Think before you speed – it could save a life as Hampshire officers launch week-long crackdown on speeding

Think before you speed – it could save a life. That is the message from roads policing officers across Hampshire and Thames Valley next week. The Joint Roads Policing Unit, which forms part of the Joint Operations Unit (JOU), is taking part in an European-wide crackdown on drivers who speed. The latest Tispol – European Traffic Police Network – speed enforcement campaign, kicks off on August 21 and will run for a week. The aim of the campaign is to enforce speed limits for all vehicles and draw greater public attention to the consequences of excessive or inappropriate speed. The facts speak for themselves. If you hit a pedestrian at 40mph then they only have a survival chance of 10 per cent, whereas of you hit a pedestrian at 30mph then they have an 80 per cent chance of survival, so please drive appropriately, it’s not worth the risk. Exceeding the speed limit or travelling too fast for the conditions have been shown to be causation factors in 20 per cent of all fatal casualties, 12 per cent of serious casualties and 10 per cent of the total casualties across the JOU region. Road Safety Sergeant Rob Heard said: “A few miles an hour over the speed limit or travelling at inappropriate speed can have a catastrophic impact upon road users and their families, many of whom also suffer lasting and profound consequences from collisions where a loved one has been killed or seriously injured. “Excessive speed will reduce the time you have to react to a hazard and further the distance it takes for you to stop. “People need to realise it’s a speed limit and not a target so it may be more appropriate to travel at a lower speed depending on the road conditions for their own safety. “We are committed to increasing road safety and will continue to target those who fail to abide by the speed limits. “We are also reminding the drivers of goods vehicles that on certain roads they are restricted to lower speeds. “The majority of commercial vehicle drivers do drive considerately and legitimately on our highways, however we are catching far too many van drivers who are not aware of such speed restrictions. “To help drivers we have created the two images for goods vehicles of different sizes to help them remember their limits.”