Slow down urge police, after number of ton-up drivers on NI roads up 26% to 109

MORE than 100 people were caught driving at over 100mph on Northern Ireland’s roads last year.

A total of 109 drivers were detected in 2018 — a 26% increase on the previous year’s total of 86.

The highest speed recorded by the PSNI was on the M2 near Belfast, where a 35-year-old man was caught doing 140mph.

The second highest was on the M2 near Rathbeg, where a 24-year-old man hit 132mph.

And the third highest was on the Frosses Road near Ballymena, where a 40-year-old man was clocked at 128mph.

Two drivers were caught doing 127mph — a 24-year-old man on the M2 near Antrim and a 28-year-old man on the M1 near Dungannon.

Road safety charity Brake, which obtained the figures through a Freedom of Information request, said 9,596 motorists across the UK were caught by police speeding at more than 100mph.

That was up by 52% from 2017, when 6,311 were caught.

The highest speed recorded was 162mph on the M1 Southbound in South Yorkshire and the M4 Eastbound in Avon and Somerset — more than twice the national speed limit.

Brake called for an automatic ban for those caught travelling at over 100mph and greater resources provided to the police to help improve enforcement.

Joshua Harris, director of campaigns for Brake, said: “There is absolutely no justification for any driver to be travelling at such excessive speeds — more than twice the national speed limit in some cases — putting themselves and others in grave danger.

“The number of drivers caught speeding at over 100mph highlights some deeply concerning issues with speeding across the country and makes clear the need for action.

“Anyone caught travelling at such speed should always face a ban — we have to make sure these dangerous, selfish drivers are taken off our roads.”

PSNI Inspector Rosemary Leech said excess speed for the conditions is one of the main causes of serious and fatal collisions. “Drivers have to take responsibility for their own actions and by speeding they are causing a danger to fellow road users,” she said.

Inspector Leech said speeding offences were on the rise.

She added: “In 2018, the number of speeding detections rose by 18.8% from the previous year, consequently the number of offenders who are caught travelling at higher speeds is also likely to increase.

“Removing excess speed from the road safety equation should be the easiest thing that every road user can do.

“If we all stop speeding, more people live. If we all stop speeding, fewer people have to contend with life-changing injuries.”