Speeding surges on quieter roads

New research has found that speeding has increased threefold during lockdown.

The study of telematics data by AX found that drivers were taking advantage of the quieter roads to drive at greater speed through normally congested areas.

Serious speeding events – the most severe category of excessive speed – occurred every 136 miles on average in April, compared to every 443 miles in February. Major speeding events were also significantly more frequent, taking place on average once every 32 miles in April, down from every 94 miles in February.

The study also found that van drivers proved to be much more obedient than car drivers, with telematics devices detecting major incidents twice as often as normal compared to four times as frequently for car drivers.

However, as lockdown restrictions began to ease, speeding also started to return to normal levels, with all types of speeding incident occurring almost half as frequently in June compared to April.

Director of investigative services at AX, Neil Thomas, said: “It’s fascinating to see how driver behaviour has been influenced by the impacts of Covid-19. Whether it was simply down to reduced traffic levels during lockdown or perhaps drivers assuming police forces had bigger priorities, the data shows that given the opportunity, many drivers are clearly willing to speed and quite often significantly so.

“It goes without saying that excessive speed is detrimental to everyone’s safety, but it poses an additional problem for fleet managers who have a responsibility for the safety of their drivers and vehicles.”