Motorists to be fined 'as quickly as possible' under new speed camera plans - 'Key priority'

The new "Joint Working Agreement" will make it easier to install new cameras and catch speeding drivers, while bringing a "consistent approach" to speed enforcement across the region.

The new initiative comes after reports found that speeding was the biggest contributor towards people being killed and seriously injured on West Midlands roads.

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Under the new agreement, it will enable police and authorities to install new cameras in places where the risk of death or serious injuryis the greatest in a bid to catch out more drivers.

Other types of camera enforcement will also be introduced, such as "spot cameras" that use the latest technology, including Automatic Number Plate Recognition, to capture images of speeding cars and red-light cameras.

To help ensure the cameras remain effective, police will be able to issue more fines to drivers, including those going on speed awareness courses, to encourage more people to stay within the speed limit.

The new plan also follows the West Midlands' own target to reduce road deaths and serious injury by 50 per cent by 2030 and to zero by 2040.

Richard Parker, Mayor of the West Midlands, said: "It's a tragedy that so many lives are lost on our roads each year - the impact on victims’ families is truly heartbreaking.

"Unfortunately, speeding and dangerous driving are blighting our region, which is why we are cracking down on those who are determined to use our streets as a racetrack. By working together in this way, we can bring more offenders to justice while protecting responsible road users from this scourge."

Meanwhile, Mat MacDonald, West Midlands Road Safety Commissioner, explained that rolling this technology out will "without a doubt prevent collisions, save lives and make journeys less dangerous for everyone who uses our road network".

He added: "Communities across the region are crying out for more speed cameras, and now this agreement is in place, we will be working hard to ensure our local authorities have the resources they need to make this happen as quickly as possible."

Under UK law, drivers can be slapped with a minimum penalty of £100 and three penalty points if caught speeding on the roads.

This can also increase to £2,500 if caught speeding on the motorway, with the amount also depending on what the speed limit was and how much over it the driver was travelling.

Superintendent Gareth Mason, head of roads policing at West Midlands Police, noted that the partnership aims to reduce death and serious injury in the West Midlands to zero while also punishing drivers who break the rules.

Police and Crime Commissioner Simon Foster shared: "One of the key priorities in my new Police and Crime Plan is to work with partners to halve the number of people killed and seriously injured on the region’s roads by 2030, and the signing of this agreement will continue this important work.

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"My plan aims to prevent and tackle crime and anti-social behaviour, including careless, dangerous and reckless driving at excess speed, with the aim of reducing the number of people killed and seriously injured on our roads. It will contribute to making the region’s roads safer for everyone."

The combined authority will discuss the plans at the Transport Delivery Overview and Scrutiny Committee on Tuesday, May 6.