The initiative is part of a European-wide campaign organised by TISPOL (Traffic Information System Police). As part of the campaign, the South Yorkshire Police Roads Policing Unit and the Safety Camera Partnership will be carrying out dedicated operations at known casualty hotspots across the county. The Police operations will focus on a number of road safety issues such as mobile phone usage and seatbelts as well as speed enforcement.

Breaking the speed limit, or driving too fast for the conditions on the road, contributes to more than 727 deaths and 4,555 injuries every year across the UK. In 2007, driving over the speed limit was reported as a factor in 13% of fatal collisions and exceeding the speed limit or going too fast for the conditions was reported as a factor in 25% of fatal collisions.

Inspector Peter Serhatlic, of South Yorkshire Police, said: “Speed is a factor in most crashes. The faster a vehicle goes, the harder it hits and the more damage it causes. At 20mph, the vast majority of pedestrians hit by a vehicle will survive. At 40mph, the vast majority will die.

“Too many people are being killed on the roads of South Yorkshire simply because they are driving too fast. We want drivers and passengers to realise that excessive speed is as dangerous as drink-driving, and to understand that by sticking to the legal speed limits of the roads, unnecessary deaths can be prevented.

“By working closely with the European Traffic Police Network we can work together to reduce speed and reduce the number of people killed on the roads.”

For details of South Yorkshire Safety Camera Partnership mobile speed camera locations visit the website www.safetycamera.org