More than 7,000 letters are sent out to drivers, thanks to speed watch campaign

MORE than 7,000 letters have been sent to vehicle owners advising them of the dangers of speeding, as a result of the Derbyshire Community Speed Watch scheme.

The scheme enables trained volunteers to reduce the problem of speeding on their local roads, by conducting speed checks.

Details of vehicles witnessed breaching the speed limit are then forwarded to the Casualty Reduction Enforcement Support Team (Crest).

The team then issue the registered owner of the vehicle a letter that sets out details of the check and reminds them of the dangers of speeding.

If the same vehicle is seen speeding again, within a year, then a stronger worded letter is sent and if a third occasion is witnessed, the owners receive a personal visit from Derbyshire Constabulary roads policing unit.

Between May 1 last year and May 31 this year, 7,303 letters were sent out, 191 of which were second letters and 21 owners received personal visits.

Darren Roberts, Crest section manager, said: “Speed limits make an important contribution to the safety of our roads. Driving a vehicle above the limit is a serious offence as it significantly increases the risk of a collision and causing serious injury or death to you or another road user.

“Whilst a large part of our work in Crest is enforcement, the Community Speed Watch Scheme is a collaboration between the communities of Derbyshire and the police and is a valuable way to educate drivers in Derbyshire of the dangers of driving at excess speed and persuading drivers and riders to stick to the speed limits.

“We are really grateful to the nearly 700 fully trained volunteers, across 91 schemes in Derbyshire, for the time and effort they put into keeping their communities safe. A notable indication of the success of the scheme is that very few owners require a visit from an officer.”