A recent study has revealed that motorists aged between 41 – 60 are the most likely candidates for breaking the speed limit while going about their daily business. A survey by SmartDriverClub of over 6,000 British motorists concluded that drivers within the 41 – 60 age group drive faster than the limit for 6.6% of the total time they spend behind the wheel.
Of course, some factors have a bearing on that figure, but government statistics relating to the National Speed Awareness Course (NSAC) tend to back that up.
The numbers
Understanding the numbers starts to clear things up a little – stating that middle-aged drivers speed the most is factually accurate, but we should also say that the difference in age groups – 17-25, 26-40, 41-60 & 65+ is just 0.5%, almost negligible differences.
Driving for an hour a day would mean that the 41-60 age group spend around three minutes fifty seconds above the speed limit, while the slowest group (26-40) would spend approximately three minutes twenty-seven seconds speeding; this isn’t night and day differentials.
However, would this be enough information for insurance companies to start re-evaluating risk policies? Statistically, we know that young male drivers are generally more likely to be involved in an accident, a lazy assumption would be that they’re also the most likely to spend their time above the speed limit, rather than below it. Figures released from the Ipsos MORI/University of Leeds study paint a different picture.
The study used data from over 2.2 million drivers, collated over a five-year period, and analysed to form answers, the first being that the average age of ‘offenders’ was between 42-50 years old, backing up the study that SmartDriverClub did. However, it did also state that participants in the NSAC had the lowest collision rates showing the benefit of the NSAC.
Exceptions to the rule
Had the difference been higher, we could start looking at the ‘why?’. Is it that the 41-60 group feels more comfortable or confident behind the wheel? Do they have the balance of experience, skill and knowledge that puts them at the peak of their motoring?
Of course, you’re going to have exceptions.
A 26-year-old took it upon himself to drive from John O’Groats to Land’s End in the fastest time possible, completing the 841 miles in just 9 hours 36 minutes, averaging 90 mph. Is it a surprise that he was driving an Audi?
Upmarket Audis top the list for speeding – with Audi drivers spending 8.7% of the time above the limit. BMW drivers are next, spending 8.3% of their time speeding, followed by Jaguar at 8%, Land Rover at 7.8% and Mercedes at 7.7%.
62% of drivers admit to speeding in the last year but to deliberately set out to break a record that doesn’t exist and endangering life along the way. Perhaps most importantly doing this is giving the police a reason to crack down further on speeding motorists.
Speeding and you
Quite frankly, it would be somewhat foolhardy to state that speeding is the root of all evil, but with a caveat; inappropriate speeding. There are numerous benefits from driving within the speed limit – better fuel consumption (although the speed awareness course tells you that you should stay in a low gear for city driving), prolonged component life, reduced risk of prosecution, smoother driving style and a reduction in stress levels.
Contrary to popular belief, keeping within a speed limit is quite a good measure of your driving ability as it demonstrates spatial awareness, the ability to understand your speed without having an eye on the speedo constantly and allows for increased planning time. All these skills give you the opportunity to understand the road and any hazards before you.
Tips to avoid speeding:
- Check your speedometer regularly. While sounding simple, it’s all too easy to find yourself travelling at 6-7 mph above the speed limit (which was 54% of those attending a speed awareness course).
- Roads that have a system of street lighting in place with lamps placed no more than 200 yards apart are considered a 30mph speed limit unless marker boards indicate otherwise.
- Understand the Highway Code; dual carriageways, single carriageways, central reservations, lampposts can all affect the speed limit.
- Use cruise-control where possible.
- Recognise what makes you speed; being tailgated, overtaking or just traffic flow and try to keep yourself calm in those situations.
- Start your journey a little earlier so as not to feel pressured.
Would you agree with the studies that say middle-aged people are the most likely culprits? When was the last time you were caught speeding? What do you think of the John O’Groats to Land’s End driver? Let us know in the comments below.
It’s worrying that as many as 54% of those compelled to attend a speed awareness course are only doing 6-7mph above the speed limit. Though technically breaking the law, this group is more likely to have been accidentally speeding (going down hill, speed traps immediately after the limit has dropped, accelerating after a spot of congestion etc).
Far more worrying for me as a driver, cyclist and pedestrian are those deliberately driving significantly above the limit, and yes, they frequently seem to be Audis, who KNOW they are doing wrong. Somehow though, this group seems to escape justice, otherwise surely they wouldn’t still be doing it unless driving a stolen/altered vehicle.
A cynical view might be that drivers of luxury/performance cars can afford to speed occasionally – because they can afford the fine. Just recently a local star football player was caught at 110mph and given a £20,000 fine, just a days work! Of course they are also
awardedpoints and in this case, rather than losing his licence he gained 6 points.When I had a high performance car I had, on occasion, driven at almost twice the speed limit. Now I have a 21yr old 1litre car which can just about manage the speed limit!
Like the Audi driver who hit a taxi head on in Birmingham just before Christmas. The inquest found that the Audi was travelling at between 94 and 100mph in a 40mph limit, and hit the taxi at 87mph. What good would a lower speed limit have done – none whatsoever. And by the way, the driver was not middle aged.
Been saying the same about people wanting speed limits on residential roads dropped to 20mph. If people don’t stick to the exisiting 30mph limits what hope do we have of enforcing 20mph limits.
I completely agree with you. I was caught doing 36 going down a hill WITHIN 50 metres of the end of the 30 limit with NO houses or anything, apart from hedges. Am I a speeder. Most deffinately not. I was caught by a CASH CAMERA !!
Speeding is law terminology, not a statement of actual speed! I have done a “speed awareness course” because I was exceeding the national speed limit of 60mph by 10mph on a Sunday morning at 9.00am and I was the only car on the road at that time.
