Shame of fastest driver caught on Lancashire's roads

The number of drivers caught speeding in Lancashire fell when the coronavirus lockdown started.
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Road safety charity Brake wants to avoid a rebound in dangerous driving now that more drivers are back out on the roads.

Lancashire Constabulary officers enforced 5,465 speeding offences during April, according to data obtained by the PA news agency through a Freedom of Information request.

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This was a decrease of 39 per cent on the same month the year before.

Speed of the fastest driver caught in Lancashire rose, from 113mph in April 2019 to 130mph in April this yearSpeed of the fastest driver caught in Lancashire rose, from 113mph in April 2019 to 130mph in April this year
Speed of the fastest driver caught in Lancashire rose, from 113mph in April 2019 to 130mph in April this year

The majority of forces who provided data also observed a decrease, with offences dropping by 55 per cent across England and Wales.

Joshua Harris, director of campaigns at road safety charity Brake, said: “Any drop in speeding on the road is positive news but this must be tempered by the fact that lockdown dramatically reduced the number of vehicles on the road.

"As traffic increases, post-lockdown, we need to see measures introduced to avoid a rebound in dangerous driving and to minimise crashes.

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“We need tough enforcement and safer, lower speed limits to help keep our roads as safe as possible and to try and sustain the positive increase in walking and cycling over the past few months.”

The speed of the fastest driver caught in Lancashire rose, from 113mph in April 2019 to 130mph in April this year.

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents said many drivers exceed the speed limit without realising it.

It urged people to look for signs, check their speedometer regularly and remember that speed limits are a maximum, not a target.

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Nick Lloyd, head of road safety at Rospa, said: “Higher speeds mean drivers have less time to identify and react to what is happening around them, prolonging the time it takes for the vehicle to stop, and raising the risk of a crash occurring.

“This puts the driver and other people at risk. Added to that, the higher the speed, the greater the risk of death or injury in a collision.”