Jim Fitzpatrick said:

"Speed kills. More than 700 people were killed in 2007 in accidents where someone was driving too fast - that's two people every day of the year who didn't go home to their families.

"The last THINK! campaign on speeding highlighted the shocking fact that if you hit a child at 30mph there's an 80% chance they will live but if you hit them at 40mph there's an 80% chance they will die. It's 30 for a reason.

"We now want motorists to consider the consequences of speeding for them: what is life like for the driver who kills because they are in a rush to get home and how does that split second decision affect the rest of their life? I hope this powerful new campaign will get drivers in South Yorkshire to kill their speed before it's too late."

In Yorkshire and the Humber in 2007, 198 people were killed or seriously injured in accidents on 30mph roads where speed was a contributory factor.

Phil Jones, road safety officer for Yorkshire and the Humber, said: "Even a small increase in speed can make the difference between life and death, yet too many motorists are complacent and think that an accident won't happen to them.

"Drivers need to realise that if they kill or injure someone as a result of their actions, they will have to live with the consequences for the rest of their lives."

In some cases, motorists who are caught driving slightly over the speed limit may be given the option of taking a speed awareness course, as an alternative to receiving points on their licence. In South Yorkshire, these are run by the TTC Group, a driver training organisation, on behalf of South Yorkshire Police.

Since courses began in October 2007, hundreds of motorists have been through the half-day course at centres in Barnsley, Sheffield and Doncaster.

TTC Director Malcolm Jones said the courses had received positive feedback from both police and motorists, and were proving successful in re-educating drivers.

He said: "Motorists who attend the course say they have been able to improve their knowledge by re-learning forgotten driving skills. After the course they are much more aware of speed limits and the road safety reasons for sticking to them."

The new THINK! campaign - 'Kill your speed, or live with it' - includes TV, radio, cinema and online advertising.

The radio adverts - 'Always There' - feature a chilling message from 'beyond the grave'. Children's voices describe what life is like for the driver who killed them while speeding several years ago. The drivers cannot sleep, watch a football match or spend time with their own children without thinking of the dead child.

The 'Kill your speed, or live with it' campaign is just one of the Government's initiatives to further cut the number of people killed or injured on Britain's roads. As well as other THINK! campaigns, including the new 'Tales of the Road' child road safety campaign, the Department for Transport is currently consulting on a range of proposals to improve road safety including increasing the penalties for those who commit the most serious speeding offences.