For 34 years when I was in the Ambulance service I regularly drove well over 70mph, was I “speeding”?
By the way, I was NOT AN AMBULANCE DRIVER, I was a Paramedic.
I have also driven on many occasions well in excess of 100mph and upto 165mph, cruising at times well over 100mph!
Was I “SPEEDING”? not according to German road laws.
There appears to be less speeding on minor roads in Germany because the driving fast can be done on the Autobahn, why not try that here by raising our motorway speed limits by at least an extra 10mph?
Unless you drive or have driven under emergency conditions, you have no idea.
I do know better, by the way.
“I was the only car on the road at that time.”
Well clearly you failed to notice the safety camera or the following police car.
The safety camera was hidden in the gap of a hedge so it was not possible to see it till it was too late!
Colin, if you were driving at or below the speed limit you would not have been caught!!
Stop being so damned pompous.
Colin obviously knows what he’s talking about, especially with reference to motoring in Germany.
Our motoring laws and speed limits were written when, apart from an E-type Jag or Aston Martin, the fastest thing on the road was an Austin Cambridge or Morris Oxford, both of which would wheeze asthmatically from 0 – 60 in about three weeks and top out at 70/75MPH. Things have changed and the national speed limit should change with developments in car engineering. In 2018, 100MPH as a national limit on motorways is not an unreasonable expectation.
Ah -8, Truth Hurts those who hate sensible drivers
which proves it is NOT safety camera but REVENUE CAMERA
Absolutely! I live near a large hillside village which had a by-pass constructed to avoid the double right-angled bends in the centre. The downhill direction of the by-pass offers no permanent obstruction (trees, bridges etc) to over 3 miles of the road ahead – at the bottom of the long hill was a “safety camera”, erected before the road was opened.!
On my speed awareness course the instructor stated “All speed cameras represent at least one death”. After presenting him with the above situation, he promised not to use that phrase again.
To call speed cameras “safety cameras” misses three key points.
1. That it is common for drivers to drastically reduce their speed from 30 odd mph to 25 in a matter of a few yards which risks causing a crash and at least creates erratic driving. You may blame the speeding driver but even if that claim is accepted it is common for drivers at the speed limit to hit the brakes as soon as they see the yellow box. So even when the traffic is driving within the law the risk of sudden braking causing a crash is greatly increased by these “safety cameras”.
2. Most of the cameras were installed when councils thought that they could make a lot of easy money by installing them. There are many stretches where there can be 3 or 4 cameras in a 1/4 mile stretch. That was an attempt at profiteering. Yes I know that the councils were supposed to only put cameras in where there had been serious accidents but their definition of serious varied from council to council.
3. There are many places where the road speed instantly changes by 10mph, not for any safety reason but because there is a local council boundary. I know of examples where the road is the exactly the same in Manchester, London and Berkshire. In all those cases the only difference in the roads was the council that administered it so the safety issue was a matter of one local official’s interpretation not a matter of fact. It is long overdue that road speeds should be set according to NATIONAL standards not the whim of a local council official.
So given the three points made above the when cameras are installed they are unlikely to change the risk of an accident. They might sometimes move serious accidents from a particular spot but too many drivers get wound up by bad traffic conditions and poorly designed roads. They shouldn’t bit the fact is that some people do and this leads to bad driving far more often than speed does, yet bad driving is rarely prosecuted when compared with speeding. This point is made even clearer when you count the number of people driving at 5mph over the limit which while not good is less likely to cause a serious accident than jumping lights or weaving in and out of traffic which are common events.
I’m fed up with people driving along at the speed limit and then braking when they see the speed camera. Why brake ? you’re doing the limit and the camera isn’t going to go off so stop braking you muppets.
The reason is simple – for whatever reason they are not aware of the speed they are driving at and then panic and brake when they see the camera, totally unaware of the speed they are doing. A lack of attentiveness is the main cause of collisions not speeding per se although the speed prior to the collision DOES have a bearing on the outcome
Well said Ray
Dear fed up, is there any truth in the statement that “the very best drivers have learnt to anticipate such behaviour, and that they exhibit equanimity to it indeed” ?
Peter, I presume the accidents you refer to are being hit from behind. Surely if the driver who crashes into the car in front is somewhat too close and is therefore driving without Due care and Attention.
When I see a motorist apply his brakes just before the yellow box I wonder what other regulations they break if they think they will not be caught???
Safety cameras do not stop drunks or druggies from driving as long as they are not travelling above the limit. They do not stop tailgating, nor weaving across lanes. They do not stop people driving when impaired by tiredness or medication. Safety cameras are a misnomer, they concentrate only on exceeding a given limit.
I have also been on a ‘speed awareness course’. I overtook a slow moving car on a dual carriageway and let the car slow down to normal speed by itself without pressing the breaks. The road felt like a 40mph speed but it was a 30mph speed, I guess I did not see the speed signs as I was doing 5mph above.
The course moderator said because technology is getting better and we have more and more cameras and cars that really can stop quickly and speed up quickly more driver will be prosecuted. Doing 40 in a well sound insolated car seems like your doing 20. Further stopping well within the driver’s code is commonplace. The laws need to be updated as they have never been since introduction.
In my 50 years on this world and some 30+ years of driving, I have never been caught speeding. I do tend to drive as economical as posable and don’t speed intentionally.
BUT I was given the chance to attend the course and found it informative. Would recommend it to all.
Driving at 10 mph above the limit at the lower end of the scale could kill a person, as the stopping distance is exponentially increased and you hit the pedestrian at a higher speed than one would think.
So in conclusion, in and around town I stick to the speed (street with lampost = 30mph unless otherwise stated). It is that simple. I also use my phone to know what the speed limit is. I want to stick to the law, what prevents me is not knowing what the speed is sometimes on that street.
