What a Covidiot! Driver snapped speeding by the same camera twice in half-an-hour

Police fear Northamptonshire motorists are not getting the message about speeding and driving safely during the Covid-19 lockdown.

A spate of recent deaths on the county's roads was followed by figures from the Safer Roads Alliance that the number of people killed or seriously injured hit an eight-year high in 2019.

One speed camera snapped the same Covidiot driver going too fast twice in the space of just 30 MINUTES this week and anther not wearing a seatbelt.

Recently, a motorway maniac was spotted tearing along at 138mph on a stretch of empty M1 in the county. And even Chief Constable Nick Adderley got in on the act, ticketing an unsuspecting driver who raced past his unmarked 'company car' at 105mph on the A45.

PC Dave Lee, of the Safer Roads Team, said: “Reducing the number of people who are killed or seriously injured in Northamptonshire is one of our priorities, and this has not changed.

“Motorists who continue to ignore the rules of the roads are putting their lives and others at risk.

“I have seen first-hand the devastating effect speeding can have not only on those involved in a collision but also family, friends and the wider community, so please stick to the speed limits.”

Bringing back fixed speed cameras at accident hotspots in the county is likely to be a non-starter on grounds of cost. But the Safer Roads Alliance is continuing to work tirelessly to get the message across through education, engagement, engineering and enforcement.

Roadside cameras were switched off in 2011 and a police spokesman said: “There are currently no plans at this time to re-instate the fixed camera enforcement within Northamptonshire.

"The technology currently installed on the network is now beyond its end of life.

"Any plans to introduce fixed enforcement of this type would require support from both Northamptonshire County Council and Northamptonshire Police along with a full collision study to identify the most appropriate locations for installation across the county."

Even without fixed cameras, Northamptonshire Police issued 59,719 fixed penalty notices for speeding in 2019 plus 888 for other fatal four offences – speeding, drink/drug driving, not wearing a seatbelt and using a mobile phone at the wheel.

The Safer Roads Alliance brings key partners together from police, Northamptonshire Fire & Rescue Service, Office of the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner and Northamptonshire Highways, which represents the County Council.

Since 2018 it has launched a number of initiatives and campaigns including workshops for working drivers with a particular focus on those driving HGVS and vans, funding speed warning signs in rural locations and the resumption of BikeSafe workshops for riders across the county.

NSRA chair, Chief Superintendent Mick Stamper, said: “Our main priority is to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured on our roads and to see the number of people killed on our roads rise last year is deeply upsetting.

“Every person who dies on our roads is one too many and we must never forget that behind each statistic is a grieving family or someone coming to terms with a life changing injury.

“We understand this and are working hard to reduce the number of people killed or seriously injured in Northamptonshire, and the alliance has worked hard to try to improve safety on our roads.

“Through education, engagement, engineering and enforcement we will continue to reinforce this message. However we cannot do this on our own as it is only road users who can change their driving behaviour.”