More than 1,000 Community Speed Watch volunteers across Essex are being thanked for the vital role they play in helping keep their communities safe as Volunteers’ Week is celebrated across the UK.

Supported by Essex County Fire and Rescue Service and the Safer Essex Roads Partnership (SERP), Community Speed Watch gives local people the opportunity to help reduce risks and improve road safety where they live and work.

Volunteers monitor the speed of passing vehicles using handheld devices, with information recorded and passed to Essex Police to support further action, ranging from letters sent to motorists to additional police enforcement.

This year also marks 20 years of Community Speed Watch in Essex, with volunteers continuing to play a key role in supporting Essex’s Vision Zero ambition to eliminate deaths and serious injuries on the county’s roads by 2040.

Roger Hirst, Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner for Essex and Chairman of the Safer Essex Road Partnership Board, said: 

“Too many road traffic collisions happen on Essex’s roads every year because of speeding. 

“Community Speed Watch volunteers are continuing to make a real difference – their monitoring activity on the ground highlights the benefit of taking a proactive approach to road safety. In the 20 years since the introduction of the Community Speed Watch initiative in the county, countless numbers of volunteers have made a positive impact. Their presence acts as a reminder to drivers about the need to take extra care and be vigilant on the road.

“The ambition of Vision Zero  to eliminate all deaths and serious injuries by 2040 in Essex cannot be achieved without the efforts of Community Speed Watch volunteers.”

(Picture: Essex County Fire & Rescue)