A DRIVER was clocked doing four times the speed limit on one of the busiest roads in the Bradford district.
The motorist, who was driving a Volkswagen Golf, was captured at an eye-watering 122mph on the B6145 Thornton Road, which is covered by a 30mph speed limit.
Details of the concerning incident emerged after the Telegraph & Argus submitted a Freedom of Information request to West Yorkshire Police.
In it, the T&A asked for details of the “highest speed clocked in Bradford district from January 1, 2024, to December 3, 2024, which road this took place on, and what vehicle type it was.”
West Yorkshire Police responded to say: “The highest speed captured on a roadside safety camera was 122mph. The location was Thornton Road, Bradford. The vehicle involved was a Volkswagen Golf.”
Police have since warned drivers to remember their “personal responsibility to drive at a safe speed” at all times.
Part of Thornton Road (Image: Google Maps) In the same FOI request, the T&A asked for a further breakdown by the highest speed captured by a speed camera and the highest speed recorded in officer-stopped speeding offences. We also asked for the type of vehicle involved.
There were a number of records for the highest speeds where a Fixed Penalty Notice was offered to the driver.
The highest speeds are reported for summons – something West Yorkshire Police said “is not extractable within cost” of responding to the FOI.
The highest speed where a Fixed Penalty Notice was offered was 95mph, with a number of motorists clocking that speed on both the M606 and M62 in the Bradford area.
Sign for the M606 in Bradford On the M606, drivers hit 95 mph in a variety of vehicles – including a Tesla Roadster, Audi A3, Volkswagen Golf, Land Rover Range Rover, Vauxhall Mokka, Audi Q5, BMW 125D, and a BMW 320 D.
When it came to the M62, drivers were clocked speeding at 95mph in an Audi TT and another type of Audi, where the model was not recorded.
Paul Jeffrey, from the prosecutions and casualty prevention unit at West Yorkshire Police, said: “Excessive speeds and careless driving frequently lead to deaths and injuries which are preventable.
A photo of the M62 (Image: Newsquest) “Through work with our partners, we are committed to Vision Zero; our shared ambition to eliminate the avoidable tragedy of road death and serious injury. We all have a personal responsibility to drive at a safe speed within the speed limit, and appropriate to the road conditions.
“Speeding and our attitudes to driving are a matter of choice and no-one should have to die or be seriously injured on our roads because of inappropriate speed or careless driving placing people in danger.
“Last year 30 people were killed and over 800 people seriously injured in collisions in West Yorkshire where speeding and/or careless driving was a factor.
“As part of our commitment to Vision Zero we will continue to focus our enforcement activity on known risk factors such as speeding, careless driving, mobile phone use, and drink and drug driving, to encourage responsible driver behaviour and improve road safety”.
