RALLY GOERS ASKED TO WATCH THEIR SPEEDS

For the safety of all road users, the Safety Camera Partnership is asking all competitors and supporters at the Network Q Rally to watch their speeds when travelling between stages this weekend.

Stricter controls are being introduced this year as a result of the high speeds and driving offences previously recorded. Traffic policing, speed and traffic signal enforcement will operate on routes between each of the Welsh stages.

John Rowling, project manager of the Safety Camera Partnership, which operates speed and red light camera enforcement in the Gwent, South Wales and Dyfed Powys police force areas, said: "We were disappointed by the disregard of road safety laws last year. Such violations can not only result in a court hearing and the loss of a licence but, more importantly, endanger the lives of other people. We will therefore be stepping up enforcement between stages with mobile speed camera units and traffic policing.

"We are seeking prevention rather than cure. We do not operate a policy of catching people out and for this reason, we are surrounding the enforcement with advanced warning and high publicity.

"The organisers of the Network Q Rally have taken extensive measures to ensure that safety is paramount for spectators and participants actually on the event. It is our duty to ensure that high standards are maintained on the public highway for the safety of all road users."

The Network Q Rally is backing this decision. The Rally has included in its regulations penalties for competitors who do not observe statutory or mandatory speed limits, including fines, time penalties and in extreme circumstances, exclusion from the stage. These will be applied stringently this year.