Make speeding as morally unacceptable as drink-driving, urges Cambridgeshire’s police and crime commissioner

Speeding needs to become morally unacceptable like drink-driving, according to Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Police and Crime Commissioner Darryl Preston.

He acknowledged that there were “far too many fatalities and serious injuries” on the county’s roads and that “enforcement alone” would not stop people from speeding.

“I’m reminded that many years ago drink-driving was almost morally acceptable, when I first joined the police 30-something years ago. Now it is. There are drivers who wouldn’t think of drink-driving because that is the way they have been brought up. I think we need a bit more around that when it comes to speeding and dangerous driving.

“Your car can be a lethal weapon and we need to really educate people to drive within the rules, to drive safely.”

Better road design to slow people down and the right infrastructure can help, along with technology, he suggested.

“Young people have the black boxes in there which will tell straight away if they are speeding,” he noted.

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“Enforcement plays a part, and I have funded some enforcement activity and some cameras as well, but I think there is a lot to be done in relation to education.

“Ultimately, the one message I would like to give to everybody is just drive safely. That will bring down those casualties figures substantially.”