Warwickshire Police asks drivers to slow down as more people return to the roads

Warwickshire Police is asking drivers to slow down and take extra care as more people return to the roads in the coming weeks as the lockdown restrictions are eased.

Inspector Kirsty Clough said “This is particularly important at the moment as vehicles are now sharing the roads with more people who have turned to cycling, running or walking for their exercise during the current pandemic.  As more people return to work, our roads will become busier not only with traffic but with some people also choosing to walk, run or cycle to work.

“Driving safely within speed limits helps to keep all road users safe and to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on our roads.  We also want to support new road users, in particular pedal cyclists to keep them safe on the roads.”

During lockdown on quieter roads some drivers and motorcyclists have seen this as an opportunity to speed.

In Warwickshire, between 1 January 2017 and 31 December 2019, 92 people were killed and 669 seriously injured in collisions where speed or loss of control was recorded as a contributory factor.

We are extremely concerned that with more people returning to the roads these numbers may increase. 

Speeding makes it more difficult for the driver to maintain control of the vehicle. At faster speeds it becomes more challenging to manoeuvrer around corners or avoid objects in the road. The vehicle also requires more distance to stop at higher speeds and reaction time is also reduced when a driver is faced with a dangerous situation.

This is true for motorcyclists too. In 2017, nationally 17.5% of fatal motorcycle accidents had exceeding the speed limit as a contributory factor, compared to 8.0% for all vehicles.

We want to make Warwickshire’s roads safer for lawful road users and will always choose to educate the minority of drivers who speed before we turn to enforcement.  However for the few that continue to speed, our Roads Policing Team continues to police Warwickshire’s roads to tackle irresponsible and dangerous drivers committing speeding offences. 

For drivers and motorcyclists who may not have driven for a while please slow down to give yourself more time to react to what is happening on the road in front of you.

Ensure your vehicle is roadworthy by carrying out some basic vehicle checks before driving.  This is even more important if your car has not been driven for a few weeks during lockdown. Not sure what to check?  Follow the link for how to check your tyre pressure, screen wash, tyre tread, lights and oil.  https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL97acKxwGOTOmAw-_V5u2q270GX715uPZ

See more information.