Drivers going faster than ever

THREE of Wales’ police force areas saw an increase in the speed of the fastest driver caught when lockdown started compared to the previous year, new figures have shown.

Officers in North Wales and South Wales clocked motorists travelling at an eye-watering 132mph and 114mph, respectively, in April.

And Dyfed-Powys Police caught a driver speeding at 90mph.

The figures showed that while the numbers of speeding drivers dropped between April 2019 and April 2020, the fastest speeds rose dramatically.

In North Wales, the number of offences recorded dropped from 4,729 to 1,467, while the top speed rose from 120mph to 132mph.

South Wales officers caught 1,996 speeders this April compared to 5,286 in April 2019 – but the top speed rose from 95mph to 114mph.

And in Dyfed-Powys, the number of offences dropped from 86 to 39, while the highest speed recorded increased marginally from 89mph to 90mph. No figures were available from Gwent. Across England, the highest speed recorded was an astonishing 171mph in Norfolk, while in London the highest speeds recorded per zone included 163mph on a 70mph road, 134mph on a 40mph road, 110mph on a 30mph road and 73mph on a 20mph road.

The majority of forces who provided data following a Freedom of Information request from the Press Association recorded an overall decrease, amid a drop in traffic of around two-thirds as people were urged to stay at home.

Commenting on the figures, Detective Superintendent Andy Cox of the Metropolitan Police explained that many drivers caught speeding during the early weeks of lockdown did not expect officers to be patrolling near-deserted roads.

He said: “Early on, for some people driving at extreme speeds, they would be really surprised to see us there. They would actually come out and say ‘we thought you’d be busy dealing with Covid’. Maybe some people (tried to take) advantage because congestion was less and thought they’d get away with it.”