Say yes to cheaper van, home and car insurance

In a recent survey of the nation's worst speeding motorists, police officers topped the list, marking speeds of more than twice the legal limit.

One police car was spotted doing 149 mph on the A90 Dundee to Aberdeen road in Tayside while another was clocked by a speed camera driving at 142 mph during a chase on the M25 just outside London.

Legally, on-duty police officers are allowed to break the speeding limit if obeying it would adversely affect vital police duties, but the increasing amount of media attention on speeding coppers has caused aggravation among some road action groups.

Speeding can lead to motor accidents which inevitably lead to a sharp increase in motor insurance premiums.

Paul Smith, of the speeding campaign group Safe Speed said that the list evidenced "appalling hypocrisy" by the police and has called on them to answer once and for all whether or not speeding on Britain's roads were dangerous.

"If the answer is 'no', then we need to urgently review the policies that are prosecuting millions on the basis of a lie," writes Mr Smith on the campaign group's website.

"If the answer is 'yes', then we need to stop training police officers and others to drive at high speeds on public roads as an urgent matter of public safety.

"If the answer is 'it depends on the circumstances' then we need to consider the circumstances in cases where the public is being prosecuted. Speed cameras cannot take account of the circumstances and immediately become illegitimate."

"The ongoing damage to the Police-public relationship is one serious side-effect of speed camera policy. The government must act now to stop the very serious damage getting any worse. The hypocrisy must stop," he concluded.


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