JMW Solicitors has conducted a survey of almost 1,500 people to find out the UK’s knowledge and attitude towards speeding.

More than two thirds of the UK admit to speeding

The survey provides an insightful overview of people’s self-reported behaviours and attitudes towards speeding on the road. Participants were asked whether they speed and at what frequency. Overall, 81% of the 1,420 respondents admitted to speeding now or in the past.

When this data is broken down by frequency, 7% admit to speeding on a regular basis, while 36% acknowledged that they speed but rarely. Furthermore, 28% of the individuals reported having sped in the past.

Taking age into consideration, 18-24 year olds exhibited a higher propensity for speeding (81%), either presently or in the past, in comparison to other age groups. While individuals aged 65 or over had the least tendency towards speeding with 63%.

Nearly a third (29%) said they have never breached the speed limit during their driving history. A slightly higher percentage of women (31%) claimed never to have driven over the speed limit, compared to 27% of men. 

Should a 20mph city centre blanket speed limit be introduced?

The survey also highlighted objections to the idea of imposing a universal 20mph speed restriction, with less than 20% of respondents agreeing with the idea. This restriction was recently enacted in many parts of Wales, and is part of a strategy to enhance road safety, reduce traffic accidents and promote more sustainable modes of transport such as walking and cycling. Similar proposals have been made to amend the speed limit on UK roads, but while this could make journeys safer, reducing speed limits can also impact traffic flow and journey times, leading to frustration on the part of drivers.

When analysing the responses of people who don’t agree with a blanket speed limit, responses indicate that:

• 31% think there should be 20mph speed limits in city centres, but not elsewhere
• 32% think there should be 20mph enforced in some city areas, but not all city centres
• 20% think a 20mph speed limit is unnecessary altogether

Speaking about the results, Hojol Uddin, Partner in Motoring and Driving Offences, said: “While road safety is a huge concern and should be taken with the utmost seriousness, it is also important to not over-regulate our roads. Reducing speed limits can lead to bottlenecks and increase journey times. Onerous road safety laws also run the risk of creating a scenario in which there are low levels of compliance with the law. This would reduce the efficacy of the law while also incurring disadvantages for drivers, such as increased journey times."

To read about our results in further detail, you can download our full survey findings here. If you wish to utilise any part of this data for editorial purposes, please credit JMW at https://www.jmw.co.uk/.