► Driver caught hitting 163mph on M1
► Police forces reveal rise in extreme speeds
► Empty lockdown roads a temptation
The most extreme of speeding offences are on the rise in the UK with drivers taking advantage of quiet roads during the UK’s coronavirus lockdown – so much so that a driver has been caught doing 163mph on the M1 by London’s Metropolitan police.
Detective Superintendent, Andy Cox, of the Met Police tweeted an image of a radar gun and made light of the punishments for speeders.
The empty roads are proving too much of a temptation for some, with the Met Police enforcing 2020 speeding offences between 20-27 April, and it’s not the only force making light of recent speeding developments.
For example, despite a two third drop in traffic, Lincolnshire police say speeding offences have doubled. Greater Manchester Police has caught more than 6000 drivers speeding since the UK lockdown began on 23 March, and a driver was stopped in Sudbury, Suffolk for clocking in at 80mph in a 30mph zone. These examples are just a few of a wider problem.
There have been fatalities, too; seven people have been killed in crashes in London since 20 March and Gloucestershire police has reported that two people have been killed in separate crashes. Gloucestershire Police and Crime Commissioner, Martin Surl, said ‘some people seem to think it’s alright to put their foot down.’
Chief Inspector Sam Rennison of Northumbria Police’s motor patrols department, said ‘we are extremely grateful to all those who are respecting the stay-at-home measures in place to help stop the spread of Coronavirus and ultimately save lives. This has inevitably led to a reduction in the number of motorists on our roads, with the overwhelming majority driving safely. Unfortunately, there will always be individuals who believe the laws of the road do not apply to them – there can be no excuse to speed or drive in an irresponsible manner.’
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