More speeding drivers could face fines

Sanjay and Pawanveer Singh were killed when a man driving at speeds of up to 92mph hit their mother's car

A plan that could ultimately see more speeding drivers receive fines is set to go before the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA).

The Road Safety Action Plan 2024-2030 aims to reduce the number of people killed on the roads by 50%, by introducing more speed interventions and a new safety commissioner.

The proposals will go before the WMCA board next month.

Transport for West Midlands said the preferred option could be a combination of average speed enforcement, spot speed checks and mobile cameras.

The authority covers Birmingham, Coventry, Wolverhampton, the Black Country and Solihull.

Coventry councillor Pervez Akhtar said a crash on Longfellow Road where two children died in 2018 triggered a manifesto pledge for more speed enforcement.

Casper and Corey Platt-May were with their mother Louise on the way to a park when they were hit by a car as they crossed the road.

The driver of the car, Robert Brown, 53, admitted two counts of causing death by dangerous driving and was jailed for nine years. This was later increased to 10-and-a-half years under the unduly lenient sentence scheme.

Casper and Corey Platt-May were killed after they were hit by a Ford Focus as they crossed a road with their mother

If approved, the WMCA plan would see more speeding drivers face prosecutions, fines or speed awareness courses using the existing camera network.

The National Police Chiefs Council suggests certain tolerances for enforcement action depending on how fast a driver is exceeding a speed limit.

However, it is for individual forces to set their own tolerance levels, which mean not every driver who breaks a speed limit will face enforcement action.

Some councillors would like the police to take a tougher stance.

The cost of enforcement falls to police forces and local authorities, but the revenue generated from fines goes to the Treasury.

West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster said last year that he would rather see that spent on local projects.

The scheme could see more speed interventions and a new safety commissioner introduced

Many councillors, however, would like to see more average speed cameras, particularly on problem roads.

Wolverhampton councillor Harbinder Singh said: "On Birmingham New Road, there were two children who died due to speeding and there is only a small section of average speed cameras near Dudley that we have, but not coming towards Wolverhampton."

Pawanveer Singh, aged 23 months, and 10-year-old Sanjay died in March 2019 when their mother's car was hit in Wolverhampton.

Mohammed Sullaiman Khan, 28, was jailed for causing death by dangerous driving for 13 years.

Khan had been driving "competitively" against another driver at speeds of up to 92mph.

Anne Shaw, executive director of Transport for West Midlands, said the costs for the scheme were currently being reviewed by all local authorities.

She said that in the meantime, mobile units would be deployed across various locations.

Correction 11 September: This story previously said money raised from fines went directly to police forces, rather than the Treasury. It has also been amended to make it clear the WMCA plans propose taking more enforcement action using the existing camera network, rather than installing extra cameras.

This news was gathered by the Local Democracy Reporting Service which covers councils and other public service organisations.