Revealed: Top 10 fastest speeding drivers in Northern Ireland

The M2 motorway near Antrim was the scene of the highest recorded speeding offence in Northern Ireland over an 18-month period, with a driver clocking up a whopping 151mph.
By The Newsroom
Published 26th Dec 2018, 06:00 BST
Updated 10th Jan 2019, 10:47 BST
The fastest speeding offence in NI over an 18-month period was recorded on the M2 motorway in Co AntrimThe fastest speeding offence in NI over an 18-month period was recorded on the M2 motorway in Co Antrim
The fastest speeding offence in NI over an 18-month period was recorded on the M2 motorway in Co Antrim

Figures provided by the PSNI Central Statistics Unit reveal that most of fastest speeds detected on Ulster’s roads between April 2017 and October 2018 were in Co Antrim – with seven of the top 10 offences recorded in that region.

The vast majority were detected on motorways in the Province, with the M2 accounting for more than half.

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The figures, obtained by the News Letter through a Freedom of Information request, have been branded “totally horrifying” by road safety campaigner Pat Martin, who has dedicated most of her adult life to trying to reduce accidents and deaths on Northern Ireland’s roads.

The top 10 fastest speeding offences in Northern Ireland were as follows:

(1) 151mph, M2 motorway, Antrim;

(2) 138mph, M1 motorway, Craigavon;

(3) 135mph, MI, Dungannon;

(4) 135mph, Dublin Road, Banbridge;

(5) 133mph, M2, Belfast;

(6) 132mph, M2, Rathbeg [southbound], Antrim;

(7) 131mph, M2, Belfast;

(8) 131mph, M2, Belfast;

(9) 129mph, M2, Belfast;

(10) 128mph, Frosses Road, Ballymena.

The PSNI confirmed that all 10 of these offences were referred for prosecution.

Figures published by police show that, between October 2017 and September 2018, speeding offences accounted for 7,687 (15%) of all motoring offences detected in Northern Ireland, an increase of 12.7% on the number recorded in the previous 12 months.

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Just under half of these offenders (3,260) fell into the 30-49 age bracket, while drivers aged between 18-29 accounted for 2,649 offences.

The majority of offenders (5,437) were male drivers.

Ms Martin, who was awarded the MBE for services to road safety for more than 50 years, said the figures were “absolutely shocking”.

The 80-year-old, chairman of Road Safe NI, said cutbacks in recent years have led to a loss of funding for local road safety committees and education initiatives.

She told the News Letter: “Motorways tend to be where you would get most people breaking the speed limit, and more must be done to get the message across just how dangerous and devastating travelling at these speeds can be.

“I would query how anyone in their right minds could even think that using these speeds on public roads is in any way acceptable.”

Related topics:Northern IrelandUlsterBelfast