Speeding drivers warned by traffic chief

Curb your speed in and around Oldham, warns traffic chief

In a dramatic warning of a huge crackdown on drivers, Chief Constable Anthony Bangham said the days of the 'soft' treatment of offenders must come to an end.

He called for the scrapping of the 10-per-cent 'buffer' over the signposted limit that most police forces allow, and also claimed that speed awareness courses were being used too widely.

Signalling a radical departure from the status quo, Mr Bangham said the courses should be reserved for those only marginally over the limit.

Everyone else should get fines and points on their licence.

These won’t be comforting words for many local drivers to hear.

Many Oldhamers head onto the Manchester’s M60 ring road on a daily basis, where 50mph speed limits have been in force for over three years as carriageway widening work continues.

Mr Bangham added that traffic officers should stop being 'apologetic' for handing out speeding tickets – and speeders should stop 'whingeing' about being caught.

However, critics warned such a hardline approach risked alienating motorists and making them feel 'victimised'.

One MP said a zero tolerance policy would only 'make criminals of good drivers'.

And motoring chiefs warned that such a policy could even prove harmful – with drivers' eyes 'glued' to their speedometers instead of the road.

Recent research by some councils has suggested that lower speed limits of 20mph in town centres barely reduced driver speed – and in some cases had made roads more dangerous.

Mr Bangham is the National Police Chiefs' Council lead on road policy. His comments are significant because many chief constables will take their lead from him.

Declaring 'enough is enough', Mr Bangham argued that police had lost sight of their duty to enforce the law and spent too much time trying to justify speeding tickets and being 'patient' with speeders.

“Let's change the message – we are proud to be law enforcers,” he said.

“I do not want the public to be surprised, I want them to be embarrassed when they get caught. They need to understand the law is set at the limit for a reason. They should not come whinging to us about getting caught.

“If booked at 35 or 34 or 33 [in a 30mph zone] that cannot be unfair because they are breaking the law.”

The most recent figures available from the Department for Transport show there were 1,792 road deaths reported in 2016 – up 4 per cent from 2015 and the highest annual total since 2011.