More than 100 drivers caught speeding in 24 hours in south of the county

Wiltshire’s Police and Crime Commissioner has praised Wiltshire Police’s proactive road safety initiative, Project Zero aimed at eliminating road deaths across the county as more than 100 drivers were caught speeding in 24 hours in the south of Wiltshire.

Following dedicated speed enforcement sessions targeting those who break speed limits and make our roads less safe, speeds of more than 20mph over the speed limit were recorded at three 30mph locations with 107 drivers caught in total. 

• 47 drivers were caught speeding in South Newton last Thursday (29/05), opposite Manor Farm in an hour. The highest speed recorded was 52mph on what is essentially a blind bend.
• 27 drivers were caught speeding last Thursday (29/05) in Wilton on The Avenue in 30 minutes. The highest speed recorded was 51mph.
• 33 drivers caught speeding Friday morning (30/05) in Harnham on Coombe Road in 45 minutes. The highest speed recorded was 58mph.

Road safety continues to be a key community concern that is raised frequently with Police and Crime Commissioner, Philip Wilkinson. Since his election in 2022 he has worked with the police and other partners to ensure that proactive steps are taken to make our roads safer, this has included driver education, cycle and pedestrian safety and supporting awareness campaigns such as “Project Edward” and the “Fatal Five”, speeding, The Wearing of Seatbelts, Drink and Drugs, Driver Distraction and Careless Driving.

He said: “Speeding is dangerous, it can kill and leave others seriously injured and Wiltshire’s communities are rightly concerned about the risks this poses to them and their loved ones.

“Proactive policing targeting those drivers who take unnecessary risks on our roads such as Project Zero have my full support and these results from recent enforcement sessions in the south highlight just how needed this enforcement is and road safety continues to be a priority in my police and crime plan.

“There will be people who say that initiatives like this unfairly target motorists and that the police should focus on ‘real crime’.

“My challenge to them would be the hundreds of individuals killed or injured on our roads each year and the devastation that causes – speed will have been a factor in many of these collisions and not always from those most seriously injured.”

The PCC overhauled the Community Speedwatch scheme in 2022, and it now has over 86 teams operating in 536 sites across Wiltshire and Swindon, with increased support from Wiltshire Police to enable greater enforcement.

Speed Indicator Devices (SIDs) have been installed across the county to pinpoint speeding hotspots, and there has also been an increased enforcement capability through the employment of more designated specialist enforcement officers by the funding of three Community Speed Enforcement Officer (CSEO) posts.

Last year, the Police and Crime Commissioner also appointed a Road Safety Delivery Manager to work with the Wiltshire and Swindon Road Safety Partnership to ensure clear communication and collaboration between agencies working within road safety.

Project Zero

Project Zero is a road safety initiative aimed at reducing the number of fatalities and serious injuries on Wiltshire’s roads. It comprises of weekly enforcement operations led by the Roads Policing Unit targeting those committing the fatal five offences: Speeding, drink or drug driving, using a mobile phone when driving, not wearing a seatbelt and careless or dangerous driving.

Community Speedwatch sits within the Neighbourhood Harm Reduction Unit, which plays a central role in crime prevention and community safety.

Detective Chief Inspector Andy Lemon said: “Our dedicated Community Speed Enforcement officers, working in collaboration with our Roads Policing Unit, target areas where we know there are issues with speeding.

“These officers have specialist video equipment which then allow us to prosecute offenders, resulting in speed awareness courses, fines, and, for persistent or high-harm offenders, visits to court.

“Where these officers operate is based on the information and intelligence we receive from the public, as well as the many hours of work that our teams of Community Speed Watch volunteers put in across Swindon and Wiltshire.

“Even one speeder is too many. As we have seen all too often, speed kills.

“Not only that but it causes a significant amount of concern and frustration for pedestrians and other road users when people speed recklessly on the road.

“We are determined to clamp down on speeding and make our roads as safe as possible for everyone.”