Community Speedwatch Events in Bakewell

Community Speedwatch Events in Bakewell

Speeding… it’s a hot topic that regularly comes up in our comments section.

You might believe a little bit of speeding is okay and shouldn’t be targeted by the police, or you might think that it is the most serious of crimes... but what’s the truth?

Speeding might be an issue that you don’t consider serious, however it is one of the fatal four. The fatal four are the four offences which contribute to serious collisions. The other fatal four offences are drink or drug driving, using a mobile device whilst driving or not wearing a seat belt.

The fact is, speeding does kill. In 2022, 303 people died on UK roads because drivers were travelling above the speed limit. All of those people have family, friends and loved ones left behind due to drivers choosing to go above the limit.

Our volunteers who run Community Speed Watch Groups give up their time because they care about their communities and want to help protect residents in their area. Derbyshire communities shouldn’t have their lives put at risk due to speeding motorists. Many of these volunteers have jobs and busy lives outside of their volunteering but feel passionate about keeping local families safe.

In addition, speeding is constantly an issue that communities in Derbyshire highlight as being a significant problem and one they wish to see action taken. That’s why our groups target those areas which have been reported by the community as high-risk roads.

Our Bakewell Community Speedwatch Group have been busy these last couple of weeks.  
On 15th October  checks were carried out on Baslow Road, Bakewell 15 first warning letters were sent, highest speed recorded 44 mph, no local drivers were within the drivers found to be speeding.  
On 21st October checks were carried out on Baslow Road, Bakewell 20 first warning letters were sent and 1 second warning letter,  highest speed recorded 46mph, no local drivers recorded.  
On 28th October  PCSO Radcliffe joined Community Speedwatch to carry out checks on Baslow Road and also Haddon Road in Bakewell.  On Baslow Road, 80 vehicles passed, only 1 was found to be speeding at 36mph.  On Haddon Road, Bakewell 275 vehicles passed, none were found to be speeding.  

Policing isn’t just about tickets, it’s also about education and community involvement, and these speed sites encompass the two.

Our officers will step in and ticket drivers when necessary, but we want more than that. We want to really educate drivers on why speeding does matter, and why it is something we’ll continue to target to keep Derbyshire safe. 

If you think we should be concentrating on other areas of crime and not speeding, please fill in our Derbyshire Talking survey so we can find more ways to support you. You can fill it out online here, Derbyshire Talking - Derbyshire Alert.

Bakewell Safer Neighbourhood Team