TWO Derry roads are in the top 15 roads in the North of Ireland which have become a hotspot for detecting speeding drivers.
New figures out this weekend reveal that almost 120 drivers a day are caught speeding on roads across the North of Ireland.
The hotspots are revealed in a new report that shows more than 43,000 drivers were caught going too fast in 2016.
The average fine is normally £60 fine which has generated almost £2.6 million for the authorities.
Coming in at number six on the table is the Culmore Road where 730 people were caught speeding last year.
And in 15th place is the Dungiven Road where 452 motorists were found to be over the speed limit.
Statistics released by the Road Safety Partnership (RSP) in its annual report yesterday show that speed camera sites picked up a total of 43,568 offenders – and 314 of these were drivers who ran a red light.
Some offenders may be sent on a speed awareness course as an alternative to receiving penalty points.
Others will be hit with a fine of £60 or more, and in some circumstances receive penalty points.
The number of detections has soared in recent years.
Last year’s total was more than four times that recorded in 2004 – largely due to reductions in the threshold at which a driver can be caught speeding in 2010, and again in 2012.
Jason Wakeford, director of campaigns for road safety charity Brake, said: “It’s shocking to see so many people caught speeding in Northern Ireland last year.
“Drivers who travel above the speed limit put themselves and other road users in danger.
“We see every day the devastating impact road crashes caused by speeding have on families and communities across the country.
“We need traffic enforcement to be made a national policing priority, as well as higher on-the-spot fines and tougher sentencing to provide a real deterrent to risky law-breaking drivers.”
Inspector Rosie Leech of the PSNI’s Roads Policing Unit said speed was a major factor in serious and fatal accidents.
“Sadly, there are families, groups of friends, work colleagues and communities across Northern Ireland who are coming to terms with the loss of loved ones who were killed in road traffic collisions.
The 105 mph speed one driver was detected by police hurtling at in February this year on the Limavady to Coleraine mountain road
“The stark reality is that inappropriate speed for the conditions is consistently one of the main causes of the most serious collisions on roads here which kill and seriously injure people.
“So it is disappointing that despite a drop in safety camera deployments, so many people are still being detected taking unnecessary and dangerous risks, whether speeding or running red traffic lights.”
The detections by speed cameras reveal that two-thirds of all speed offences were on 30 mph roads.
The highest speed recorded was 109mph on the notorious A1, which runs from Belfast via Lisburn and Banbridge to the border with the Republic south of Newry
In February this year, police on patrol clocked a car hurtling at 105 mph on the Limavady to Coleraine mountain road.
The most prolific speeding offenders were aged between 40 and 54 (12,547 offenders), while a further 12,217 were aged between 25 and 39.
Drivers under 25 accounted for less than 10 per of those detected.
Tags: