Skip to main content

Promising results from latest German speed enforcement marathon

During the sixth German speed control operation North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony, police found that motorists generally obeyed speed limits. Around 3,500 police officers and 300 employees of local authorities measured the speeds of vehicles over a period of 24 hours at 2,610 locations. Despite publication of the speed check points and the extensive coverage in the media across the country, 21,600 of the approximately 788,000, or 2.7 per cent, of car drivers checked were driving too fast. On a nor
May 21, 2014 Read time: 2 mins
During the sixth German speed control operation North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony, police found that motorists generally obeyed speed limits.

Around 3,500 police officers and 300 employees of local authorities measured the speeds of vehicles over a period of 24 hours at 2,610 locations. Despite publication of the speed check points and the extensive coverage in the media across the country, 21,600 of the approximately 788,000, or 2.7 per cent, of car drivers checked were driving too fast. On a normal day, around eight per cent of drivers are speeding.

Some glaring violations emerged, including two 18-year-old friends who ran a race during the night, driving through the 60 km/h speed check at 82 and 92 km/h. Cologne police also detected a driver at 141km/h in a speed limit of 70 km/h. On the A57 road near Krefel, where maximum speed of 100 km/h exists, a vehicle was measured at 200 km/h.

The initiative is part of the overall strategy of the police to improve road safety. In 2013, the police found more than two million drivers speeding.

After the large-scale speed control actions in North Rhine-Westphalia and Lower Saxony, Interior Minister Ralf Jäger said: “Motorists have taken the ‘I have respect for life’ motto to heart and are driving responsibly. That is our goal. We are adhering to our strategy of more speed checks and more transparency.”

Related Content

  • Independence and mobility key for older drivers, IAM report finds
    February 18, 2016
    The majority of older drivers want to continue driving as long as they are safely able, according to a survey commissioned by the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM), citing independence and convenience as the main reasons. The report, Keeping Older Drivers Safe and Mobile, surveyed more than 2,600 drivers and ex-drivers between the ages of 55 and 101 and was written by Dr Carol Hawley from the University of Warwick Medical School. Although the report found 84 per cent of driver respondents rated th
  • Japan & NZ reveal road death statistics
    January 24, 2023
    Both countries are pledging to do more to reduce fatalities on their road network
  • Transport Scotland opts for Vysionics average speed enforcement
    April 23, 2014
    Traffic control specialist Vysionics ITS has won a deal to deliver Europe’s longest average speed enforcement system. This will be installed on a 220km stretch of the A9 in Scotland. The installation will be the first time average speed cameras will have been used on such a long stretch of road on a permanent basis, rather than for short term use during road repairs. The current road configuration is a mixture of single and dual carriageway which carries a high proportion of HGV traffic. Part of the lon
  • Growth of legislation in favour of US enforcement market
    February 1, 2012
    The automated road safety enforcement industry in the United States had a very robust 2010. The industry continued to grow to the point that providers now have nearly 5,000 cameras deployed in 25 of the 50 states and the District of Columbia, with more than 650 communities utilising such life-saving technology. Intersection safety cameras are the most common application but more communities are also implementing road safety camera programmes to deter excessive speeding. Deploying cameras to protect children