Deaths on roads lead police to appeal to drivers to slow down

By Tara O’Connor, Local Democracy Reporter

Two deaths in seven days on the roads have prompted a police chief to appeal to drivers to take their foot off the gas.

Cars have been caught going at speeds of up to 150mph on a road with a 40mph limit, prompting cops to point out the tragic loss of lives which have resulted.

Superintendent Andy Brittain, police chief for Croydon, Sutton and Bromley, said: “On Twitter we get a lot of complaints around speeding so it is a concern and something we’re seeing right across London.

“What we’re finding is that the average speeds have crept to the point that across London we’ve had people caught at anything up to 150mph in a 40.

“So we do know there is some really silly driving going on out there.

“We are going to work quite closely with the Road and Transport Policing Command and do some local operations across the three boroughs that we cover.”

The first of two fatal accidents took place shortly before 9am on April 7 in Worcester Park.

The victim was 25-year-old cyclist Rachel Brown, who was on her way to work as an analyst in the Met’s intelligence division.

Supt Brittain said: “Obviously I can’t link that accident to speeding as there is an ongoing investigation.

“Every accident like that is tragic, but when it’s a member of the policing family it is particularly hard.”

Seven days later there was another fatal accident in Portland Road, South Norwood.

Here a 38-year-old man, named locally as Vasile Olteanu, was run over and killed at 7.30am on April 14.

Both accidents are now the subject of a police investigation.

And Supt Brittain said incidents like this were especially frustrating in a time when the roads are so quiet.

He said: “It is even more frustrating that in a time where there are not many people out there, that we are sadly losing these lives.

“And even accidents that don’t end up in fatalities are taking up ambulance time and time in accident and emergency departments, it really does add that extra pressure and strain.

“We really want to get the message out that people do need to stick to those speed limits, just because the roads are empty is not an excuse to go breaking those limits.”