There has been a significant rise in the proportion of drivers
who admit to speeding on 60mph rural roads where more deaths
occur than on any other road type, new RAC data* has found.
Nearly half (48%) of the 3,102 drivers questioned for
the RAC Report on
Motoring say they have driven faster than the limit in
the past year on these roads – up from 44% in 2021 and matching
the highest figure ever seen by the RAC in 2016. Eight per cent
confess to having done this frequently while 40% say they have
done it occasionally on up to half of their journeys on these
roads. In 2021 514 people were killed in a total of 11,827
collisions on 60mph non-built-up roads – a fatality rate of 4%,
which is higher than on motorways.
On motorways and high-speed dual carriageways, the UK’s fastest
roads, as many as 60% of drivers say they have broken the 70mph
limit, either on most journeys (16%), or on up to half of their
trips (43%) in the last 12 months. This is up by five percentage
points compared to 2021 when 55% admitted to having exceeded the
limit. The 60% figure is the biggest percentage seen by the RAC
since 2017, when 66% owned up to this. However, it is still down
on the record of 70% reported in both 2015 and 2016.
The percentage who speed on urban roads has changed very little
in the past 12 months with 40% of drivers saying they have
exceeded the 30mph limit at least occasionally, compared to 41%
in 2021, while 46% have broken the limit on 20mph roads, a figure
unchanged on the year before.
The most common reason drivers give for exceeding the motorway
70mph limit is that they are travelling at the same speed as
other motorists (42%). The same justification is used by 32% of
those who break 60mph limits – the most popular explanation given
for exceeding the limit on these roads.
Almost half of drivers who have exceeded the speed limit in 20mph
zones say this is because they think the limit is inappropriate
for that particular road. Most drivers (69%) think motorists only
adhere to 20mph limits when there is enforcement or physical
traffic-calming measures in place, while 65% say that signs
warning of speed cameras nearby help them stick to the limit.
And, half (52%) say they would be opposed to additional 20mph
limits being introduced in their local area. However, a similar
proportion (48%) believe some 60mph limits on unclassified rural
roads should be reduced.
RAC road safety spokesman Simon Williams said: “The recent
increase in the proportion of drivers admitting to speeding on
60mph rural roads is extremely worrying as more people lose their
lives every year in collisions on these roads than on any
other.** It’s even more concerning that this figure is now back
to the all-time high of 48%.
“While the number of fatalities on our roads is no longer
falling, we certainly don’t want to see an increase in deaths. We
think the Government should address the issue of fatalities on
60mph rural roads by advising roads authorities to reduce limits
on the most dangerous stretches to more appropriate levels. This
is something half of drivers (48%) surveyed for the RAC Report on
Motoring would like to see, with only a quarter (24%)
disagreeing.
“Drivers sometimes forget or underestimate the role speed plays
in fatal and serious collisions as they tend not to see it in the
same light as offences like drink or drug-driving or talking on a
handheld phone. In fact, in 2021 as many as 253 people lost their
lives in collisions where someone was exceeding the speed
limit.***
“Unfortunately, with our data showing a bigger proportion of
drivers now admitting to exceeding the 70mph limit on our fastest
roads than at any point since 2017, we are fearful this could be
on the way back to the high points of 2015 and 2016 where 70%
admitted this. The implications of this from a road safety point
of view would be negative.
“What’s more, although motorways are statistically the UK’s
safest roads****, the abundance of digital signage on them could
easily be used to make to try to make them even safer by
reminding drivers of the dangers of breaking the speed limit.”
Ends
Notes to Editors
* RAC Report on Motoring 2022 – 3,102 drivers – 30-minute online
survey, 28 April – 13 May 2022. Base is a representative sample
of UK drivers
** RAS0301:Reported road collisions and casualties by severity,
speed limit, and road class (built-up and non-built-up), Great
Britain, 10 years up to 2021 https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1106311/ras0301.ods
*** RAS0701: Reported road collisions and casualties contributory
factors by severity and road user type, Great Britain, 10 years
up to 2021
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1106324/ras0701.ods
**** Facts on Road Fatalities, June 2015 https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/448037/road-fatalities-2013-data.pdf
