Shropshire crackdown on A41 speeding launched

A major police crackdown on speeding motorists has been launched on one of Shropshire's busiest roads. In the last three years there have been six deaths and 113 collisions on the A41.

The West Mercia Safer Roads Partnership is adding three new sites to its list of mobile enforcement locations along the A41 where speed camera vans can operate - at Higher Heath near Whitchurch, and Bletchley and Tern Hill, near Market Drayton.

Six enforcement sites already exist along the route.

Figures reveal that from August 2007 to July 2010, there have been a total of 113 collisions on the A41 in Shropshire. A further six people have been killed and 20 have been seriously injured in these collisions. In addition, there have been 90 crashes which involved slight injuries.

Warning signs will be located at each of the sites to inform road users that speed enforcement is taking place.

Katy Jenkins, of the Safer Roads Partnership in West Mercia, said: "The collision history on the A41 in Shropshire indicates that there is a significant road safety issue along the entire length of the road.

"The use of excessive and inappropriate speed is a major factor in road traffic collisions, both in terms of causation factors and seriousness of outcome."

She added: "Speeding is a high-risk behaviour, especially along rural roads where road features include limited visibility, sharp and deceptive bends and slow-moving traffic.

"Speed enforcement is one part of our casualty reduction programme along with education, including awareness raising campaigns and engineering. Speeding can bring devastation to people's lives. It is simply not worth the risk."

Councillor Martin Taylor-Smith, Shropshire Council's cabinet member for strategic planning and transport, said: "These new locations for mobile speed camera vans are great for increasing safety along this road."

Activity on the A41 in Shropshire forms part of the Safer Roads Partnership's core site programme which assesses the need for enforcement based on collision, casualty and speed data.

The use of camera vans at multiple sites enables speed limits to be enforced along an entire stretch of road rather than at just one location.

By James Pugh