EU traffic police on speed watch

The summer holidays are officially in full gear but drivers should refrain from pushing the pedal to the metal this week as traffic police across the EU enforce extra speed checks.
Roadpol — the bloc’s traffic police network — is conducting its annual anti-speed campaign, which it claims is the biggest in the world “by total number of police professionals involved and drivers checked” and aims to reduce traffic deaths.
In 2018, the EU pledged it would reduce road deaths by 50 percent by 2030, but few member countries are on track to meet that goal. Last year, road deaths decreased only 1 percent with 20,400 people killed.
Road deaths in Spain, France and Italy have stagnated since 2019, according to data from Eurostat, while they have risen in the Netherlands, Slovakia, and Sweden.
“The feeling of impunity among some drivers, who believe that speed violations will not be reported in their home countries, has prompted intensive efforts in this area,” Ernesto de Lucía Membrillo de Novales, a Spanish police officer, said in a news release.
The safety checks will be conducted across member countries, beginning today and running through Aug. 11.
Roadpol noted more than 650,000 speeding violations during its campaign last year.