carcrashMore than 700 speeding motorists have been captured on camera in a week-long operation by police in Durham and Cleveland.

A total of 737 drivers were recorded going "significantly over the speed limit" across the region from 15-22 April.

Speeding fears 'well founded'
Insp Ed Turner, from the Cleveland and Durham specialist operations unit, said the results demonstrated the need for the campaign.

"We concentrated our efforts on locations which had been the subject of concerns or complaints from local residents," Insp Turner explained. "The results suggest their concerns are well-founded, as there are clearly too many motorists who believe they can flout the speed limits with impunity."

Speed awareness
Mobile safety camera vans captured 541 speeding motorists while traffic officers using hand-held devices captured 196 drivers.

Depending on the speed they were travelling the offending drivers will be dealt with either by prosecution, given suitable advice or in some cases offered the alternative of attending, at their own cost, a speed awareness course.

Global Road Safety Week
Last week was UN's Global Road Safety Week, which urges action to protect pedestrians. During the Week, Brake, alongside a GO 20 coalition of 11 charities, called for steps to enable children to walk or cycle without fear or threat from fast traffic.

Brake's deputy chief executive believes police campaigns, like that run in Durham and Cleveland, continue to add to the evidence of the need for more 20mph speed zones.

"It's not acceptable that children continue to be hurt and killed daily on our roads, and it's a sad state of affairs that many are prevented from walking or cycling because of traffic danger," said Julie Townsend. "One of the best ways to protect kids children is to slow maximum traffic speeds to 20mph around homes, schools and shops, to create a safe haven for walking and cycling."