140 PEOPLE ARE CAUGHT SPEEDING... IN ONE DAY
ALMOST 150 people have been caught speeding whilst driving into a Welsh town – in just one day.
A total of 140 offenders were all caught as they were driving on a section of the A40 that leads into Carmarthen on Thursday, June 4.
This particular stretch of the A40 connects the town with other parts of West Wales, including the Carmarthenshire towns of St Clears and Whitland and further west into Pembrokeshire.
A section of the busy dual carriageway is subject to a 50mph speed limit, which came into force in November last year.
The speed limit starts approximately 500 metres west of the overpass at Llanllwch junction and runs until the carriageway diverts at what’s known as B&Q Roundabout.
On Thursday, GoSafe Cymru conducted speed checks on the overpass using a hand-held device. Whilst stood on the bridge in a high-vis jacket, an officer clocked 140 people exceeding the speed limit – with one person caught driving at 91mph – 41mph over the limit.
Sergeant Ian Price, a GoSafe casualty reduction lead at Dyfed-Powys Police, said checks were carried out on the back of complaints from motorists about excessive speeds being conducted on this particular stretch of the
A40 west of Carmarthen, a stretch which has seen many accidents in recent years.
“The speed limit is there primarily to help reduce speed east towards Carmarthen which can be very congested at rush hour and busy holiday times,” said Sergeant Price.
“You have a number of junction entry points which feed the A40.
“Yesterday’s activity is an example of drivers not adhering to the limits and showing a complete disregard to people’s safety.
“The problem is clearly prevalent, particularly when you see speeds over 90mph, which are grossly unacceptable and downright dangerous.”
The A40 between Carmarthen and St Clears has long been considered to be one of the most dangerous stretches of road in West Wales.
Between 2010 and 2019, there were 359 crashes on the road, 94 of those resulted in injuries, and two resulted in fatalities.
One of those was the death of a four-year-old girl who was killed after a crash between two vehicles on the eastbound carriageway in October 2018.