This week Wiltshire Police is supporting a nationwide campaign to make our roads safer by targeting the dangerous issue of speeding.

Road safety is a priority for my office and I believe that a combination of increasing public awareness and cracking down on motorists who break the law will go a long way in reducing the number of people who are killed or seriously injured on our roads.

It is of particular importance at the moment, due to the fact that we are currently experiencing our second national lockdown.

During the first lockdown in the spring I was disappointed to see an increase in reports of speeding across the county, as some drivers took advantage of the quieter roads.

We do not want that to happen again this time.

Throughout the week we will have police officers carrying out enforcement action, targeting those areas which have been highlighted to the Force as potential hot spots for speeding.

And I’m also pleased to say that we are currently running training sessions for additional Community Speed Watch volunteers, and we have seen fantastic support from members of the public who are willing to give up their time to help keep their neighbourhoods safe.

Residents can also make representations to the local authorities for speed reduction “engineering” to help make their local roads safer.

I cannot emphasise enough how important this aspect of policing is.

So far in 2020, Wiltshire Police has responded to 981 fatal or serious injury road traffic collisions.

For every one of these collisions, a family is given devastating news about a loved one who has been killed or ended up in hospital with potentially life-changing injuries.

We owe it to every one of these families to take this issue seriously, and do everything within our power to improve the safety of our roads.

Along with using a mobile phone whilst driving, not wearing a seatbelt and drink/drug driving, speeding is classed as one of the “fatal four”, the factors which significantly increase the risk of injury to road users.

There is never an excuse for speeding.You may feel like an experienced or confident driver who knows the road well.

You may be in a hurry or feel it is urgent that you finish your journey as quickly as possible.

Well, nothing is more important than reaching your destination safely and ensuring you have kept all other drivers, cyclists, pedestrians and any other road users safe.

So please, keep an eye on your speed next time you are behind the wheel.