Reckless driving on increase during lockdown
GMP CAUGHT OUT A STAGGERING 179K SPEEDING MOTORISTS DURING 2020
A DRIVER was clocked doing 150 mph on the A34 Kingsway in south Manchester last year.
They were one of thousands ‘reckless’ motorists caught speeding during lockdown with police saying some took advantage of quieter roads and used them as a ‘personal racetrack.’
The North West was the worst region for speeding offences, with police forces collectively catching 353,173 drivers breaking the speed limit last year. Greater Manchester Police (GMP) reported more than half of these, new figures show. In total 179,142 speeding drivers were caught by GMP in 2020, the third most of any force area in the country.
The number of people caught speeding initially dropped significantly in March and April, compared to the year before, following the announcement of the first national lockdown.
However it then almost doubled in May, as restrictions began to be lifted, data from a freedom of information request shows.
In total, 24,213 drivers were caught speeding in Greater Manchester in May last year, compared to 14,301 the year before.
The figures, obtained by car insurance firm Confused.com, show the number of people being caught by all means, including cameras, were also higher in July, August, October, November and December compared to the corresponding months in 2020.
Superintendent Julie Ellison from GMP’s Specialist Operations Team, said: “Throughout the course of the pandemic, we have stepped up patrols in hotspot areas in a bid to crackdown on these reckless individuals.
“Officers have been working tirelessly to track down these offenders who have taken the opportunity to use the quieter roads as a personal racetrack; displaying a complete disregard for speed limits and other road users’ safety”.
Drivers caught speeding are given a minimum £100 fine if they are not eligible for a speed awareness course.