LOCAL DRIVERS have hit the headlines this week for the wrong reasons with three caught travelling in excess of 90mph on dangerous, busy roads.
With six deaths on our local roads this year already both the police and the district judge have urged motorists to slow down.
Enniskillen Magistrates Court has seen an increase in the number of motorists detected recently at speeds in excess of 90mph. Last week a 31-year-old Tamlaght man was detected at 90mph on the A4 Road at Lisbellaw by police and this week the worrying trend continued among young Fermanagh men. On Monday three separate incidents where driver’s speeds hit dangerous levels were dealt with in court. In the space of eight days in March three men were disqualified from driving.
A 21-year-old Enniskillen motorcyclist on R plates overtook police at 96mph on the A4 Belfast Road at Maguiresbridge at 3.15pm on March 19, while six days later an 18-year-old Lisnarick farmer was detected at 94mph on the Mossfield Road at 3.30pm. Then on March 27 at 7.55pm police caught a Lisbellaw businessman travelling at 100mph on the A4 Belfast Road at Maguiresbridge, 40mph in excess of the legal limit.
District judge Nigel Broderick shook his head in disgust at the third man before him at Monday’s court and issued a warning to all those caught speeding at 90mph or above.
“Anyone who drives at this speed must readily accept a disqualification.” All three were disqualified for a period of two months and issued with monetary penalties.
PSNI Inspector Roy Robinson explained that police are being proactive in catching speeding drivers in light of the fatalities on our roads and have responded to complaints from members of the public regarding speeding in areas such as the A4 Belfast Road.
“Fermanagh has been terribly badly hit with fatal accidents recently and we’re certainly more proactive in relation to it.
Police will be stepping up operations in relations to speeding and of course we also receive complaints from members of the public too in relation to areas where they feel people are travelling too fast on the road ways.”
He continued: “One of the things I would always say is it is better to five minutes late for an appointment than 50 years early in eternity.
“When we have to go knock on somebody’s door it is not a duty that any officer wishes to be carrying out at all.”
PSNI Road Education Officer, Constable Trevor Kirke urged drivers to remember they are not on a race track, but a public road.
“Bear in mind the speed limit is not a target, drive at an appropriate speed for the conditions and within your own capabilities and comfort zone. The bigger the speed, the bigger the mess. An increase in speed can turn a minor accident into a major one. On the public roads you never know what’s waiting for you down the road, what could happen, so you really need to give yourself time to react and keep the speed down to an appropriate level.”
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