WHILE many people had a day off work, the Road Crime Team (RCT) and Roads Policing Unit (RPU) officers were carrying out high visibility patrols, focussing on M11 and M25, on Bank Holiday, Monday 26 August, to keep it moving.

As officers dedicated to ensuring road safety on the strategic network, RPU officers carried out speed checks along the M11, capturing on camera, 25 drivers exceeding the 70mph national speed limit. Instead, all 25 thought it was advisable to travel at speeds between 90 and 108mph!

Adam Pipe, Head of Roads Policing, said: “The M11 is an important road for many in Essex and we want to make sure it is safe, moving and that all drivers respect the speed limit at all times.

“By sharing the roads responsibly, we can prevent collisions, and everyone can arrive safely at their destinations.

“Drivers who exceed the speed limit are a concern for everyone, including themselves and their passengers.

“No one ever sets off on a journey thinking they will hurt the ones they love, but speeding is a known contributing factor to killed and seriously injured collisions.

“Everything we do, including stopping and reporting speeding drivers, is because we want everyone to be safe.”

The officers conducted their patrols as part of Vision Zero, our ambition to have zero fatalities on Essex roads by 2040 or sooner. It is a partnership approach under the Safer Essex Roads Partnership.

Throughout the day, our officers witnessed incidents of poor and dangerous driving, resulting in 27 traffic offence reports being issued for a variety of road-related offences and four uninsured vehicles being seized.

In addition, two drivers were issued Section 59 warnings for displaying anti-social driving and manoeuvres following poor judgement or driving skills that put other drivers in danger.

Mr Pipe added: “The roads are also used by those with criminal intent. One car that was seized, was being used to transport drugs.

“One driver was stopped because the car didn’t have insurance, but having spoken to the driver, they were intoxicated and arrested. They may think they have the skills and coordination to drive when above the limit, but alcohol actually slows your reactions, meaning you’re not fully in control of your vehicle.

“The figures speak for themselves and shows the variety of the work my officers do and I won’t apologise when I say they’ll continue to uphold the law, identify offenders and bring them before the courts.”