Police fury at drivers who 'think they are above the law' after shocking statistics from Northamptonshire road safety crackdown

Police slammed drivers who ‘think they are above the law’ after revealing shocking figures from a safety campaign just days after the latest deaths on Northamptonshire roads.

Two people were killed in a smash in Rushden on Friday (June 3) and a woman in her 20s also died in a head-on crash on the A43 between Northampton and Kettering on Monday morning (June 6).

That takes the total number of fatalities so far this year to 16 with more than 20 seriously injured.

Yet figures published on Friday (June 10) showed more than 1,000 drivers were caught during a single week in May focusing on the ‘fatal four’ offences.

Speeding, drink or drug-driving, not wearing a seat belt and using a phone at the wheel are offences most linked to deaths or serious injuries on roads. During the week of action:

■ A staggering 970 drivers were reported for speeding between May 16 and May 22.

■ One driver was clocked at 124mph by mobile enforcement cameras on a county road.

■ Another 35 drivers were spotted not wearing seats.

■ Two more were seen using mobile phones behind the wheel and two and were over the alcohol limit.

■ Eight vehicles were seized after drivers were found not to hold valid insurance.

Detective Inspector Tony Kennedy of Northamptonshire Police Operations Team said: “Road safety is the responsibility of everyone.

"Most of us use our roads safely but there is still a minority who choose to put their own lives and that of others at risk by continuing to use them irresponsibly and illegally.

“To improve road safety, we need to change how our roads are used by challenging the behaviour of those who think they are above the law.

“But the police cannot do this on our own.

“We take robust action against anyone using our road network both irresponsibly and illegally but we need everyone to play their part to help save lives.”

In addtion to its own fleet of enforcement cameras, Northamptonshire Police offers road users the opportunity to report offences by uploading dash-cam video evidence via its Operation Snap online portal.