MOTORISTS in Warwickshire are being targeted by a hard-hitting publicity campaign highlighting the dangers of speeding.

The county's casualty reduction partnership has launched the campaign called Speeding, What's your excuse? to help reduce the number of casualties and deaths on the region's roads.

It is specifically targeting drivers in their 20s and 30s, an age group that research has shown generally do not relate driving too fast with an increased chance of being involved in a crash.

Adverts focus on excuses frequently given for speeding such as "Late for work?" And "Running Late?" alongside graphic visuals of the aftermath of collisions.

The posters will be displayed on billboards and buses throughout the Midlands during July, supported by adverts on local radio stations.

Partnership communications manager Stephen Rumble said: "People always have an excuse for breaking the speed limit, such as being late for an appointment, because they have been held up or because they simply want to get home. Some drivers will respond to these situations by taking risks such as driving a bit faster to reach their destination on time.

"Most drivers who do this will complete their journey safely, and possibly a minute or two quicker than they would have done had they been driving within the speed

limit. But driving too fast brings an increased risk of causing or being involved in a crash.

"This campaign shows what can happen when everything goes wrong, a situation all

too familiar to the emergency services that are left to clear up the carnage of road traffic collisions. We want people to take notice of this campaign and ask themselves whether the risks that accompany driving too fast are really worth taking."

The campaign has been put together by the Midland Safety Camera Partnerships working with design agency Orange Box Design, and will run across the whole Midlands region to ensure drivers who travel across the area repeatedly see and hear the advertising.