Speed kills. It seems such an obvious thing to say.
Shameful then that it has to be said time and time again.
And still, the number of motorists who take no heed continues to rise, the number of deaths and serious injuries on our roads continues to rise, and the number of families robbed of loved ones through someone else’s inability or unwillingness to drive safely and downright selfishness in believing the rules of the road don’t apply to them continues to rise.
Of 71 road deaths from 66 fatal collisions recorded in 2023, excessive speed was listed as a reason for 10 of these crashes.
The overall number killed on the roads was the highest since 2015.
Last year over 70,000 drivers were caught by speed cameras driving above the legal limit — 10% more than the year before.
It seems no number of casualties, no amount of appeals from authorities and road safety campaigners is getting the message across and that’s to the shame of every motorist who has faced financial penalty, speed awareness courses, a court appearance or a driving ban.
Those who have escaped in this way are, in fact, the lucky ones. There are many more who must forever live with the guilt of causing serious injury, or worse, actually costing someone their life. Speed cameras are no money-making scheme, nor a vanity project for the PSNI to be seen to be doing their jobs.
They are placed where they are for a reason — often at accident hotspots, places where motorists tend to drive more quickly and they are there to prevent the loss of life.
A total of 72,354 camera-detected speeding offences is the highest ever recorded by the Road Safety Partnership since it was established in 2003.
Indeed, from 2018 to 2023 the annual figure has increased by 75%.
At the same time, there has been a distinct lack of investment in our road network. Roads are in a poorer condition than ever and more dangerous than ever, particularly when driving at high speed.
Road safety advertising is funded less than ever.
And it’s all a recipe for disaster no one should have to taste.
The question is where do we go from here? The answer looks to be staring the authorities in the face — back to the future.
2012 was the year Northern Ireland saw the biggest spend on awareness and education from the Department for Infrastructure.
It was the year, in the last quarter of a century, which recorded the fewest deaths on our roads. The more the dangers are placed in front of our eyes, the clearer we will see them.