New campaign with hard-hitting car crash advert doesn't pull any punches.

The organisation, who has teamed up with the Scottish Government, have launched the campaign, ‘There’s no excuse for speeding’, across Scotland in a bid to reduce the number of incidents caused by driving above the speed limit.

‘I’ve just bought the new Call of Duty and I’m desperate to get home and play it’ is among some of the most incredible and quite ludicrous excuses Police Scotland have heard.

The campaign comes as Transport Scotland reveals there were 58 speed related collisions in the Highlands and Islands in 2019 with vehicles exceeding the speed limit being the main cause.

The latest figures also show that speeding is a contributory factor in 15 per cent of all fatal and serious collisions in Scotland – a total of 848 collisions, 42 fatalities and 244 people left with serious injuries.

The report went on to say that the majority of drivers have, at least occasionally, exceeded the speed limit.

Studies show that 39 per cent of people admitted to driving above the speed limit by five miles per hour in a 30mph zone at least once in the past year, whilst 27 per cent do so in a 20mph zone.

Speeding becomes more common on the motorway however as 40 per cent of drivers think it is safe to go faster than the recommended maximum, with 11 per cent admitting to driving at 90mph on a motorway at least once in the past year.

Michael Matheson, Cabinet Secretary for Transport, Infrastructure and Connectivity says that speed is the Government’s top focus for their road safety plan until 2030.

“Speed is a key priority for the Scottish Government and an integral part of the Road Safety Framework to 2030,” he said.

“Speeding is a severe problem that causes too many fatal and serious collisions every year.

“A collision involving speed affects more than just you and your car – it also has an impact on your family, the victim’s family, the emergency services, and people who witness it.

“The message of this campaign is clear – speeding is always a risk.

“However, you chose to try and justify it, it’s still speeding and there is no excuse for it,” Mr Matheson conluded.

When stopped by the police, drivers have attempted to get out of trouble by offering officers some downright far-fetched excuses.

Highlights include:

“I was going to miss my tee off time, it’s the club championship today”

“Why didn’t you stop the car in front, he was going much faster”

“You should be here at nine o’clock, they are much faster”

“I was about to run out of fuel and had to get to the petrol station quicker”

Police Scotland say that the most common excuses their officers hear are blaming other drivers and running out of petrol.

“The dangers of speeding are well known and have been shown time and again as being a significant factor in fatal and serious injury collisions,” said Mark Williams, Assistant Chief Constable for Police Scotland.

“Every other day on our roads police officers see first-hand the devastation that speed-related collisions can cause, the faster you drive the less time you have to react to hazards.

“There is no excuse for speeding and despite the clear risks involved, a minority of drivers are still willing to risk their lives and the lives of others.

“If you are caught speeding or you are involved in a collision, you could lose your licence face a substantial fine and receive a criminal record which could result in you losing your job, or even a prison sentence, so the risks are simply not worth it,” Mr Williams said.

Brake, the road safety charity said: "We want a world where everyone is free to move in a safe and healthy way, every day. We work to stop road deaths and injuries, support people affected by road crashes and campaign for safe and healthy mobility for all.

“We believe that safe and healthy mobility is everyone’s human right wherever we are; in cities, towns, villages or moving between places. No one should be killed or seriously injured on roads and we should all be able to move in a safe and healthy way, as part of our normal day.

There are more than 75 deaths and serious injuries on UK roads, every day and improvement has stalled. This is unacceptable. The Government must be held accountable for the safety of our roads and commit to learn from, and eliminate, serious crashes.

"One of our goals is for the Government to commit to targets to eliminate death and serious injury from UK roads by 2040, with key safety performance indictors helping to track progress.

“And for the Government to establish an independent Road Collision Investigation Branch, to learn from crashes and avoid repeating the mistakes of the past

The new campaign will launch adverts across radio, television and digital social media channels which feature a distressing car crash and the reality of exactly what that brings to all those involved.

The ads will depict the aftermath of the crash and the impact it can have on the driver and also the victim and their family.

The “No Excuse: A Little Bit” ad can be viewed on the Scottish Government’s YouTube channel, whilst more information can be found on the dangers of speeding at the Road Safety Scotland website at: roadsafety.scot/topics/speed.