POLICE in West Devon are launching a major campaign to cut speeding on Dartmoor in line with the Government's get tough approach to driving offenders.

Inspector Marilyn Wignall told members of the public at a police liaison meeting in Whiddon Down Village Hall last Wednesday that various methods of speed enforcement would be used in an attempt to make the roads safer and improve road user behaviour.

'We will be conducting a speed campaign on Dartmoor in the very near future using police in marked and unmarked police cars and cameras on the side of the road,' she said.

'If you receive a speed ticket it is down to road user behaviour. We are asking people to take their foot off the accelerator — not only will it save you fuel but it could save somebody's life and that life could be yours.'

The move to crackdown on speed relates to a new road safety strategy by the Government entitled 'Tomorrow's Roads — Safer for Everyone.'

The Home Office is considering tougher penalties for speeders and drink-drive offenders and is inviting local authorities to introduce more 20mph zones.

Insp Wignall told the meeting throughout the West Devon district in the last nine months there had been two fatal accidents, 31 serious injury accidents and 220 slight injury accidents.

'The majority of these accidents were down to driver and excess speed,' said the inspector.

'The most likely people to break the 40mph speed limit on Dartmoor are the locals because of complacency and the fact that they have not allowed enough time for their journey.'

She said this applied to parents taking their children to school and people going to work.

The police would also be helping to make vehicles and roads safer by offering advice and assistance and working with local authorities to improve signage, traffic signals and so on.

The inspector said with each road death costing in the region of £1 million to the taxpayer she could understand why the Government was so keen to do something about it.

There were approximately 10 road deaths every week in England and Wales.

The three priority areas highlighted by the Government were speed, drink-driving — approximately 580 people died in alcohol-related collisions a year — and seatbelts.

A common occurrence in fatal road traffic accidents was where the back seat passenger crushed a front seat passenger to death because he/she was not wearing a seatbelt.

Insp Wignall said research showed that people in the 30-40 age group were most likely to drink-drive.

'Most young people have grown up with the drink/driving laws,' she said. 'The middle aged group have still got to be educated on drink driving.'

She added the Government was also giving police powers to test drivers for drugs as well as alcohol.