Between 17 and 23 August 2015, Slovenia and most European countries conducted a TISPOL speed operation as part of a joint campaign across Europe called SPEED. The purpose of the campaign was to encourage drivers to drive carefully and safely.
Speeding is still one of the biggest causes of road collisions, which has again been confirmed by this year's black statistics on Slovenian roads. By 17 August 2015, 79 people died on Slovenian roads, representing an increase of 25 percent compared to the number of fatalities in the same period last year, which was 63. Of all the fatalities, 31 (20 in the same period last year) died in traffic collisions caused by inappropriate speed, representing 39 percent of all fatalities.
Speeding on a motorway: 199 km/h
Speeding typically occurs in fair weather, when driving conditions on the roads are good. Good visibility, dry roads and other favourable factors may give drivers a false sense of security, making them drive faster. Busier traffic in the tourist season is also a factor contributing to road traffic accidents.
Speeding is one of the biggest causes of road collisions
In Slovenia, a considerable deterioration of road traffic safety is recorded after 1 July - a case in point is that between 1 July and 16 August, 32 people died on Slovenian roads (last year, the number was 13). In this period, 16 road users died in road accidents caused by speeding (in the same period last year, the number was three), of which nine were drivers of motorbikes.
Police officers conducted tighter checks on speeding on all the roads where traffic violations and road collisions occur most frequently. In addition, they detected drunk driving, safety belt violations, use of mobile phones while driving and other violations.
During tighter checks, police officers did not overlook drunk driving, non-use of safety belts and use of mobile phones while driving.
More consistent compliance with the speed limit and driving at speeds appropriate to road conditions could save lives, as the severity of injuries increases with speed. It is the responsibility of drivers to make our roads safer by consistent compliance with road traffic regulations and by observing the speed limit.