For a week from Monday 18th August, the European Traffic Police Network (TISPOL) will be conducting heavy enforcement of speed limits throughout Europe.

During the operation, police will use various different speed detection methods on all types of road.

In their words, “The purpose of the operation is to raise awareness of the dangers of speeding, and to remind drivers of the benefits for all road users of driving at speeds that are both legal and appropriate.”

That statement contradicts an embargo on the announcement until Monday 18th August, which would be too late for some drivers, so in the spirit of prevention rather than cure, we have released it now.

The combined operation follows a previous TISPOL campaign in June 2014 in which 1,168,631 drivers (including those on the Gumball Miami-Ibiza rally), were breathalysed and 18,391 were charged for being over the limit (1.6%).

A similar TISPOL ‘speed awareness’ operation in August 2013 saw a total of more than 720,000 ‘detections’ in 28 countries across Europe.

TISPOL President Koen Ricour is quotesd as stating, “Anyone who still believes that speeding is a trivial offence needs to think again. That’s because excessive or inappropriate speed has a singularly devastating impact on the safety of road users, increasing both the risk of a crash and the severity of the consequences. It is estimated that speeding contributes to as many as one third of all crashes resulting in death, and is the most important contributory factor to road deaths and serious injuries (ETSC 2008)”

More information at: www.tispol.org

(TISPOL = Traffic Information System Police)