Three speeders caught an hour

Police have been catching three speeding drivers every hour across County Durham and Cleveland, according to new figures.

Speeding is a major factor in fatal and serious collisions, and police figures show a total of 60,358 speed detections across the two force areas between January 2018 and December 2019.

As a national anti-speeding campaign began, police are again warning of the dangers ofdrivingtoofastandhopethat drivers take heed of warnings and stop putting lives in dangerbytakingresponsibilityfor how fast they go.

Inspector Darren Breslin, from Cleveland and Durham Specialist Operations Unit, said: “Speeding is one of the four main causes of fatal and serious collisions.

“Time and time again we issue warnings about the dangers of speeding but, as our figures show, there are still thousands of speeding offencesbeingdetectedacrossCleveland and Durham.

“In 2019 there were 416 collisions resulting in fatalities or serious injuries across Cleveland and Durham.”

He added: “Lives are being put on the line every single day and we need people to stick to speeds within the limit which aresuitableforthedrivingconditions.

“Higher speeds mean that drivers have less time to react to what is happening around them, and it takes longer for the vehicle to stop.

“We will continue to carry out these campaigns to try to keep people as safe as we possibly can on our roads.”

Cleveland and Durham Specialist Operations Unit carriesoutspeedingeducation andenforcementinitiativesall year round.

The two-week campaign began yesterday.