Do I believe motorway speeds should increase yes as the roads and curves are built for that speed when being constructed? Why has the government not done this… Noise and pollution levels will increase and drivers generally drive at 80 on the motorway and the government do not wish them to be driving 90 or 100mph.
In general, I think the normal street speeds are correct, but countryside roads that allow you to drive at 60mph should be reduced, it is just not safe as in most occasions one can not see up ahead in a narrow road.
My advice don’t speed. It is just not worth it as you could end-up killing someone. That’s the last thing anybody wants to inflict on a family or yourself.
Peace
Is the congestion as bad in Germany?
I travel on motorways in the UK & the main problem I notice is traffic bunching because they drive too close to each other & if you leave a space between your vehicle & the one in front, someone drives into the space.
I think increasing the limit on motorways probably wouldn’t increase accidents but would make them more severe
It’s not clear to me exactly how these figures were collated, if a form of some form as I suspect then how many are truthful?
Having been stopped for speeding just twice in 52 years, one of which i would still dispute, I do stick to speed limits and use speed limiter to MAKE SURE I do, I find the greatest number of tailgaters are youngish (probably 19-30) women who race up behind you, hover near your rear bumper as if hoping to force you to go faster. Nice thing about the speed limiter is that it makes subconscious speeding up under these circumstances unlikely..
The other issue is the ‘silent’ downsizing of speed limits, in my area several 50MPH stretches have become 40, but the signage is small or non-existent and many still drive to th old limits.
Finally the court system doesn’t really encourage conformity, watch any of the police docudramas, caught doing 60 in 30 limit, racing, no licence, insurance, tax, MOT, penalty £100 and possibly 3 (more) points on an already banned licence, a REAL dissuader!
I have only been stopped for speeding once in my 60 years of driving. A young hooligan on a BSA c12, on an icy road at 15 mph. Unfortunately the early radars were affected by chain link fencing which was on one side of the road, I got fined for42mph. Some months later a dumper truck on the same bit of road was recorded at over 50 mph. The police then discontinued radar on that road.
I had a C11G (same engine). Quite a nice bike in its day.
I am sick of the speed kills message. What makes a number on a stick a safe speed ? This constant attention to posted speed limits misses the point completely. Going faster than the posted limit may be perfectly safe. what is not safe is driving at an inappropriate speed that could be too fast for the conditions or even too slow. Someone driving at 20 on a motorway is not speeding but they would be a serious hazard and likely to cause if not be involved in a RTC.
I agree totally. Which of Britain’s roads have the highest speed limits? Motorways. Which of Britain’s roads have the fewest accidents? Motorways, by a long way. QED. Speed does not kill.
Speed doesn’t kill. Rapid deceleration does….
No pedestrians on motorways.
Motorways don’t have fewer accidens because people are driving faster. It’s because all the traffic is driving in the same direction with traffic with the option to enter and leave the carriageway at a similar speed to the general flow by use of slip roads. To compare driving at speed on a motorway with driving at speed on other roads is crass and ignorant, the risks are hugely different.
Accidents happen; your speed determines the outcome. (NZ road sign)
Concise, accurate and well put.
Concise, over-simplistic, misleading
And for that reason you can be prosecuted for driving at 20 on a motorway. It is classified as obstructive driving.
A pedestrian struck by a car at 20mph has an 80% chance of survival, that probability reduces to 20% at 40mph. This is the meaning behind speed kills. To ignore speed limits, which have been put there for a reason shows an arrogant disregard for the rules of the road and more importantly life.
A pedestrian who is careless enough to get struck by a car – at any speed – demonstrates a lack of respect for their own life and the life of others. I have seen the immediate aftermath of such an incident, where a drunk man stepped out onto a main road in the dark of a late evening, into the path of a passing car. The pedestrian died, his family carry that loss for the rest of their lives and the car driver will have undoubtedly been traumatised. Nobody wants to have to be calling 999 and saying “I think I hit him…” as I heard the unfortunate driver in this incident saying. People need to take responsibility for themselves, rather than relying upon overbearing nanny-state measures.
Then state the meaning and kill the slogan
Andrew
Brilliantly put!
I agree it not simply speed that kills etc. It’s other distractions like phones etc.
I am an advanced driver and probably shouldn’t say this but, I believe that my driving is better at speed, that’s when I am 100% concentrating on driving.
In North Yorkshire we have these camera vans that sit on fast D restriction roads (60 mph) where it makes no difference if someone is speeding. Whereas in town where where speeding does matter and the consequences are serious we never see these vans??
Good news for insurance companies. They penalise the young for being young, the old for being old. They now have an excuse for penalizing the middle aged for being middle aged.
Speed limits have been & continue to be lowered & often without good reason with the result that it is increasingly possible to drive safely whilst at the same time breaking the law. When enough people ignore a law it is time to reconsider that law, rather than continue to criminalise ever more people. Maximum speeds should be just that with drivers allowed to use their experience as road conditions change to determine a safe speed within that maximum. Unfortunately we are no longer trusted to use our experience to determine a safe speed. Is it any wonder that more experienced drivers who know what they are doing are more likly to be exceeding speed limits that are increasingly being set too low?
Left to their own devices, the vast majority of drivers will have their own, self-imposed, safe limit. Set the limit too low and they will spend more time looking at their speedometers than concentrating on the road.
The reason is that lower-limit roads need less maintenance by law. All makes sense now, right?
This is about spending less, not about safety.
‘need less maintenance by law’ – what utter rubbish. Worked in the ITS sector for year. do have to laugh when I hear all this BS.
Thanks for making me smile Paul. By the way, is there *any* conceivable way in which RPF’s remark could be valid ….e.g. ‘it’s a fact that [is it ?] : narrower roads are generally less costly per mile to maintain than motorways’ (regardless of a coincidental correspondence in the general variation of their speed limits) ?
