Police action against extreme speeding has risen almost 200 per cent during coronavirus lockdown, Metropolitan Police figures reveal.
More than 2,700 people were caught well over the speed limit between 24 March and 26 May – up from less than 1,000 in the same period last year.
That includes ten times as many people caught in 20mph zones, rising from 50 to 530 offences.
Overall, police have caught more than twice as many speeding drivers during lockdown as in the same period in 2019.
Driving too fast is already the most common reason for a fatal crash in London.
Police say some drivers see emptier roads as an excuse to speed – but warn that accidents could see NHS resources diverted away from coronavirus sufferers.
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Met road safety chief Detective Superintendent Andy Cox said on Twitter almost 250 people were stopped for speeding on 27 April.
Examples last week include 61mph in a 20mph zone, 79mph in a 30mph zone and 126mph in a 60mph zone, he said.
And police caught 28 drivers going over 100mph on roads in the capital, he added.
But the data does not necessarily mean there has been more speeding during lockdown.
“It shows successful targeting of the biggest risk to road safety every single day and night,” he said on Twitter.
“This enforcement surge coincides with a reduction in those killed or seriously injured in collisions.”
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