Motorists urged to reduce speed to cut carnage

Officers say “excessive and inappropriate” speed is the biggest cause of fatal and serious accidents, and they want to make drivers aware while also warning they will be cracking down on offenders caught during targeted patrols.

Traffic Inspector Mike Dring said: “To help reduce the number of people who are fatally and seriously injured on our region’s roads we have to start making motorists realise that by breaking the speed limit they are putting their lives and that of other roads users, at risk.

“Officers will be working across the whole of the Humberside area to enforce speed limits and to highlight to motorists the potential consequences of excessive and inappropriate speed.

“It is estimated, nationally, that around 70 per cent of motorists exceed speed limits during every day journeys.

“Now that could mean a quick trip to the shops, going to see family and friends, travelling to work or a long distance journey, and just an average 1mph reduction in speed nationally will reduce road collision casualties by five per cent.

“It is important people know this and think before they break the law and the speed limit.”

Provisional figures obtained by the Yorkshire Post show a slight increase in the number of people killed or seriously injured on the region’s roads last year.

There were 478 serious or fatal casualties in 2012, up four from the previous year, and following an annual decline since a peak of 500 in 2009.

A pedestrian hit by a vehicle travelling at 35mph is twice as likely to die than if the vehicle was travelling at 30mph, figures show.

A survey by the charity Brake found that six in 10 young drivers admitted driving above 35mph in a 30mph zone once a week, compared to less than four in 10 older drivers.