Express & Star comment: Speeders not getting the message
We make no apology for returning to the issue of drivers who flout Britain's speed limits.
New figures out today show that well over 12,000 motorists were caught driving too fast on the roads of the West Midlands in just one year.
It includes 88 drivers who were snared driving faster than 91mph in a 70mph zone.
Worryingly, the overall number of lawbreakers rocketed by more than 1,000 compared to the previous year.
We know how many lives are lost due to speeding drivers.
The pain and misery that it causes the families and friends of those involved can last a lifetime.
But for some people, the message is clearly not getting through.
The Express & Star is calling for longer sentences for killer drivers through our Stop the Speeders campaign.
The issue has sparked a parliamentary debate led by Walsall North MP Eddie Hughes, and has been backed by many of those who have lost loved ones through speeding drivers.
At the moment, the Ministry of Justice wants to extend the maximum penalty for death by dangerous driving from 14 years in jail to a life imprisonment.
Action must be swift.
There is no excuse for ignoring the speed limits that are set on Britain's roads.
Too many people are under the impression that exceeding the limit by a few miles an hour is unlikely to cause any harm.
But this is precisely how lives are lost.
If anyone is unsure about the damage caused by speeding drivers, they only need to listen to the stories of those who have suffered loss as a result.
It is they who have paid the ultimate price.
There is an argument that in this country, we are too soft on people who break the speed limit.
Some other nations around the world hit speeders with punitive fines if they are caught driving over the limit by even 1mph.
Nobody wants to make criminals out of good drivers.
But the authorities need to take action to curb the number of road related deaths.
Across the country, there were 1,792 road deaths reported in 2016.
This figure is shamefully high, and the fear is that it will rise again when last year's statistics are released.