Good point RPF,… but is it ‘nil’ to do with safety [especially since accidents do cost the country in numerous ways ‘tons of money’ ] ??
Exactly right. I have previously written similar comments elsewhere. The problem now is that the ‘speed limit’ is now interpreted as ‘the speed to drive at’, so road conditions are no longer taken into account by many motorists, and tailgating becomes more common. I have been driving for over 50 years and am seeing that the lowering of speed limits is tending to make driving on our roads more dangerous!
Do you think your remarks should apply to all laws.A law is a law never mind what it applies to. Taking it to the extreme eventually killing someone with knife could become legal¡¡¡¡¡¡¡
What a load of rot. Idiots who recklessly in restricted speed area do not think of the danger they put other people in!
Speed limits are there for safety reasons.
What is ‘safety reasons’ – the people who put the speed limits on should state their reasons and how they expect them to work.
A few years ago a councillor in York (UK) suggested a 50mph speed limit on the north York ring road to cure the traffic problems. Another councillor asked when anyone had been able to go as fast as 50mph on that road – end of discussion!!
I would disagree, I think more young drivers speed, but less get caught, because older drivers are distracted from fully concentrating because of family or job concerns so miss cameras or following police cars!
Sorry David, I have driven over 4 million miles in all types of vehicles from motorcycles to 44 ton HGV”s, with no convictions or accidents but nobody should miss a police or other vehicle behind, if you use all mirrors at times when you are supposed to, you will know what is travelling behind at all times. When I was training my son and daughter I would tell them ” without looking in mirror, tell me what colour car was behind” it worked too.
What a load of baloney! Older drivers have probably gone past the point of worrying about kids, what to get for dinner, etc, etc!
Unless of course your children are still at home & old enough to have left home years ago, but you have probably given them such a safe haven they don’t want to leave?
So you worry about what to get them to eat, etc, etc!
I hope to god you don’t drive?
Keith. You are rambling!
Surely blind adherence to speed limits is only a fraction of the problem. Most older drivers were taught to drive to the prevailing conditions .
E.g there is no traffic law that says you cannot drive at 20 or 30 mph even though passing a school full of child pedestrians and the road covered in ice .
That is the reason sensible older drivers use common sense rather than blind adherence to traffic laws,Which only cause resentment to safe drivers who use common sense driving style which is surely more important .
I too was taught that way. Having helped my children to learn to drive I passed this knowledge on. They did not drive in town until they could change gear and know how to use the brake effectively, etc. without thinkng about it. Reading the road is not taught anymore. New drivers have no idea at what speed to take a bend safely nor how to drive to the conditions of the road or in different weather conditions. Watching drivers drive with snow on the road is a joke if it was not for the damage and injuries they can cause.
What is also very wrong in the way driving is taught in the UK, is the fact you can as a learner get behind the wheel of a car without ensuring your eye sight is good enough or that you even have a clue what the rules of the road are.
By comparison where I initially learnt to drive, you had to pass the theory test, then get your eyes tested before you were given your learners licence. Then at the time when you did you practical test, the first part was carried out in test yard to ensure you had mastered all the basics, including an inclined start which is an instant fail if you get it wrong, this was followed up by road test and then another eye test before you are presented with your licence.
Because of the well thought out systems, learners have been able to drive on motorways supervised for years without the requirement for dual control cars or certified instructors. Maybe its time for the UK to come out of the dark ages with regards to driver education
Everything today is to frustrate the motorists. Speed cameras are a waste of time and cause bottlenecks and rear end accidents they should only be placed outside schools. Traffic lights used at every opportunity. Then you get on an open road or motorway in the middle of the night and have to stick to some outdated speed in a modern car. I’m convinced it’s all too collect revenue. You are not allowed to judge for yourselves anymore. Experience has been taken away.
Equal emphasis should be pointed at drivers crawling along single lane carriageways (well below 40 in a 60mph limit) completely oblivious to the lengthy queue of traffic behind them and don’t have the courtesy to pull over and let traffic pass. These pose a risk to other road users who are tempted to overtake and quite often the driver behind the crawling vehicle does not have the confidence to overtake thereby exacerbating the problem.
I have noticed in recent years that fewer drivers seem prepared to overtake a slow moving car, thus causing long queues due others having to overtake 2 or more cars to get to the front. I’ve no idea if this is lack of confidence or lack of driving ability to overtake, or some other reason.
I have to say that I become very wary when needing to overtake, as I’m paranoid about becoming the victim of a speed trap that appears from nowhere, because it is usually necessary, albeit for a short period, to exceed the speed limit when overtaking to ensure one is back on the correct side of the road as soon as possible.
Quite so. When overtaking one should do as quickly as possible within the limits of safety, and get back on the right (ie correct) side of the road as soon as possible. Stupid speed limits discourage this, and perhaps overtaking at all.
On a slightly different note, I try not to exceed the limit on motorways, but have noticed that the most common occasion when I do so inadvertently by a few mph is when moving back to the lane to the left, as we are now encouraged to do, and concentrating on doing so safely, rather than on my speed.
It’s my theory that one of the reasons that motorways used to be relatively safe was that there was little movement between lanes in the past. Now we are encouraged to change lanes with rather more frequency…
Agree – changing lanes is fraught with danger and now we are prosecuted unless we keep on doing it!!! If the middle lane is going faster than the left lane, then do not change lanes and risk a pileup.
Totally agree. Nothing irritates me more than a certain type of middle-aged motorist who drive at 40 mph on a 60 mph road yet when it enters a built-up area and the speed limit changes to 30 mph, they continue at 40 mph. That and the prevalent habit of slowing down when approaching a green traffic light and the minute the light changes to amber accelerating to often cross the light at red. This is far too common these days. Green means go not slow down and amber means stop not speed up.
