POLICE chiefs have hit back at findings which suggest Warwickshire has more speeding drivers than anywhere else in England and Wales.
A new study has found that more than one in five cars in the county were issued with a speeding offence throughout the course of a year – a higher ratio than anywhere else.
Go Compare Car Insurance produced the research by combining regional figures from the Home Office and the DVLA to discover which area has the highest ratio of registered vehicles per speeding violation.
Warwickshire saw 91,325 speeding violations in 2022, equivalent to one for every 4.58 vehicles in the area, and Go Compare Car Insurance conclude this makes the county one of the nation’s most dangerous places to drive.
But Warwickshire Police dispute this saying what this actually shows is their force captures more speeding drivers than any other.
Inspector Dave Valente said: “Warwickshire isn’t the worst place for speeding in the UK – it’s the place where you are most likely to be caught speeding. This reflects the proactive, preventative approach we are taking alongside Warwickshire Road Safety Partnership to reducing speeding, as we know the harm and devastation that collisions cause to families. Many drivers caught speeding are not from Warwickshire, as we have several main arterial routes through the county, used by thousands of drivers from across the UK every day.
“Educating drivers who speed is vital, and those eligible will be offered a speed awareness course, as our priority is to change behaviour to make our roads safer. However, a conditional offer of points and a fine still play a part in changing driving habits, and extreme or repeat speeders may find themselves going straight to court where the consequences are more significant.
“While there are plenty of good drivers on our roads, clearly some still drive too fast for the roads and conditions. The best way to avoid being caught speeding is not to exceed the limits. It’s as simple as that.”
According to Go Compare’s findings, other speeding hotspots include Greater London and the area of Devon and Cornwall. The Metropolitan Police reported one penalty for every 4.82 vehicles, putting the capital in the worst three places for speeding. Devon and Cornwall had a slightly higher ratio, with one offence being issued for every 4.64 vehicles in the area.
At the other end of the scale, the police force area with the lowest ratio of speeding offences was found to be South Wales, where there is just one offence for every 43 vehicles. North Wales also has one of the lowest ratios, with just one offence for every 21 vehicles.
