Since Wales entered lockdown and begun its fight against Covid-19, we have seen a drop of over 70% in the volume of traffic on our roads, but an increase in the level of speeding. People have been listening to the Government advice and staying home to protect the NHS and to save lives.

Our Casualty Reduction Officers have been deployed to numerous locations over the last week and this is some of what we saw:

In Llyswen, Powys we captured a motorcyclist travelling at 59mph in a 30mph residential community. Almost double the legal speed limit. Putting pedestrians as well as road users at risk of harm and injury.

On the A48 in Carmarthen a car approaching a roundabout was recorded travelling at a speed of 105mph.

A vehicle was recorded travelling along the M4 in Gwent at a speed of 101mph in a 70mph limit, whilst another vehicle travelling along the M4 in South Wales was travelling at 99mph in another 70mph limit.

Over the Bank Holiday weekend, our officers in North Wales recorded 156 vehicles exceeding the speed limit, including three vehicles on the A483 in Wrexham travelling at speeds of 101mph, 98mph and 96mph respectively; on a road where the legal speed limit is 70mph!

We have even seen cases of vehicles exceeding the speed limits in 30 and 40mph limits, with one vehicle recorded travelling at a speed of 64mph in a 40mph limit in Bangor on Dee, Wrexham.

Our deployment of casualty reduction vehicles across the four Welsh forces is based on emerging community concerns, specific intelligence of an individual or group of motorists causing anti-social behaviour on our roads as well as continuing to serve the locations with collision histories.

Our lives have changed dramatically over the last few months, a short time for a “new normal” to emerge, where 2 meter social distancing, working from home, the closure of bars and restaurants and daily exercise with our households is now our way of life. But, one part of the “old normal” has remained the same – the speed limits, these have not changed.

Higher speeds on our roads will lead to more collisions, which leads to more casualties which will put more pressure on our NHS.

Please, play your part in keeping our communities safe, to reduce the risk of collisions and injuries and reduce the pressure on our NHS. We enforce to ensure compliance with the speed limit.

Remember – the world may have changed, but the speed limits have not.