The Independent
The fastest speed recorded was clocked by a driver in a BMW M4 Coupe doing 156mph – more than double the speed limit
Average speed traffic cameras in place on the M27 Rex Features
More than five motorists a day were caught speeding over 100mph in 2014-15, police have said.
The fastest speed recorded was clocked by a driver in a BMW M4 Coupe doing 156mph – more than double the speed limit – on the A1(M) in Cambridgeshire in March.
The figures come from a Freedom of Information request submitted by BBC Radio 5 Live which shows at least 2,169 traffic reports were filed by UK police forces against motorists travelling at more than 100mph.
Police were asked to reveal the number of offences they recorded where a motorist was found – either by a speed camera or from an officer’s speed radar – to be going over 100mph in the financial year 2014-2015.
Of the UK’s 45 forces – who were also asked to supply the maximum speed, location and make and model of vehicle involved – 42 replied.
Greater Manchester, Kent and Thames Valley police did not supply any information, while others submitted only some of the details.
Figures from forces that specified an exact speed showed 152 out of the 2,169 motorists were clocked going at 120mph or faster, with 43 stopped driving at speeds of at least 130mph.
After the BMW going at 156mph, the highest speeds recorded were a Mercedes C200 doing 155mph on the M1 in Hertfordshire, and a Jaguar at 144mph on the M4 in Gloucestershire.
Police in Cambridgeshire recorded the highest number of drivers going more than 100mph (284), followed by Humberside Police (166) and Avon and Somerset Constabulary (164).
Of the drivers travelling more than 130mph for whom a make of vehicle was given, a quarter were BMW cars or motorcycles. Audi, Mercedes or Ford cars made up another 13 of the group and three more were motorcycles of other types.
The National Police Chiefs Council lead for Roads Policing, Chief Constable Suzette Davenport, told the BBC: “Speed is a significant factor in fatal road accidents and extreme speed causes an even greater risk to road users.”
