Police and Crime Commissioner for West Yorkshire | WYPCC

West Yorkshire Police and the PCC back calls for motorists to ‘Slow Down, Save Lives’

21st May 2020

West Yorkshire Police are supporting the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) speeding enforcement operation.

As lockdown eases and the country starts to slowly get back to work more cars will now be out on the road.

The force wants to take this opportunity to remind drivers the importance of sticking to the speed limit.

From Monday 25 May, West Yorkshire Police will be carrying out increased enforcement activity on our roads and taking every opportunity to remind people of the potentially fatal consequences for yourself and others of driving over the speed limit.

Building on the success of the driving whilst using a mobile phone campaign and the Christmas drink drug drive campaign, the Force will again be using the hashtag #WYPTheCost and highlighting the potential cost of being caught speeding. The consequences can include prison time, a fine and a driving ban, in addition to the devastating emotional impact on those involved and their families and loved ones if someone is injured as a result of a collision.

Chief Inspector Lisa Kirkland, Head of West Yorkshire Police’s Roads Policing Unit, said: "During lockdown even though traffic was down 70%, we saw an increase in the number of people taking advantage of the quiet roads to speed. We also saw more people use the roads to cycle and more pedestrians and joggers on the streets.

"For the month of April we issued 588 speeding tickets. We also listened to members of the public who told us where speeding was a problem and deployed patrols to those areas.

"It’s a known fact that speeding causes road traffic collisions, there were 9 fatal collisions last year where speed was a factor.

"If you’re caught speeding the consequences could be you lose your licence, more points on your licence which in turn will see your insurance go up. If disqualified you could lose your job and your livelihood or even worse you could seriously injure yourself or others because your speed caused a collision.

“Going over the speed limit can have fatal consequences for the person driving the car, passengers and others on the road. Our NHS colleagues are already under extreme pressure – it is important, more than ever, that drivers do not add to this.

“This year, we have more dedicated roads policing officers working on the roads of West Yorkshire to prevent the devastation that speeding can cause. We will not tolerate people risking their own and others road users’ lives by speeding.

‘We all have a responsibility to play in keeping our roads safe, please slow down and save lives.’

West Yorkshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC), Mark Burns-Williamson, said: “It’s important to highlight and support this road safety awareness campaign, as prevention is always better than the cure and by better educating drivers we can collectively make a difference for everyone’s safety on our roads.

“Now that lockdown measures are slowly starting to ease here in West Yorkshire and across the country, there will be a steady increase in traffic on the roads as people go back to work destinations and their daily commutes. However, I want to urge motorists to take more care on the roads for their own safety and others around them in what will in many ways be a changed environment with potentially more people walking and cycling to workplaces.

“The operation starting next week by West Yorkshire Police is aimed to raise awareness about the dangers of speeding on the roads and to urge people to be safe and more vigilant of others whilst behind the wheel.

“Some of the most serious incidents which we have witnessed across West Yorkshire, put into perspective the devastating harm that driving related offences can cause for families and communities. The issue of road safety has very much been ongoing concern for the public throughout the COVID19 restrictions and also remains a priority within my Police and Crime Plan.

“By working together with our communities and partner agencies across the county, we can make the roads safer by understanding the needs of all out on the roads and highways.”

West Yorkshire Police will be actively tweeting about the enforcement campaign from the @WYP_RPU account using the hashtag #WYPTheCost and #SlowDownSaveLives