THINK before you speed - it could save a life.

That is the message from roads policing officers across Hampshire and Thames Valley who will launch a major crackdown on speeding drivers.

The Joint Roads Policing Unit, which forms part of the Joint Operations Unit (JOU), is taking part in an European-wide bid to catch drivers who speed.

The latest Tispol – European Traffic Police Network – speed enforcement campaign, kicks off on Monday (August 21( and will run for a week.

The campaign aims to enforce speed limits for all vehicles and draw public attention to the consequences of excessive speed.

If a pedestrian is hit at 40mph they have a survival chance of 10 per cent - but at 30mph their chances are significantly higher at 80 per cent.

Road Safety Sergeant Rob Heard said: “A few miles an hour over the speed limit or travelling at inappropriate speed can have catastrophic upon road users and their families, many of whom also suffer lasting and profound consequences from collisions where a loved one has been killed or seriously injured.

“Excessive speed will reduce the time you have to react to a hazard and further the distance it takes for you to stop.

“People need to realise it’s a speed limit and not a target so it may be more appropriate to travel at a lower speed depending on the road conditions for their own safety.

“We are committed to increasing road safety and will continue to target those who fail to abide by the speed limits.

“We are also reminding the drivers of good vehicles that on certain roads they are restricted to lower speeds.

“The majority of commercial vehicle drivers do drive considerately and legitimately on our highways, however we are catching far too many van drivers who are not aware of such speed restrictions.

“To help drivers we have created the two images for goods vehicles of different sizes to help them remember their limits.”