Speed limits on highways are seen as ‘targets’, 7 in 10 drivers admit – and more than half admit to going over them
A survey shows that most drivers view speed limits as ‘targets’ to meet and admit to exceeding them on highways.
Seven in ten (72 percent) drivers surveyed for the RAC said they tried to drive as close to the limits as possible.
Some 81 percent of respondents said they regularly saw people ‘driving excessively’, while 55 percent said there was a culture among British road users that it was acceptable to speed.
The survey found that increased use of medium speed cameras was the most popular way to tackle the problem; 39 percent of drivers supported this idea.
This was followed by radar-activated signs showing the limit against drivers’ actual speed, which was supported by 36 percent of drivers.
Figures from the Department for Transport show that 314 people were killed in crashes on Britain’s roads in 2023, with a driver exceeding the speed limit being a contributing factor. This was at least the highest level in ten years.
The RAC survey of 2,691 motorists found there was an increase in the percentage of motorists breaking speed limits.
About 58 percent admit to speeding on highways ‘often’ or ‘occasionally’, up from 57 percent in 2023.
More than half of the motorists surveyed admit to driving too fast on highways ‘often’ or ‘occasionally’ (archive photo)
Figures from the Department for Transport show that 314 people were killed in accidents on Britain’s roads in 2023, with a driver exceeding the speed limit being a contributing factor (file photo)
This figure was 50 percent for 30 km/h roads (from 46 percent), 42 percent for 50 km/h roads (from 40 percent) and 47 percent for 100 km/h roads (from 45 percent).
RAC road safety spokesman Rod Dennis said: ‘It is worrying that our research shows that excessive speeding has become so common because the consequences are very serious – a fact borne out by government data showing that it contributes to 21 per cent of all fatal collisions.
‘It is particularly concerning that so much of the excessive speed observed by motorists appears to occur on 30 and 30mph roads, as this is where the largest number of vulnerable road users, such as pedestrians, cyclists and e-scooter riders, are located.
‘We urgently need to put an end to excessive speeding to keep us all safe. The Government has been working on the country’s first road safety strategy for years, so we hope addressing this will be treated as a priority.”