Kentish Gazette Canterbury & District
10,000 are caught speeding in first month of lockdown
More than 10,000 drivers were caught speeding last month in Kent despite being under coronavirus lockdown, police have revealed.
Official figures say that 10,737 speeding offences were recorded in April across the county, even though government guidelines restricted all but essential travel.
The figure is greater than both of the months before lockdown this year.
In January, there were 9,847 recorded offences, while in the shorter month of February there were just 7,305.
Of the offences recorded in April, 8,857 qualified the driver for a speed awareness course (the most lenient outcome), while 505 were severe enough to warrant a court appearance. The countywide figures include 10 drivers who were stopped on the same road in Ashford over just two days. The worst speeds recorded on a motorway with a 70mph speed limit were 132mph, 136mph and 137mph.
The M25 saw the second fastest speed of these, recorded clockwise between Junction 5 and Clacket Lane. Meanwhile, the other two incidents were both recorded on the M20 London-bound, between Junction 7 for Maidstone and Junction 6 for the Sandling Interchange.
The fastest speeds in a 50mph area were all recorded on the same road; the Dartford Tunnel approach on the A282. Motorists on the approach have been clocked at 88mph, 91mph and 94mph.
The worst three offences recorded in a 30mph zone- which are typically residential areas were all more than double the speed limit.
The A2 London Road in Rainham saw all three incidents, recorded at 60mph, 63mph and 71mph respectively.
Ch Insp Rhiannan Pepper, head of the roads policing unit, said: “Whilst there were less vehicles on Kent’s roads during April 2020 due to the lockdown measures introduced by the government, we would still have expected those motorists who did need to drive to do so responsibly. “Although the vast majority of motorists continued to obey the rules of the road, some were caught travelling at speeds that are simply unacceptable and placed both themselves and other road-users at risk of serious harm.
“Please do not be mistaken for thinking that just because there are less vehicles on the road, it is safe to drive above the speed limit. The faster your speed, the less time you have to react to unforeseen hazards or mistakes from other drivers and the greater the impact any collision may be, making it more likely that you or someone else will be killed or seriously injured. “As the lockdown restrictions are gradually eased and more vehicles return to the roads, we will continue to prosecute speeding drivers via a range of methods including mobile and static speed cameras and in-car technology.”
She added: “Officers from the unit are also continuing to patrol major routes across the county and taking action when necessary, as are those from the road safety team who specifically look out for motorists who may be using their phones at the wheel, not wearing seatbelts or otherwise putting themselves or others at risk.”