More than 1,600 motorists have been caught by speed cameras on the A12 so far this year, according to official police figures.
In January alone, 1,149 road users were clocked by devices between East Bergholt and Stratford St Mary – an increase of 400% from 220 in the same month last year.
Since the average speed cameras went live in 2015, a total of 26,145 speeding offences have been processed.
Last night, police were unable to say why there was such a surge in January 2018 – but noted that fluctuations can occur throughout the year.
Suffolk’s police and crime commissioner, Tim Passmore, said it is “deeply disturbing” to see over 1,000 offences in a month.
He added: “I totally fail to understand why so many drivers continue to have such contempt and disregard for the speed limits which we must all remember are there for a purpose – to try and prevent serious injuries and fatalities on Suffolk’s roads.
“To see over 1,000 offences in a single month is deeply disturbing and while this should not be looked at in isolation, it is nevertheless a huge number of offences. I am committed to doing all I can to improve the safety of our roads. We will continue to invest in areas such as driver education, awareness initiatives on the fatal four – and, where necessary – enforcement.
“We have to continue putting the message across that excess speed can kill.”
News of this latest data comes soon after an Army captain was spared a driving ban despite clocking 130mph on the A12 at Dedham in Essex.
James Golding, 26 and of Upminster, east London, received six points on his licence after Ipswich magistrates heard he needed to keep his licence for an upcoming deployment.
Detective Inspector Chris Hinitt, from the Norfolk and Suffolk Roads Policing Unit, said he was surprised by the January figure – adding that it warranted further investigation.
He said: “From my perspective, anybody speeding on that stretch of road where we have had fatal accidents is putting themselves a risk and putting everyone else at risk.
“The faster you go, the more likely you are to get seriously hurt. One speeder is one too many.
“Saying that, I am surprised at the discrepancy in some of the figures.
He added: “In 2015 for the East Bergholt camera there were 1,500 or so but in 2017 there were 4,000 so I’ll be looking into this and the January figure.
“There could be a number of contributing factors.”
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