MORE than 5,000 motorists have been prosecuted in the last two and half years thanks to the local Community Speedwatch team.
The amount of warning letters sent to speeding motorists in that time is in the region of 10,000 with Mendip Speedwatch member Ashley Reay warning that Frome motorists should seriously think about how they drive.
He said, “The latest figures should leave the minority of Frome motorists to seriously think about how the way they drive, and to how they affect the road safety for others road users.
“Whilst the vast majority of motorists do drive safely, you simply cannot have vehicles travelling at up to nearly 80 mph in a 30 mph zone as has been recorded in one particular area of Frome. One serious accident is always one too many.
“The number of motorists who were sent educational letters within the Frome area during the summer decreased, but there was an increase of 5% of those motorists who were prosecuted.
“It is difficult to have much sympathy for the public who know very well by now the sites where speed checks are carried out, but yet continue to play the dangerous game of ‘risking it’ and only slowing down if they see a speed check up ahead.
“With the roads now getting damp and slippery in the winter months, the importance of driving with care increases. The continual recording of parents on the school run with children in the vehicle for excess speed continues to disappoint.
“Frome is now a designated ‘high priority site’ for speed enforcement within Mendip for the road policing unit and with the average recorded speeds by CSW now standing at 43 mph, some 43% over the legal limit, then it is not difficult to see why Frome is being prioritised so the message is as always, simply slow down and stay alive”
