Speeding cases fell dramatically when the lockdown began, new figures show

Road safety charity Brake wants to avoid a rebound in dangerous driving now that more drivers are back out on the roads.

North Yorkshire police officers enforced 1,847 speeding offences during April, according to data obtained by the PA news agency through a Freedom of Information request.

This was a decrease of 80% on the same month the year before.

The majority of forces who provided data also observed a decrease, with offences dropping by 55% across England and Wales.

Joshua Harris, director of campaigns at road safety charity Brake, said: “Any drop in speeding on the road is positive news but this must be tempered by the fact that lockdown dramatically reduced the number of vehicles on the road.

“As traffic increases, post-lockdown, we need to see measures introduced to avoid a rebound in dangerous driving and to minimise crashes.”

The speed of the fastest driver caught in this area rose, from 119mph in April 2019 to 122mph in April this year.

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents said many drivers exceed the speed limit without realising it.

Nick Lloyd, head of road safety at Rospa, said: “Higher speeds mean drivers have less time to identify and react to what is happening around them, prolonging the time it takes for the vehicle to stop, and raising the risk of a crash occurring.”