Between 15 and 21 April 2024, a preventive campaign to reduce speed on our roads took place across the country, which culminated on 19 April in a speed enforcement marathon. During this time, police officers recorded a total of 3,008 speeding offences, 441 of which took place outside built-up areas.

On Friday, 19 April 2024, almost all European countries, including Slovenia, took part in the Speed Marathon. On that day, between 6 am and 6 pm, police officers intensified speed checks at pre-announced locations and recorded 1,173 speeding offences (out of a total of 3,008), 247 of which were on roads outside built-up areas (out of a total of 441).

The speed marathon exposed some reckless drivers who put their lives and the lives of others at risk. For example, a BMW car was clocked at 192km/h on a regional road outside a built-up area where the speed limit is set at 80km/h. Another driver, in a Porsche, was caught doing 189km/h on a stretch of motorway where the speed limit is 100km/h.

The absolute record holder was a car driver who, despite the fact that the speed marathon had been announced and all the control locations had been publicly announced, drove into the marathon without a driving licence, in an unregistered car with stolen number plates and, to top it all off, under the influence of alcohol – she had as much as 0.77 mg/l of alcohol in her breath, as well as being under the influence of illicit drugs.

Speeding is the main cause of road accidents, especially those with serious consequences. Speed as a risk factor contributes significantly to the severity of the consequences of road accidents and to the number of serious and fatal injuries. We cannot control all circumstances in traffic, but we can certainly control the speed at which we drive and whether or not we get behind the wheel under the influence of alcohol and drugs. Let us be responsible to ourselves, to our loved ones and to those who happen to be on the road at the same time as us. Life is precious, let us protect it!