roads, and champions those who travel safely. 

The campaign particularly targets young male drivers, who are overrepresented in speed-related deaths and injuries.

Alison Lowe OBE, Chair of the West Yorkshire Vision Zero Board and Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime, said: “Driving at safe speeds is one of the simplest yet most impactive changes that drivers could make to improve road safety.

“I would ask everyone to be conscious of their speed as well as making a point of speaking to friends and family, particularly young drivers, about the importance of staying safe.

“Everyone has a role in road safety and if we work together, we can stop the devastating consequences of road collisions.” 

Minister for the Future of Roads, Lilian Greenwood said: “Too many lives are cut short because of speed. It only takes one car going too fast to put everyone on our roads in danger.

“West Yorkshire is rightly prioritising road safety with its ‘Vision Zero’ strategy, while our THINK! speeding campaign reminds young men that pushing their speed isn’t worth it."

For the people who continue to speed, when caught, penalties can include a speed awareness course, fines ranging from £100 to £1000 (£2500 if on a motorway), all the way up to driving bans and a re-test.

Paul Jeffrey, West Yorkshire Police lead for the West Yorkshire Safety Camera Partnership, said: “The link between excessive speed and road traffic collisions is well established and West Yorkshire Police is committed to working with partners to making our roads safer through raising awareness of the consequences of speeding and enforcement. 

“These figures also show the key role Op Snap plays in prosecuting motorists for driving offences in West Yorkshire, so I would encourage motorists and anyone else with footage of dangerous or inconsiderate driving to use our online portal on the West Yorkshire Police website so these matters can be investigated further.” 

Find out more about the campaign at https://www.think.gov.uk/campaign/speeding2025.