A driver with only a provisional licence was caught driving at a speed of 146mph on the M4 motorway on the evening of Wednesday, October 23. In a post to a post to X (formerly Twitter) on Friday, October 25, the Wiltshire Police Specialist Ops team said: “One more from last night.
“Provisional Licence Holder caught at 146mph on the M4. Initially arrested for something else, but that was resolved. He has been charged to court for excess speed and driving otherwise than in accordance with a licence.”
According to Wiltshire Police’s reported statistics, there were some 21 fatal collisions in Wiltshire in 2023, with 28 the previous year. The force launched a road safety campaign last year, Project Zero, which consists of a weekly day of action dedicated to targeting drivers committing any of the ‘Fatal Five’ offences – these are offences most likely to contribute to death and serious injury on the roads, and include drink/drug driving, careless driving, driving at excess speed, driving without a seatbelt or using a mobile phone
At the start of 2024, Wiltshire Police’s Chief Constable, Catherine Roper, said that her officers would “continue to work tirelessly to improve road safety in the county”, adding that they “know all too well the devastation that a single death on our roads can cause”.
Police and Crime Commissioner, Philip Wilkinson, also said at the time: “By monitoring data from the county’s Speed Indicator Devices, we can see increased enforcement is starting to slow drivers in identified hotspots but we can always do more to reinforce the message that Wiltshire Police will not tolerate drivers being a danger to themselves and others.
“One fatality is one too many, and every death on our roads has a devastating effect on those left behind and those emergency service workers who deal directly with the aftermath, so we must do all we can to try and minimise this with robust policing on our roads.”