Report Suggests Nationwide Speeding Epidemic
More than 80 per cent of those surveyed said they regularly saw people ‘excessively speeding’ on the UK road network
A report from the RAC suggests that the UK is in the grip of a speeding epidemic, with eight out of ten people saying they regularly see motorists ‘excessively speeding’ on all types of roads.
Worryingly, 20 mph roads have seen an increase in speeding on them - according to the data - compared to the previous year. A concern with this is that 20mph roads are commonly found around schools, hospitals and other areas where reducing driver speed is paramount to public safety. On 20mph roads, 50 per cent of drivers questioned said they have broken the limit, up from 46 per cent in 2024.
Motorways were the roads drivers claimed they had broken the speed limit most frequently, with fifty-eight per cent of those questioned admitting to ‘frequently’ or ‘occasionally’ sneaking past 70mph. 60mph roads saw a similar increase, rising two points to 47 per cent, while 42 per cent of respondents admitted to breaking the 30mph limit. All the percentages mentioned so far are an increase on the previous year, highlighting that speeding is on the rise, and that traditional deterrents, such as traffic calming, speed cameras and signage, are no longer working as they should.
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 per cent 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.”
While we agree with the final point from Rod Dennis, we don’t quite share his view that e-scooter riders fall into the category of vulnerable road users. Given that the vast majority of e-scooters are privately owned, and therefore not legal to ride on the road, footpath or public land, they shouldn’t be on the road in the first place. Motorcycles, though, if they are legally ridden, are legitimate vulnerable road users though, so it’s a bit strange we were omitted.
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