Wednesday 15th November 2023

Sussex Alerts - Sussex Police

Hundreds of motorists were stopped by police as part of a national campaign to tackle speeding in Sussex

Officers from Sussex Police’s Roads Policing Unit (RPU) carried out increased patrols and stop checks as part of the National Police Chiefs’ Council’s National Speed Campaign, which ran between October 16 and 29.

They were joined by colleagues from the Sussex Safer Roads Partnership (SSRP) who attended key areas of the road network.

Excess speed is one of the main reasons why people are killed or seriously injured on our roads each year, and in Sussex, one in three collisions are caused because of speeding.

RPU officers stopped more than 500 vehicles as part of the campaign, of which, more than 200 drivers were issued with traffic offence reports (TORs) or were summonsed to court.

It included one driver who was stopped twice in just a few days, when officers caught them reaching 77mph in a 40mph zone.

Meanwhile during the first hour of a stop check on the A23, officers stopped two drivers travelling in excess of 100mph.

Officers also identified other offences including drink and drug-driving, and stopped a delivery driver who was seen watching television on their mobile phone as they approached an RPU stop check site.

Further checks by our SSRP colleagues across Sussex led to more than 1,000 offences being identified and Notices of intended Prosecution being sent to the drivers involved.

RPU Inspector Matt Wightwick said: “While most drivers understand that speed limits are in place for a reason, there are still some who continue to risk their lives and safety, as well as the lives and safety of others, by exceeding these limits ­- sometimes by quite a significant margin.

“Speed limits are in place at various locations and it is vitally important these are adhered to. Excess speed is one of the ‘fatal five’ causes of death or serious injuries on our roads.

“This campaign aims to educate road users and is run as part of our continued efforts to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on the roads of Sussex.

“It runs in addition to the proactive patrols our officers conduct 24 hours a day, 365 days a year as part of our efforts to reduce deaths or serious collisions on our roads.”

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