Police and Crime Commissioner delivers on road safety commitment

Derbyshire Police and Crime Commissioner Angelique Foster has welcomed new figures showing a reduction in the number of people killed on the county’s roads. 

Responding to the concerns of residents across Derbyshire, the Commissioner prioritised Road Safety in her Police and Crime Plan. Over the last year the Commissioner has worked with the police and other partners such as Derbyshire County Council, Derby City Council and Derbyshire Fire and Rescue Service to bring this agenda into sharp focus in Derbyshire. She also pledged to hold the Chief Constable to account for the delivery of a robust and efficiently resourced Roads Policing Unit.

In setting out her clear expectations of the force, the Commissioner committed to supporting the delivery of proactive speed enforcement activity across the county’s road network and a tougher approach to dangerous driving. 

Figures for the 12 months up to September 30th 2022 show that this work is already making a difference with a 25 per cent reduction in the number of fatalities when compared to the same period in 2019 (which pre-dates covid and is not affected by periods of lockdown.)

Additionally, the Commissioner’s support of proactive enforcement to tackle the Fatal Four (speeding, drugs/alcohol, seatbelts and mobile phones) has seen almost 54,000 speeding tickets and traffic offence reports issued, 1,660 verbal advisories given to drivers, 464 drug swipes conducted (195 of which proved positive), 2,981 breath tests conducted (577 of which were positive), 93 seatbelt notices issued, and 141 mobile phone notices given.  

Commissioner Angelique Foster said: “As part of my Police and Crime Plan commitment, I’ve worked with the Chief Constable to ensure the force takes a strong stance on speeding and dangerous drivers. I have provided investment for additional vehicles for the Roads Policing Unit to increase its effectiveness. I have also supported a number of targeted operations, such as Operation Capture, which enables residents to send in footage of dangerous driving incidents they witness directly to the force.

“I’ve allocated funding to support community initiatives including a scheme enabling parish councils and other groups to buy and install their own movable Speed Indicator Device where speeding is proved to be a concern. I’ve also supported the expansion of Community Speedwatch across Derbyshire which has seen lots of new groups forming to help both enforce and educate drivers on speeding.

“Road safety is important to everyone living and working in Derbyshire The latest figures prove that the work I am undertaking with partners to educate drivers and step-up enforcement is making a difference - but we must not be complacent and continue to drive improvements. Too many people are still injured or killed on our roads and we must do everything we can to prevent it. I will continue to monitor performance closely to ensure Derbyshire Constabulary are utilising every available tool and resource. But improving road safety is not just the responsibility of the police and I will ensure that our strong partnership working with other agencies continues.”

New data shows the number of active Community Speedwatch groups across the county now stands at 93 – 24 more than when the Commissioner took up office in May 2021. In addition to this figure, a further 15 groups are awaiting training. 

The number of warning letters sent to motorists as a result of speed checks conducted by Community Speedwatch volunteers between 1 November 2021 and 31 October 2022 stands at 6,154.

You can view the Commissioner’s video on delivering on her road safety commitment below.