Excess speeds recorded on roads in the East revealed
Road safety charity, Brake, have released new figures as part of a campaign to highlight the issue of excessive speeding.
They say local police figures show the highest recorded speed on Essex roads in 2019 was 133mph, and in Suffolk it was 130mph.
In Essex someone was caught doing 88mph in a 30mph zone.
In Suffolk the highest speed in a 30 zone was 40mph, but that went up to 80mph for a 40mph area.
Brake say the highest speed overall in the UK was 180mph - that was recorded in a 70mph zone in Nottinghamshire.
The highest excess speed was a driver travelling at 152 through a 30mph area - that was recorded by the Metropolitan Police.
The new research has been published to mark the beginning of Road Safety Week this week, which is highlighting road danger with the message 'No need to speed'.
The charity's also revealed that men are three times more likely to drive over 100mph than women, with a third of 25-34 year-old drivers admitting they have exceeded 100mph.
If you're caught doing over 100mph on public roads you can face a driving ban of up to eight weeks and a fine of 150% of your weekly income.
The charity say the stopping distance at 100mph is 182 metres - that's the length of nearly two football pitches, making a crash practically impossible to prevent.
Brake analysis of Government data has found that, on average, there are 11 deaths or serious injuries every day on UK roads where speed – either exceeding the limit or travelling too fast for conditions – is identified as a contributory factor to the crash by the police.
The charity states that while shocking, this figure is likely a vast underestimate of the impact of speed, as slower speeds mean more chance to stop in time, and speed is an inevitable factor in nearly all deaths and serious injuries.
It is difficult in some crashes for the police to determine whether or not speed was a direct causal factor, and more in-depth collision investigation following fatal and serious injury crashes would be likely to show higher rates of speed as a causal factor.
Joshua Harris, director of campaigns for Brake, the road safety charity, said: “There is no excuse for breaking the speed limit and these figures highlight the grossly excessive speeds of some drivers who show complete disregard for the law and people’s safety.
"None of us should be put in danger by the high-risk behaviour of others when we’re getting about on roads, and that’s why, this Road Safety Week, we are asking everyone to join us in our call that there is no need to speed.
“Many drivers drift over limits by mistake but our research shows that a shockingly large number of drivers, particularly men, break speed limits excessively.
"We want all drivers to remember the daily disasters that are due to speed, think about the victims, slow down, and reduce road danger.
"It’s important to remember that sometimes driving under the speed limit can still be too fast, particularly on winding roads, roads with poor visibility, and roads where there could be people about on bicycles and on foot.
"The voices of the bereaved and injured help us all to understand that getting somewhere a few minutes earlier is never worth the risk.”
Roads Minister, Baroness Vere, said: “Speeding is illegal, reckless and puts people’s lives at unnecessary risk. For this reason, there are tough penalties and strict enforcement measures in place for those who disobey the law.
“We’re working hard to change attitudes that lead to speeding, including through our THINK! campaign which targets young men.
“The stories of families who have lost loved ones are absolutely heart-breaking. So please always remember there is no need to speed.”