SPEEDING drivers are more likely to be caught after plans to buy new equipment were given the go ahead.

Police authority members in North Yorkshire have given their approval to buy the portable roadside video recorders.

They hope it will make catching offenders faster, more efficient and safer for officers.

The videos will be attached to hand-held speed-guns which can be used by officers on foot or in a vehicle. They will also enable officers to issue fixed-penalty notices by post without the need to stop drivers.

The equipment costs nearly £24,000, with the police authority contributing £10,000 and the county council £14,000. One video recorder will be deployed in each of the force areas.

At present, there are no fixed cameras in North Yorkshire, but officers use a number of portable laser devices to enforce speed limits. Many police vehicles also have in-car systems.

Chief Constable Della Cannings said the new cameras would provide better evidence, reducing the number of court challenges against speeding convictions.

"The use of this equipment will be targeted at high-risk routes at times when the worst offenders are predicted to be," she said.

"Enhanced and improved enforcement of speed limits will impact directly on our commitment to reduce killed and seriously-injured casualties, particularly against vulnerable vehicle user groups, such as motorcycles."

Last year, 28 motorcyclists were killed on the county's roads.

The decision to buy the equipment comes after the Government told police forces to reduce the number of people killed and seriously injured by 40 per cent and to reduce the number of child casualties by half.