Speeding… it’s a hot topic that regularly comes up in our comments section.

You might believe a little bit of speeding is okay and shouldn’t be targeted by the police, or you might think that it is the most serious of crimes... but what’s the truth?

Speeding might be an issue that you don’t consider serious, however it is one of the fatal four. The fatal four are the four offences which contribute to serious collisions. The other fatal four offences are drink or drug driving, using a mobile device whilst driving or not wearing a seat belt.

The fact is, speeding does kill. In 2022, 303 people died on UK roads because drivers were travelling above the speed limit. All of those people have family, friends and loved ones left behind due to drivers choosing to go above the limit.

Our volunteers who run Community Speed Watch Groups give up their time because they care about their communities and want to help protect residents in their area. Derbyshire communities shouldn’t have their lives put at risk due to speeding motorists. Many of these volunteers have jobs and busy lives outside of their volunteering but feel passionate about keeping local families safe.

In addition, speeding is constantly an issue that communities in Derbyshire highlight as being a significant problem and one they wish to see action taken. That’s why our groups target those areas which have been reported by the community as high-risk roads.

Today officers from Bakewell Safer Neighbourhood Team carried out checks on Haddon Road in Bakewell and the A623 in Stoney Middleton.  In Bakewell 362 vehicles were checked and only 1 was observed to be exceeding the 30 mph limit at 37 mph.  In Stoney Middleton 328 vehicles were checked and all were within the 40 mph limit.  

Policing isn’t just about tickets, it’s also about education and community involvement, and these speed sites encompass the two. 
Our officers will step in and ticket drivers when necessary, but we want more than that. We want to really educate drivers on why speeding does matter, and why it is something we’ll continue to target to keep Derbyshire safe.

If you think we should be concentrating on other areas of crime and not speeding, please fill in our Derbyshire Talking survey so we can find more ways to support you. You can fill it out online here https://www.derbyshirealert.co.uk/Content/Pages/Derbyshire-Talking.