Where are the UK's speeding hotspots?

Most fleets will be all too aware of the risks of excessive speed. More than 8,000 road-users were killed or seriously injured in collisions involving a speeding vehicle in 2022, and that figure is higher than it was before travel was disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic [1].

The Department for Transport (DfT) is watching closely. You might have noticed parallel pairs of cables laid across the road – these are called Automatic Traffic Counter (ATCs), and they’re used to collect data about the speed and volume of passing traffic. Although compliance with speed limits is improving, speeding is still rife on some roads.

The DfT’s data-gathering focused on free-flowing roads, studying how drivers behave when their speed isn’t influenced by conditions such as sharp bends, hills or traffic calming measures. Compliance varied across the road network [2].

• On 30mph roads almost half of cars and vans (44% and 45% respectively) were speeding, while 18% and 20% were at least 5mph over the limit.
• Motorways had slightly lower rates of compliance – 45% of car and 47% of van traffic was exceeding the 70mph speed limit last year, while 8% and 10% travelling at more than 80mph.
• Only 9% of cars broke the 60mph national speed limit on single-carriageway A-roads. These roads have different speed limits for commercial vehicles based on their gross weight, so there is no data for vans. Find out more in our LCV speed limit guide.

ATCs were also deployed in 20mph zones in England, which showed a very low rate of compliance. Most (84%) light-duty vehicles are breaking the speed limit, but 68% of cars and 65% of vans were travelling at less than 30mph.

However, the DfT added that most 20mph zones don’t qualify as ‘free flowing’, so the included roads are mostly through-routes and don’t represent driver behaviour in traffic-calmed residential areas with the same speed limit [3].

It varies. In 2023, drivers were much more likely to be observing urban limits than they were a decade ago, when 55% of cars and 59% of vans were exceeding 30mph. However, compliance has barely changed on motorways and A-roads in that time, while speeding increased across all road types during weekends and overnight [4, 5].

Safety risks aside, speeding is the most common endorsement on drivers’ licenses and convictions can be disruptive for fleets and employees.

According to the latest DfT data, 2.5 million fixed penalty notices (FPNs) were issued for speed during 2022 – a 51% increase compared to 2012. However, that’s partly due to the roll-out of speed cameras, which were behind for 97% of FPNs in 2022, and 90% in 2012. Meanwhile, almost 1.8 million drivers attended a speed awareness course last year [[6].

Our guide to driving licence points has more information.

Speeding is a problem across Europe, and it’s influencing the technology fitted to new vehicles.

Under the EU’s General Safety Regulation 2 (GSR2), all new vehicles – including cars, vans, trucks sold from 7 July 2024 must include an ‘intelligent speed assistance’ system. These recognise local limits by reading roadside signs, using GPS or a combination of both, and provide warnings to help drivers adjust their speed [7].

The UK is no longer an EU member state, but the Government is considering adopting the same rules in Great Britain to avoid the need for costly market-specific products [8].

Whether your business operates hundreds of vehicles or just a few, risk management is an essential element of running a fleet, with implications for your reputation, employees and finances. Our expert consultancy team has worked with thousands of businesses to help develop bespoke solutions for their operation.

To get started, why not take a look at our Fleet Risk hub here : Fleet Risk Management | LeasePlan | LeasePlan United Kingdom

[1] Department for Transport. (2024). RAS0704: Speed-related factors. [online] Available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/65143a8cb1bad400144fd8fe/ras0704.ods [Accessed 22 Jul. 2024].

[2] Department for Transport. (2024). SPE0111: Vehicle speed compliance by road type and vehicle type in Great Britain. [online] Available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/669923a3fc8e12ac3edaff59/spe0111.ods [Accessed 22 Jul. 2024].

[3] Department for Transport. (2023). Vehicle speed compliance statistics for Great Britain: 2023. [online] Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/vehicle-speed-compliance-statistics-for-great-britain-2023/vehicle-speed-compliance-statistics-for-great-britain-2023#vehicle-speeds-on-20-mph-roads [Accessed 22 Jul. 2024].

[4] Department for Transport. (2024). SPE0113: Percentage exceeding the speed limit by hour of day on roads with free flowing conditions in Great Britain. [online] Available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6697f5ddab418ab0555927a7/spe0113.ods [Accessed 22 Jul. 2024].

[5] Department for Transport. (2024). SPE0115: Percentage of cars exceeding the speed limit by day of the week on roads with free flowing conditions. [online] Available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6697f5dd49b9c0597fdaff1d/spe0115.ods [Accessed 22 Jul. 2024].

[6] Department for Transport. (2024). SPE0201: Motor vehicle offences relating to exceeding the speed limit. [online] Available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/6697f5dd49b9c0597fdaff1d/spe0201.ods [Accessed 22 Jul. 2024].

[7] European Union. (2019). Regulation (EU) 2019/2144. [online] Available at: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/ALL/?uri=CELEX:32019R2144 [Accessed 22 Jul. 2024].

[8] Department for Transport. (2023). Updating GB type approval for road vehicles: Government response. [online] Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/updating-gb-type-approval-for-road-vehicles/outcome/updating-gb-type-approval-for-road-vehicles-government-response#next-steps [Accessed 22 Jul. 2024].