Breaking the speed limit becoming commonplace
Breaking the speed limit has become commonplace in the UK, according to the RAC, with more than eight in 10 motorists saying they regularly see drivers breaking the limit ‘excessively’.
Its research found that 82% of respondents reported other drivers breaking the limit excessively on motorways and high-speed dual carriageways, with a further 80% saying it is also a common occurrence on 30mph or 20mph roads.
Meanwhile, half of drivers admitted to breaking the limit on 20mph roads themselves, 58% admitted to going above 70mph ‘frequently’ or ‘occasionally’ on motorways and 47% said they drove too fast on 60mph roads.
On 30mph roads, the percentage was 47%.
This is despite government road casualty statistics for 2023 revealing that ‘exceeding the speed limit’ was a contributory factor in 304 (21%) fatal collisions during the year.
Breaking the speed limit risks
RAC road safety spokesperson Rod Dennis said: “It’s concerning that our research indicates excessive speeding has become so commonplace because the consequences are very severe – a fact borne out by government data showing it contributes to 21% of all fatal collisions.
“It is particularly worrying that so much excessive speeding observed by drivers appears to take place on 20mph and 30mph roads as this is where the greatest number of vulnerable road users, such as pedestrians, cyclists and e-scooter riders, are.
“We badly need to bring an end to excessive speeding to keep us all safe. The Government is working on the country’s first road safety strategy for many years, so we hope that tackling this will be treated as a priority.”
