David Munro, the Conservative Party candidate in May’s Police and Crime Commissioner election, has been sent on a speed awareness course after being caught driving above the limit on a Surrey street.

Mr Munro, a former British Army major and chairman of Surrey County Council, was recorded doing 38mph in a 30mph zone, in Reigate, in January. This week he encouraged drivers not to repeat his mistake.

“I very much regret speeding,” said Mr Munro. “Like many people I got caught up in racing between things and took my eye off the speedo; not that this is any excuse of course. I found the course to be exceptionally informative and useful. It treats you like an adult and demonstrates, very convincingly, the dangers involved.

“My message to drivers would be: Don’t get lulled into thinking you know a road well enough to speed and nothing is important enough to risk a potentially fatal crash – would being five minutes late really be so bad?”

Mr Munro, who is currently the county councillor for Farnham South, is hopeful of succeeding Surrey’s independent PCC Kevin Hurley, a former Chief Superintendent, who won the first poll held in the autumn of 2012.