Drivers flout 20mph near schools

The survey found 126 drivers ignoring the 20mph limit

A head teacher has called for more effective speeding curbs after a survey found large numbers of motorists ignoring 20mph zones near schools.

Patrols in East Lothian outside six schools found 126 motorists breaking the 20mph limit in just a few hours.

David Scott, head teacher at Dunbar primary, where 50 speeding motorists were detected, said the evidence showed the 20mph zone was unsuccessful.

Lothian and Borders Police plan to re-stage the survey in the coming days.

Mr Scott said that his school actively encouraged pupils to walk or cycle to school but that motorists seemed unconcerned with the speed limits in place.

Parents are scared and it starts the usual cycle again of parents bringing their child to school in their car because they are worried about road safety Moira Winning Parent

He added: "The evidence seems to suggest that next to Dunbar PS, it's not desperately successful and I think we need to think about other ways to stop motorists speeding.

"Road bumps, signs that flash when drivers are exceeding the speed limit - I think they're far more effective."

Moira Winning, who has two children attending the school, said the figures showed there was an accident waiting to happen in the area.

She said: "We had 50 people on that road speeding - that's 50 potential accidents.

"Parents are scared and it starts the usual cycle again of parents bringing their child to school in the car because they are worried about road safety."

According to campaigners Road Safety Scotland the problem is not restricted to East Lothian with a similar picture being replicated across the entire country.

'Dangerous driving'

Inspector David Milne of Lothian and Borders Police said patrols would be taking place outside the schools involved in a bid to raise awareness about the problem.

He warned that in the worst cases of speeding, motorists could face charges and fines.

He added: "If a motorists strikes a pedestrian at 20mph they have got a 95% chance of survival. That has got to be the message that the motorist takes away from this.

"There's two weeks to go in the summer term and we're going to come back and do at least all of these locations once again.

"The ones that are really speeding, doing double the speed limit, they could be charged with dangerous driving . We're talking about six points on their licence and a £1,000 maximum fine."