Colchester: Speeding drivers stopped and vehicles seized in operation

Colchester Vision Zero enforcement day ends Road Safety Week, issuing 60 speed tickets and seizing four vehicles.

In a week of policing activities targeting speeding motorists, Essex Police and Safer Essex Roads partners held a Vision Zero day to round off Road Safety Week.

As part of our campaign, we were urging road users to play their part in keeping roads across the county safe, in support of Brake’s Road Safety Week (19-25 November).

Throughout the “Let’s talk about speed” campaign, Safer Essex Roads Partnership, including Essex Police, held days of action alongside a Vision Zero enforcement day in Colchester on Saturday 25 November to tackle the issues of speed and dangerous driving.

Taking action

During the day of action, officers stopped 65 vehicles which resulted in four vehicles being seized for insurance and licence offences and one vehicle being issued a prohibition notice for dangerous condition.

A further 40 traffic offence reports were issued: 12 for mobile phone usage whilst driving, eight for not wearing a seatbelt and four for window tints that were illegal, limiting the driver’s vision.

In addition, Safer Essex Roads Enforcement Officer colleagues issued a further 60 tickets carrying out speed checks at three different locations across Colchester.

Earlier in the week, our speed Enforcement Officers were out targeting Essex motorways and trunk roads, focussing on reducing speed, improving road safety, and reducing casualty numbers in support of the wider Brake Road Safety Week of action.

During this period, they issued 229 speeding tickets as they performed targeted enforcement on the A130, A13, M11 and the A120, when the highest recorded speed was 104mph on a 70mph road.

Taking part in School Speedwatch, pupils monitored traffic movements in the vicinity of their schools and, with the help of a Roads Policing officer, they stopped speeding motorists to express their concerns about road safety outside their schools.

Most drivers told pupils they hadn’t realised they were speeding after they were asked about their driving behaviour.

'Road safety an absolute priority'

Claire Stone, Road Safety Technician from the Safer Essex Roads Partnership, who organised two road safety events for Year Five pupils at Iceni Primary School, Colchester, and Vange Primary School, said:

“As part of the Safer Essex Roads Partnership, our absolute priority is road safety - we’re here to educate the drivers that speeding kills.”

Road safety is a force priority in which we continue to work with the Safer Essex Roads Partnership to make roads in Essex safe for everyone, to improve road safety across the county and reduce the number of fatalities on our roads.

Last year, 48 people died as a result of fatal collisions: speeding was the contributory factor for three fatalities, and 53 serious injuries.

Vision Zero is our ambition to have no road deaths by 2040 or sooner.

For more information on Vision Zero and how you can play your part to keep roads in Essex safe, visit: www.saferessexroads.org/visionzero

Help us reduce road collisions and casualties in Essex and make our roads even safer. Report instances of poor and dangerous driving through Safer Essex Roads Partnership's Extra Eyes initiative.

More than ever, irresponsible, dangerous and illegal road behaviour is being recorded by road users. Through Extra Eyes this footage can be sent to, and reviewed by, an investigator within Road Policing at Essex Police.

Find out how by visiting Safer Essex Roads Partnership website.