60,000 speeding tickets issued in Tayside

TAYSIDE Police handed out more than 60,000 speeding tickets last year and recorded the fastest speed in a 30mph zone anywhere in the UK.

The figures, obtained through freedom of information requests, have raised serious concerns about road safety.

Research from car leasing agent UK Carline showed one individual was snapped travelling at 106mph in a 30mph zone — the highest speed reported by any UK police division.

In another instance, a driver was caught speeding at more than twice the national limit on a Tayside road using a cloned registration plate.

The Audi S3 Quattro was clocked at 148mph on the A90 north of Dundee.

Tayside issued 60,465 speeding tickets, with only West Yorkshire, Surrey and West Mercia reporting a higher number.

North-East MSP Liam Kerr, Scottish Conservative justice spokesman, warned the behaviour of a careless few “endangers everyone on the road”.

“Obscene and unrepentant flouting of the national speed limit is an hourly occurrence on the A90 and A92 in Dundee and Angus and puts lives at risk,” he said.

“While average speed cameras help in some circumstances, it’s plain that in many cases, such as obscured or cloned plates, they won’t make a difference.

“Road police must continue to have the freedom to patrol the A90 and manually deal with these idiots.”

Sandy Allan, road safety manager for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents in Scotland, said 400 people were killed each year through speeding.

He added: “Driving at higher speeds gives drivers less time to identify and react to what is happening around them, which in turn prolongs the time it takes for the vehicle to stop, thus raising the risk of a crash occurring.”