A nationwide, week-long anti-speeding campaign kicked off across the country this morning.
Police say that excessive speed is the culprit in many serious and fatal traffic accidents.
“We will start today and continue throughout the week putting extra focus on speeding,” Erik Mather, the head of traffic at South Zealand and Lolland-Falster Police, told TV2 News.
Speed kills
The number of traffic accidents in Denmark has been declining over the past few years.
“The numbers dropped last year, and the numbers of deaths and injuries have fallen over the past four or five years,” said Mather.
“We have better equipment and more photo-trailers. We were given 100 photo carriages a couple of years ago – we previously had just 25 – and people have become more aware of our presence.”
Citizen patrols
From October 1, civilians – not police officers – will man the photo-trailers.
We have hired eight people, and they will be in the photo trailers instead of policemen, but there will still be police officers at traditional speed controls,” said Mather.
Mather said the declining number of traffic accidents has saved society about 10 billion kroner over the past five years.
