The European Traffic Police Network said the event starts this Thursday 16 April at 0600 and continuing to 0600 on Friday 17 April.

Countries taking part are: Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Germany, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Hungary, Croatia, Italy, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Serbia and the United Kingdom. In addition, Norway, although not an EU member state, is also taking part.

In Germany, 13,000 officers will be involved at 7,000 speed checkpoints, most requested by members of the public.

Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Finland will conduct joint speed checks and border security controls along the ‘Via Baltica’.

In Serbia, 1,000 officers will be involved in speed controls during the marathon.

A total of 90 speed checkpoints in Cyprus have been chosen for the marathon.

The event comes as 27,500 people died in road collisions throughout the European Union last year.

TISPOL President Aidan Reid commented: “The speed marathon is all about prevention. We want drivers to think about the speeds they choose; speeds which are both legal and appropriate for the conditions. By doing so, they will be reducing the risks they face and the risks they pose to other road users.

“That’s why we encourage participating countries and police forces to publish information about the precise locations of speed checkpoints in advance. We want to get into the heads of drivers, not their purses.

“We encourage members of the public to join our road safety conversation and show their support for this life-saving work on Twitter, using the #TISPOLOpSpeed hashtag.

“Illegal and/or inappropriate speed is the single biggest factor fatal road collisions. That’s why police officers take action against drivers who fail to comply with speed limits. The 24-hour speed marathon is one component in our strategy for reducing casualties, and making Europe’s roads safer.”