NEARLY 500 drivers were caught speeding as part of a seven-day police enforcement operation.

As part of a enforcement operation by Thames Valley Police, 463 drivers were caught speeding over just seven days.

Most of those caught speeding were travelling in 30mph or 40mph zones. The majority (70 per cent) were male and most (74 per cent) were over 25 years of age. The operation ran from August 6 to August 12.

Sgt Rob Heard, from the Joint Operations Roads Policing Unit, said: “Research from across Europe suggests speeding is the most important factor that contributes to road deaths and serious injuries. The results in the space of just one week show that too many people are putting their lives in danger on our roads.

“Excessive or inappropriate speed has an appalling impact when you’re involved in a collision. The forces experiences by the human body in a collision increase exponentially as the speed increases. If you collide with a pedestrian at 30mph they have an 80 per cent chance of survival, however if you collide at 40mph then the pedestrian only has a 10 per cent chance of survival.

“Our focus on those who endanger lives on our roads is relentless through both enforcement and education.Nearly half of all those caught have will be offered a National Speed Awareness course as an alternative to prosecution. This approach is aimed at improving knowledge and attitudes to influence better behaviour on the roads.”

“Our message is simple: It’s not worth the risk, and you massively reduce the chances of you avoiding a collision when an unexpected hazard occurs in front of you.”