Police forces across the UK are benefitting from a digital speedometer calibration service launched by Road Safety Support (RSS) last year.
The last few years has seen an increase in the number of new vehicles fitted with digital speedometers.
The RSS International Speed Test Laboratory was developed to provide force fleet managers with a reliable way of calibrating digital speedometers in new police vehicles.
The laboratory, believed to be the only one of its kind in the world, holds ISO 17025 accreditation – the international standard for testing and calibration laboratories.
RSS says the accreditation can give police forces ‘confidence that the validity of the results and the accuracy of the measurements undertaken can be relied upon and are traceable to national standards’.
Since its launch, forces in Northamptonshire, Greater Manchester, Warwickshire, South Wales, North Wales, Essex, Cheshire and Cumbria have all benefited from the service.
In total, more than 30 digital speedometers in UK police patrol vehicles have been calibrated, in various marked and unmarked police patrol cars, as well as motorcycles.
Steve Callaghan, manager of the RSS International Speed Test Laboratory, said: “It’s been a pleasure working with so many UK police forces and to provide them with the assurance that their vehicle remains in its stock condition and they can use the speedometer to make accurate speed measurements.
“The calibration is traceable, verifiable and comes with expert witness support.”
South Wales Police was the first force to benefit from the RSS digital calibration service.
Inspector Gareth Morgan, of the South Wales Police Western Roads Policing Unit, said: “Due to the new digital type displays, our traditional solution was not an option, and we had to consider other options.
“RSS were, to my knowledge, the only company to provide a solution, and we were at the point of decommissioning an otherwise excellent vehicle.”
Comment on this story