In Scotland last year we came across the same 17 plate Skoda doing 40 miles an hour on an A road with a 60 mile an hour limit. Not once but 3 times with queues longer than necessary in each instance, Worse still the scenery wasn’t spectacular yet someone in the back was filming. Once off the main road coming out of Killin a BMW overtook us and 4 other cars in circumstances that were downright dangerous.
We waited for a safe clear viewed spot to overtake and we got past at 44 mph. Madness and dangerous. The driver should be retrained ar have their license revoked.
I HAVE BEEN IN THIS SITUATION ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS AS A PROFESSIONAL DRIVER. i KNOW DRIVE AN MPV AND WHEN ON HOLIDAY i CAN HAVE EIGHT PASSENGERS AND LUGGAGE WHICH MEANS THAT ON VERY STEEP HILLS i WILL BE UNABLE TO KEEP MY SPEED UP. AS A MATTER OF COURTESY i FIND A SUITABLE PLACE TO PULL OVER AND LET MY FOLLOWING TRAFFIC PASS. IT IS NOT HARD TO DO.
i HAVE BEEN A DRIVER FOR 57 YEARS AND STILL HAVE THE CONFIDENCE TO DRIVE AT 145 MPH ON A CLEAR MOTORWAY BUT DO NOT DO SO BECAUSE I DO NOT TRUST OTHER MOTORISTS-THEY ARE TOO UNPREDICTABLE.
GENERALLY I DRIVE AT COMFORTABLE 60 MPH WHICH GIVES ME THE BEST FUEL CONSUMPTION FOR MY VEHICLE
When I did my driving test, when ever possible it was a requirement to drive with in a tolerance of the speed limit of -3.1mph +0mph. Failure to maintain this tolerance resulted in loosing points on your test, increasing your risk of failing the test
This news comes as no surprise to me. Speed limits can often be too slow in relation to the capability of the modern vehicle and indeed the experience of the car driver and the situation they are in. 20 mph zones past closed schools are probably the worst ones. In Australia the 20 limit only applies during school hours. It is just not necessary on Sunday at 09:00! Our motorways are another case where it can be perfectly safe to drive above the limit and sometimes even necessary if you need to overtake another vehicle safely. You just need to make sure you maintain sufficient reaction and braking times and also move to the innermost free lane once you have completed your overtaking manoeuvre. That being said, the law is the law and I do not condone breaking it.
In Australia the speed limit outside schools is 20 kilometres per hour not miles per hour, that represents 12mph!
Truly bonkers.
Hello again RPF; many years ago when I lived in Canada, if a school bus stopped, *no civilian* was allowed to pass it – thereby rendering the speed limit as 0 mph ! I have grown to know that children are extremely vulnerable and can be unpredictable, so now I try to build in contingency timing into 99% of my journeys. [If not used, the contingency simple means I arrive early; am probably more courteous; and is Not an excuse for dawdling !].
The problem is not inappropriate speeding, it’s inappropriately low speed limits set be the anti “soak the motorist lobby”. Personally I set my own speed limits depending on the road conditions and keep my radar & speed camera detector on all the time. 50 mph on a traffic ridden dual carriageway in rain may be fine, but on a sunny day blue sky day at 5:30 am my F type is totally safe at 100 mph.
Ray, It’s idiots like you who have no respect for laws of the road which lead to these draconian laws to be introduced. The likes of you are seen on our roads and reported to those who are responsible for ensuring what they believe to be making our roads as safe as can be for all those who use the roads.
Selfish drivers such as you with “A Need For Speed” should toddle off to your local race track and see just how good a driver you believe yourself to be.
Who was it that said “Laws are there for the obedience of fools & the guidance of wise men”? I think the exact phrase started “Rules ….”, but you get my inference, Zoggie.
Guidance here does not include 100mph!!
‘Totally safe’ – when was a car totally safe at any speed over 5mph?
At last, some evidence to show that speeding in itself does not cause accidents. The government’s own published statistics have for many years shown that speeding is the main cause of fewer than 5% of accidents, so why is so much attention paid to it?
Revenue- The motorist is a very easy target
In my experience of late I have found the worst offenders are young women followed by the younger element of male drivers – both groups appear to have a statement and a mission at the route of their outrageous and often dangerous driving and when reprimanded with a blast of the horn they will take-off with a load of non verbal and unauthorised hand gestures.
As a middle aged, yes Audi driver, with a well maintained car, could someone explain why my large car is perfectly safe and legal when I drive it in Germany, where it was made, at 160kpm (100mph) or in France at a legal 130kpm (80mph) yet incredibly unsafe and reckless at 80mph in the UK? Surely huge potholes on UK motorways are far more dangerous, especially on two wheels. Ruining our vehicles with shockingly neglected road surfaces will cause far more accidents than exceeding the speed limit by 5mph. As a member of the IAM I do not exceed the British speed limit, but it is far too low on UK motorways, when they are properly maintained.
In the early days, there was no speed limit on motorways.
The 70mph limit was not introduced as a safety measure but, during one of the fuel crises, with a view to reducing fuel consumption.
Since then, it has been elaborated with even lower limits for certain classes of vehicles
I drive for a living, I fall in the 41-60 age range, I drive to the conditions of the road. I don’t see a problem driving up the high road at 40mph at 5am but not at 7am onwards. I drive a van to which I’m limited to 60mph in a national on a dual carriageway, what’s up with 70 + if the road is clear? I probably to be honest speed at least 80% of the time in 30 years I have been caught speeding once for doing 74mph in my van on an empty dual carriageway, yes I was speeding I’ll take my punishment but I don’t agree with the speed limits. I’m sure if everyone taking the survey was 100% honest the results would have been different. 25-60 speed regularly most likely to the same percentage under 25 more likely speed by accident by not paying attention to their speed or road conditions. It’s all down to experience, of your surroundings and conditions.
