Motorway speed limits are viewed as 'targets', 7 in 10 drivers admit - and more than half admit to going above them

By DAILY MAIL REPORTER

Updated: 22:30 AEDT, 11 January 2025

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Most drivers view speed limits as ‘targets’ to meet and admit breaking them on motorways, a survey has found.

Seven out of ten (72 per cent) drivers polled for the RAC said they tried to drive as close to limits as possible.

Some 81 per cent of respondents said they regularly saw people ‘excessively speeding’, with 55 per cent 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 per cent of drivers backing this idea.

This was followed by radar-activated signs that display the limit against drivers’ actual speed, which were supported by 36 per cent of drivers.

Department for Transport 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 ten-year high.

The RAC survey of 2,691 drivers indicated there had been a rise in the percentage of drivers breaking speed limits.

Some 58 per cent admitted speeding on motorways ‘frequently’ or ‘occasionally’, up from 57 per cent in 2023.

More than half of drivers surveyed admitted to speeding on motorways 'frequently' or 'occasionally' (file photo)

Department for Transport 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 (file photo)

The figure was 50 per cent for 20mph roads (up from 46 per cent), 42 per cent for 30mph roads (up from 40 per cent), and 47 per cent for 60mph roads (up from 45 per cent).

RAC road safety spokesman 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.

‘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.’

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