Met Police caught driver speeding at 134mph in a 40 zone during coronavirus lockdown
9 April 2020, 12:20 | Updated: 9 April 2020, 13:15
Met Police reveal people are driving at extreme speeds during lockdown
The Met Police have revealed people are driving at extreme speeds during the UK-wide lockdown - with some being clocked at more than 140mph.
While vehicle numbers have fallen dramatically as people stay at home, officers have caught one driver speeding at 134mph in a 40 zone.
But as well as the extreme speeds, they warned that the general driving speed is dangerously fast, with the average speed on some 20mph roads shooting up to 37mph.
Andy Cox, the Head of the Road and Transport Policing Command at the Metropolitan Police, told LBC: "There are people cycling to work, there are pedestrians. And we know that with speed, especially extreme speed, comes increased risk of a serious crash.
"And the impact is that the NHS and London Ambulance Service will have to deal with those crashes.
"Potentially, if you're involved in a high-speed collision, you're going to end up in hospital and deprive Covid-19 patients of NHS care."
DS Cox said people felt they had an opportunity to drive faster with fewer cars on the road, while they also felt police would be too busy to be dealing with speeding.
But he warned dangerous drivers that the police are still across London's road network dealing with the offences that cause serious accidents.
Watch his fascinating interview at the top of the page.
