NEARLY 2,000 people were caught speeding in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight during a week-long crackdown.

Hampshire Constabulary supported a Europe-wide speed enforcement campaign with a week of action which ran between Monday, August 17 and Sunday, August 23.

A total of 1,938 vehicles were detected exceeding the speed limit in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, with most caught by mobile or static safety cameras.

The force said that 80 per cent of offences took place on roads with a 30mph speed limit, and that three-quarters of all people caught were men.

Of those caught, 48 per cent were offered a referral course, 47 per cent were given a fixed penalty notice, four per cent were given a verbal warning, and one per cent were reported for summons.

Sergeant Rob Heard, from Hampshire Constabulary’s Roads Policing Unit, said: “Research from across Europe suggests speeding is the most important factor that contributes to road deaths and serious injuries.

“These results in the space of just one week show that too many people are putting lives in danger on our roads.

"Just under 90 per cent of people caught speeding were in 30 or 40mph limits. These speed limits are in locations where there are often greater hazards and numbers of road users.

"Excessive or inappropriate speed has an appalling impact when you're involved in a collision. The forces experienced by the human body in a collision increase exponentially as the speed increases. If you collide with a pedestrian at 30mph they have a 80 per cent chance of survival, however if you collide at 40mph then the pedestrian only has a 20 per cent chance of survival.

"Our focus on those who endanger lives on our roads is relentless through both enforcement and education. Nearly half of all those caught have will be offered a National Speed Awareness course as an alternative to prosecution. This approach is aimed at improving knowledge and attitudes to influence better behaviour on the roads."