I would much rather be behind somebody doing 35mph in a 30mph than somebody doing 25mph. To me a bigger problem is people driving too slow. My daily Commute takes me from 30mph zone to 40mph zone and then “white circle with a black diagonal” (do people know what that means ?). Why then am I still doing the same speed as I was in the 30mph. And don’t get me started about speed cameras , is it really necessary to slow down to 22mph to pass a speed camera in a 30mph zone.
Speed cameras in some places are more of a hazard than a safety feature, ramming on your breaks just before you get to them causes more accidents than they prevent, they are usually in places just after the speed limit drops for no apparent reason like at the London end of the M11 where it drops to 50mph miles before it’s needed to drop. These cameras are cash machines! There are probably more accidents on the M11 at this point then the rest of the M11 and most caused by drivers ramming on their breaks slowing from 70-80 to 40 (even though the limit is 50mph) as fast as possible. But the camera brings in a good revinue, it’s a fact and has been reported on a number of times.
As a regular hgv driver, that part of the M11 is & has been notorious for god knows how many years! My saving grace is that I don’t drive for a living anymore.
Probably because there are more middle aged drivers constantly on the roads than boy racers who can only afford to buy a gallon of petrol at the weekend. I see more boy blunders speeding at 40 to 50 on our 30mph road than any other type of driver and the last five accidents on our road have been youngsters losing control of their car on a slight bend, idiots.
An after thought, when are they going to introduce a minimum speed limit, the times I have been stuck on a 60mph limit road behind a driver unwilling to travel faster than 30 to 35mph. You can always tell one coming in the opposite direction because of the mile long tailback behind them.
Having been to Fuerteventura on holiday, they have minimum speed limits on their roads. It is a great idea and it works well. We should introduce it here. It would certainly stop driver travelling at 50mph on the motorways getting in the way.
Paul, am I right in inferring that you would *ban* any and all drivers who are not – for whatever reason – capable and prepared to drive between 50 and 70 (‘+’) from motorways even though they are statistically by far the safest roads ?
I am in the older group of these statistics and I have to admit to breaking speed limits, but I don’t drive an Audi.
Others here have pointed out that driving at a speed appropriate to the road and conditions, being far more relevant than most speed limits. I once found myself with a traffic car on my tail while merrily doing about 75 on a straight wide single carriageway road with virtually no other traffic, I backed off to 60 and we went in different directions at the next roundabout – nothing said, I believe we were both respecting each other’s situations. I do dread to think what speed he did to catch me!
One of the most frustrating situations on the roads nowadays are those who drive at 40 – 45mph on a 60mph limited road in good conditions. This prompts people to overtake, and not everybody has good judgement when doing so. I know all those nasal talking types will say it’s a speed limit not a target, but someone doing this is not respecting the other drivers around them and are a danger to other drivers.
As to speed cameras, I travel along a half mile stretch of road each working day where there have been several accidents over many years, a family member had his car almost written off whilst stationary there due to an obstruction and a friend sustained life changing injuries on the same stretch, there have been at least three fatalities in the last five years and many other casualties. Is there a speed limit there? No, just the standard 60mph. Is there a “Safety Camera” there? No. Is there an accident blackspot warning? No. Does it have SLOW painted on the road? No. Is there even a pop up sign? No. Don’t talk to me about speed limits and “Safety Cameras”.
Another Dave, Respect for other drivers works both ways, if a driver wishes to drive below the 60mph limit then that is their right. My personal hate is Horse Transporters and boxes being driven by those who have no idea how to transport a horse who travel at low speed and even slower around bends for fear of hurting the horse.
I only stay within posted limits where it is incidental to good and safe driving, or where there are cops and cameras. All other times I drive at a speed appropriate for the road and prevailing conditions, this can be below, at, or above the posted limit. Most of the time, this will be above as set speed limits are set arbitrarily and with no meaningful reference to safety. I have been driving at *safe speeds* for 36 years and never received a speeding fine, which goes to show that the chances of actually being caught are very, very low indeed (unless you ignore cops and cameras, of course).
Speed limits are not followed in major part because they are inappropriate. Our local authority has systematically reduced the speed limits on local roads from derestricted to 30 mph. The roads are the same but traffic density has risen as the council have authorized building without improving the road network. It has to be seen for what it is, a way to generate revenue pure and simple. The same goes for the 20 mph zones which now proliferate in London. Speed limits should be a good thing that cut accident rates and protect people, such as limits outside schools. Trouble is double parking waiting for the kids to come out, impacts visibility but nothing is done about that as the penalties do not generate sufficient funds. Same applies to Bus Lanes and other means to gouge the motorist. DUI only became effective when public opinion started to see it as a bad thing. Responsible and competent setting of speed limits would increase the proportion of motorists who follow them.
I think ‘speed awareness’ works both ways. I remember my driving instructor saying, if the limit is 50 and it’s safe to do 50 then drive at 50. How many times have you driven behind the unaware driver driving at 40 whether the limit is 30, 40 or 50?
You make the assumption that speeding is dangerous, and yet your other article says the opposite; young drivers are more inclined to have serious accidents, yet older driver drive faster. Perhaps they know how to drive better than young drivers.
The Road Research Laboratory discovered that speeding was the primary cause of accidents in only 6% of cases. These figures have been widely suppressed.
The campaign against speeding is based on shoddy statistics, sanctimonious timidity, and is driven by a desire to gather revenue.
Having just returned from a break in Norfolk it was noticeable that through a lot of villages the speed limit was 40mph which, coming from South Oxfordshire seemed odd as we have literally miles of sparsely inhabited rural roads that are still 30mph zones.
