Drivers view speed limits as targets, survey suggests
Seven out of 10 motorists polled for the RAC said they tried to drive as close to limits as possible.
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Your support makes all the difference.Safety fears have been raised after a survey indicated many drivers view speed limits as targets.
Seven out of 10 (72%) drivers polled for the RAC said they tried to drive as close to limits as possible.
Some 81% of respondents said they regularly saw people “excessively speeding”, with 55% saying there was a culture among UK road users that it was acceptable to speed.
The survey suggested increased use of average-speed cameras was the most popular way to tackle the issue, with 39% of drivers backing this idea.
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
This was followed by radar-activated signs that display the limit against drivers’ actual speed, which were supported by 36% of drivers.
Department for Transport (DfT) figures show 314 people died in crashes on Britain’s roads in 2023 in which a driver exceeding the speed limit was a contributory factor. This was at least a 10-year high.
The RAC survey indicated there had been a rise in the percentage of drivers breaking speed limits.
Some 58% admitted speeding on motorways “frequently” or “occasionally”, up from 57% in 2023.
The figure was 50% for 20mph roads (up from 46%), 42% for 30mph roads (up from 40%), and 47% for 60mph roads (up from 45%).
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
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.”
– The survey of 2,691 drivers was conducted by research company Online95 between March 23 and April 15 last year.