Drivers speeding at up to 125mph during pandemic lockdown
A MOTORIST sped along one of South Wales’ main roads at 125mph – taking advantage of the empty roads during lockdown – latest figures have shown.
The driver had been rushing along the A470 Taffs Well southbound when they were found to be smashing the speed limit.
Traffic along the road is restricted to 70mph but last year roadworks along the stretch saw the limit fall even further to 50mph but that didn’t stop another driver from also flouting the rules and hitting 119mph along the stretch, according to 2020 figures.
Another driver rocketed through the A470 Cillfynydd southbound at 117mph.
Although people were advised to stay at home during the pandemic it didn’t stop 53,875 drivers breaking the speed limit in the South Wales Police area during the year.
The figures compare to 40,946 rule-flouting motorists in the North Wales Police area, 25,124 in the Gwent Police area, along with 1,340 in Dyfed-Powys Police.
Speedsters peaked on roads in June in South Wales at 7,129, in North Wales it was 5,373 in July when problems were at their worst compared to 3,950 in February in Gwent before lockdown rules kicked-in.
But in Dyfed-Powys, there were 176 speeding drivers in September.
Across Britain, more than 2.2m motorists were caught speeding – the equivalent of more than 6,000 offences per day.
The UK-wide figures have seen a 10% drop compared to 2019 but the figures are still high considering the country was in lockdown.
In 2019, the A5 westbound in North Wales was a hotspot for a speeding motorist who hit 120mph, and along Cardiff’s A48 Eastern Avenue (Llanedeyrn) a driver clocked 110mph while another motorist rocketed along the M4 at Port Talbot at 106mph.
Alex Kindred, car insurance expert at Confused.com, which uncovered the scale of speeding drivers through the Freedom of Information Act, said: “It’s worrying to think that many people took advantage of quieter roads during lockdown to ramp up the speed.
“Speed limits are in place for a reason - to keep road users and pedestrians safe.
“If you’re caught speeding, you could be paying out up to 175% of your weekly income – this could be up to £1,000 for some drivers, or £2,500 on a motorway.
“But it is confusing to work out the penalty with the rules changing depending on the severity of the offence.
“Stick to the limit and avoid a hefty fine.”