Until a nationwide uniformity of speed limits, especially in rural areas is in place, there will always be the question of where these survey results were obtained and how relevant they really are.
What formed the basis of this study? Answering a questionnaire? as the above article does not state how the figures were obtained? If this is the case, is it possible then that ‘middle aged’ drivers were the only ones who answered honestly?!
To some degree I am inclined to agree, but the majority of drivers, especially in the upper age limit are far more experienced.
That’s not to say I condone speeding, but as a former hgv driver I consider myself to be able to make myself more aware of my surroundings & the environment & anticipation of other motorists.
Having driven for some 55 years, mostly spent driving in the UK & Europe, the experience gained has left me in good stead to be able to cope with todays traffic.
Hence why I think older drivers are far more experienced to handle speed, but again not endorsing speeding, merely pointing out age is on our side.
With regards to the idiot who drove from lands end to johnogroats, why is he still alive?
The fact is – there are no “dangerous” speed. Only lack of experience, lack of infrastructure or missjudgement of conditions. Simply, it is wrong to say that speeding is dangerous, but when and how it is done can indeed be dangerous. Don’t forget speed limits are not based on any facts or research – it is purely arbitrary. For some roads it is even to high, but for most too low. If speed would be sole contributor to risk then German autobahns would be most dangerous roads on the planet, but quite contrary they are one of the safest. All boils down to correct driver training, discipline and road infrastructure. I speed most of the time, not 3 minutes per hour, but literally all the time I am not stuck in traffic – yet I never had an accident since I got my license 12 ago. It is just a matter to know when it is safe to do it and when not.
The statistics refer to a percentage of drivers on speed awareness courses
Have the people doing the survey included the statistics from prosecutions of what age groups are speeding at what speeds and prosecuted because of it. they will be doing more than a few miles over the speed limit.
To give an accurate picture of speeding we need to have the statistics for speed awareness courses and prosecutions then you will see a complete picture of which age group and sex is speeding the most.
If you are doing more than a few miles over the speed limit you get prosecuted!
Doing less you get offered a speed awareness courses.!
It would be interesting to know what was the maximum speed over the limit and that speed limit done by someone on a speed awareness course. Probably less than 10% over the limit
Some one said Lies ; Damn Lies, and Statistics.
You get a different answer if you look at the data in a different way.
All age groups and both sexs are guilty of speeding. Yes i have seen really bad driving from the age group mentioned and yes I have found that a lot drive black BMW or similar. Some of the worst I’ve seen speeding upto a junction, cutting islands, not indicating, suddenly deciding they need to be in another lane. One thing I have noticed that has become more frequent are drivers running red lights. It isn’t age or sex grouped. There appears to be very little patience on the road or in car parks these days. My personal experience of car park rage was the other day. I was leaving and the car in front suddenly stopped and the driver opened his door and shouted f*** off in a real rage. Guess what he was 30 – 40, black tshirt, driving a black BMW 4×4 with blacked out windows.
I think that say it all.
Well quite frankly, yes I’m middle aged and i admit to speeding albeit only on clear dry days when the MOTORWAY is fairly quiet and only for short bursts at a time. I own a supercar and do use it only on sunny dry days for trips out and evening bar meals on balmy evenings. So basically it spends most of its time in the garage but i do have to blow out its cobwebs occasionally. Sorry if this offends anyone but after working hard all my life i just have to have some fun every now and then. Like i said its only on quiet nice days and once in a while. I do however really hate idiots that drive at stupid speeds in bad weather and built up areas that kind of behaviour should be punished more severely than breaking the motorway limit. Also anyone who is reading this that drives whilst using your mobile i think people like you should be hung , drawn and quartered after being banned for life from driving that is.
Hi Barry, Another Turner here.
What kind of supercar do you have? I have a 400bhp AC Cobra replica with a Chevy 350 V8 in it & also have a Porsche. Overtaking in such cars is a very different kettle of fish to the average family car; before they have “mirror/signal/manouvered” (I think I’ve splet that rong), I can have passed 3 or 4 cars. I call it the ‘prone’ time, which even with the advance in diesel technology & the torque now available, I can quite see how such people can hold this misguided perception of speed & the dangers associated with it. I can complete an overtake in less than a couple of seconds, whereas most motorists would have a prone time of an additional 10 seconds.
The opening ‘post’ in this article mentioned ‘inappropriate speed’. I feel this is the most important facet of safe driving, yet is so often overlooked. The number 2 reason is not looking far enough ahead/not thinking outside the box. I have probably 3 times more information than the average driver from using my peripheral vision, looking ahead as far as possible, anticipating the road ahead (inc. looking across fields to see the traffic round the next corner) & looking through the windows of the cars ahead of me to see what the vehicle(s) ahead of them are doing.
In conclusion – & not really relevant to the original theme of this article – is my favourite pet hate, which is people speeding up when they are overtaken,. or closing the gap to the car in front. That is a real killer!
For me the 30 MPH limit is important as the limit is generally in residential areas where most road accidents happen.
But on the motorways I always drive faster than the nanny-state speed limit of 70 MPH where safe conditions allow as do most other drivers I see.
70 MPH was an arbitrary limit set decades ago when cars did not have the same brakes, ABS etc as we have these days.
Plus is our own nanny-state telling us we are not as good drivers as the Germans who have no speed limit on many parts of their motorway system or the French who’s speed limit is around 82 MPH?
I worked in Germany for many years and I had no problem driving at 110 MPH everyday on the motorways (yes I know the German name is Autobahn as it is bound to be pointed out).
