A Nottinghamshire County Council road safety campaign, aimed at reducing speeds on key rural routes, has been declared a success – despite being sabotaged before it had been launched.

The Slow Down, Speed Kills campaign aims to remind drivers to be aware of the speed limits on local roads and is aimed particularly at young drivers between the ages of 17 and 30 who figure highly in accident statistics, particularly on rural roads.

The campaign was launched last month and was intended to focus on sections of three key roads in the county – the A60, A617 and on Netherfield Lane, Meden Vale — where excessive and inappropriate speed is an issue and where there have been a number of seriously injured casualties over recent years.

Roadside posters featuring the image of a tombstone with the words “Slow Down, Speed Kills” carved on it, were put in place on all three roads, but the ones on the A60 between Ravenshead and Redhill and on Netherfield Lane vanished just days before the campaign was due to start.

However, the results are in for the road where the signs remained in place — the A617 between the Cattle Market roundabout in Newark and the junction with the A614 at Lockwell Hill – and show a marked reduction in average speeds.

Comparison of monitored traffic speeds before and during the campaign show a westbound average speed reduction of 5.6% (2.7mph) with an overall reduction of 3.2%.

“What that means in real terms is that we saw people adhering to the speed limit and generally driving at more appropriate speeds for the road conditions,” said Zena Oliver.

“Not only do lower speeds mean that you are less likely to have an accident in the first place, every mile per hour less also reduces the likelihood of serious impact or injury in the event of an accident.

“We are pleased with the results of the campaign but it’s a pity that we were not able to achieve the same results on the other two roads which we had planned to include.”

In addition to the posters, social media outlets such as Facebook and Twitter were used to get the message across, as well as digital screens in libraries and at Mansfield bus station.

The first week of the campaign reached over 54,000 people via Facebook and over 34,000 Twitter users.

“The difference of a few miles per hour can mean the difference between life and death,” said Coun Kevin Greaves, chairman of the County Council’s transport and highways committee.

“The faster you are driving, the less time you have to stop if something unexpected happens.

“The County Council has recently been recognised for its reduction in casualties, which has been brought about via a number of activities including education and awareness-raising through campaigns such as this.”