New agreement aims to cut speeding on our roads

More action on speeding drivers will be taken thanks to a major new agreement signed by West Midlands Police with our region’s seven local authorities, the Police and Crime Commissioner and West Midlands Combined Authority.

The ‘Joint Working Agreement’ will make it easier to install new cameras and catch more speeding drivers, while bringing a consistent approach to speed enforcement across the region.

The aim is to save lives as we work with authorities and other partners to halve the number of deaths and serious injuries on our roads by 2030.

Speeding is the biggest contributor towards people being killed and seriously injured on our roads and Chief Constable, Craig Guildford, has been co-ordinating efforts by police and local authorities since September, resulting in the agreement announced today.

 

The Police and Crime Commissioner chairs the West Midlands Road Safety Strategic Group and it has been a key aim of the Group to finalise and implement the joint working agreement across the West Midlands.

The new agreement will enable:

• New cameras to be installed in the places where the risk of death or serious injury on our roads is greatest.
• Cameras to be better maintained.
• Better use of existing cameras.
• Other types of camera enforcement, such as ‘spot cameras’ that use the latest technology to more easily capture images of speeding cars and red-light cameras.
• More fines to be issued which leads to more drivers going on speed awareness courses, to encourage more people to stay within the speed limit.

In the West Midlands, we have set the goal to reduce road deaths and serious injury by 50% by 2030 and to zero by 2040.

All agencies are supporting and providing road safety programmes and speed enforcement measures.

The partnership sees us work with local councils, charities, the West Midlands Combined Authority and others to achieve safer roads for everyone.

Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands, said: “It’s a tragedy that so many lives are lost on our roads each year - the impact on victims’ families is truly heartbreaking.

“Unfortunately, speeding and dangerous driving is blighting our region which is why we are cracking down on those who are determined to use our streets as a racetrack.

"By working together in this way, we can bring more offenders to justice while protecting responsible road users from this scourge.”

Mat MacDonald, West Midlands Road Safety Commissioner, said: “Average Speed Enforcement is a critical tool in getting the most dangerous drivers off the roads and fostering a better culture of safe and respectful behaviour behind the wheel.

"Rolling this technology out will without a doubt prevent collisions, save lives and make journeys less dangerous for everyone who uses our road network.

“Communities across the region are crying out for more speed cameras, and now this agreement is in place we will be working hard to ensure our local authorities have the resources they need to make this happen as quickly as possible.”

Superintendent Gareth Mason, head of roads policing at West Midlands Police, said: “All parties have worked hard to reach this point with a joint working agreement, this is the start of a reinvigorated partnership with the shared vision and concrete determination to reduce death and serious injury in the West Midlands to zero.”

Police and Crime Commissioner, Simon Foster, said: “One of the key priorities in my new Police and Crime Plan is to work with partners to halve the number of people killed and seriously injured on the region’s roads by 2030 and the signing of this agreement will continue this important work.

“My plan aims to prevent and tackle crime and anti-social behaviour, including careless, dangerous and reckless driving at excess speed, with the aim of reducing the number of people killed and seriously injured on our roads.

"It will contribute to making the region’s roads safer for everyone.”