I don’t think the police even bother cars going at 85 MPH on motorways in the UK as I have never been stopped in decades nor anyone else I know.
what a load of rubbish, where was the survey done? there are millions more motorists throughout the country, 6000 is but a drop in the ocean (bet it was done in the South of England) Do another survey when learner drivers are allowed on motorways !!!!
Donald
It had to be done in the South as I don’t thing the technology of cars has reach the t’North as yet.
The one and only speeding fine I have ever had made me angry! I am a supply teacher who has to get to schools quickly but I would NEVER speed in built-up areas as I am constantly aware that children and the elderly and vulnerable may be put at risk. However, I had safely passed through my town and was on the top of a mountain where there were no buildings, just fields which were well-fenced. I honestly thought it was at least a 40 zone (the speed limit was on the ground and I didn’t notice it) so I picked up speed and didn’t notice the devious vehicle in a lay-by – which got me over 10% over the 30 mile an hour limit! Why 30 in an area where there are no people or even buildings? And the reason I am angry is – why lie in wait there, where you are not protecting children or the elderly because there are none there? To me this was all about making money!
Lorraine, Be more observant and leave earlier. just because you are a Supply Teacher doe’s not entitle you to be above the law.
So write out 100 lines of “I Must Be More Observant and Not Exceed The Speed Limit”
If speed limits are for road safety, then it is a farce. Drivers are to be trained to be competent to realize safe speeds and therefore slow down.. If you can’t do that then please don’t drive. The authorities seem to be doing something, that is also a farce. The transport secretary, Chris Grayling, is useless. The A.A. is a farce, and all other road safety authourities not trying hard enough. You want proper road safety ask me. I will do it for FREE.
The 26 year old who did John O Groats to Lands End must of picked a day with no traffic and no roadworks!!!!
Given the choice, I’d rather spend my time behind the wheel looking through the windscreen, rather than staring at the speedo. Travelling a few miles over the limit is less dangerous than not looking where you are going because you are concentrating on the speedo and inadvertently meandering across lanes. Staring at a mobile phone screen is rightly deemed illegal yet spending the same amount of time looking at the speedo is deemed desirable. Being a small percentage over the limit is nowhere as dangerous as drivers who are drunk/drugged/not looking where you are going
It takes a fraction of a second to check your speed, in fact less time than to check your Rear View Mirror, or do you consider doing that also a potential for causing an accident. In my opinion more time is spent looking for PotHoles nowadays and even on motorways due to the state of some stretches. I have seen many vehicles suddenly swerve to avoid them at low and high speed. Probably because like you they are constantly staring at their Speedo
There’s a reason for this headline. Those over a certain age are used to previously established speed limits. Roads that used to be 60 are now 50, 30 is the new 40 etc. limits change, but the roads don’t!
I regularly travel on motorways and along with the usual speeders – Audi and BMW drivers those with Transit style vans rank with the worst, they seem to think that 80+mph is the norm. At least a car has a chance of braking in an emergency whereas a loaded transit has no chance of stopping. What is needed here is that ALL these vans should have a speed limiter fitted and checked on a regular basis an if any are found to have been tampered with the van is confiscated and crushed. That would help.
N.B. Cars’ speedometers are not accurate: when it shows 30 mph, you are only doing 28mph; when it shows 70mph, you are only doing 67mph. I have both an integrated and a separate sat-nav, which both indicate this, as well as the active road-side speed warning signs (when I pass by, on cruise control at 30mph)
I think that the accuracy and tolerance of speedometers varies. However it is unlikely you will be going faster than your speedo indicates. Assuming the speed warning signs are all accurate my 4 series BMW with cruise set to 30 shows up as 29-30 MPH. In addition I can set (limit) my speed and my car displays the current speed limit but the latter isn’t always accurate. e.g. Shows 30 MPH limit in a 20 MPH area. This maybe because they use smaller signs and part of the current speed limit uses a combination of GPS and the Collision warning/lane departure camera. On local roads and some motorways the biggest factor limiting my speed is Pot holes! Cars have to have an MOT certificate to be legally on the road. About time our roads have something similar.
I find keeping my Garmin on helps as it bleeps every time I drive up through the limit. Also cruise control helps enormously.
Motorway speed limit is one thing, what about, dual carriageways. The whole issue of setting speed limits clearly politically driven. Example, A217, 40mph, why oh why ?
My council has made all roads 20 mph and put speed bumps everywhere! It’s just a shame they can’t do the same to the main road I live on which is owned by transport for London. My flat rumbles and quakes and has cracks all over as lorries fly past during the night 😛
Anyhow. The people I see speeding most are motorcycles, BMW’s, Audi’s and boy racers in clapped out hatchbacks. Those in high end cars appear not to care. Maybe they have more money than sense.
I drive a BMW and I don’t have more money than sense. Doesn’t matter if you have lots of money either, because Points do not make prizes. They lead to bans eventually if you are caught. I enjoy driving enthusiastically at times but within the speed limit.
All shows speed limits are ABUSED TO GAIN CASH because they are set low NOT FOR SAFETY but for REVENUE. One study shows introduction of 20mph zone INCREASED number of accidents. moreover, when driving slowly on road AND conditions capable of more makes you tired and bored quickly == you will stop paying attention which is another recipe for accident
Using a low gear for city driving shows how incompetent these providers of speed awareness courses are. Clear they also do not care about the environment. Low gear == higher revs == high fuel consumption.
Yup, probably guilty. As for the JOG/Lands End man, well if he gets away with that then speeding gets an official seal of approval. That cannot be allowed, whatever his personal skill level.
Was this article proof-read before publication? It would have made easier reading if it was all much better expressed!
As the technology has advanced and the law on speed limits is rather static it is time for the speed limit to keep up and be increased outside built-up areas such as dual lane carriageways and motorways.
It is virtually impossible to use cruise control safely in the UK south of about Glasgow/Edinburgh.