High Fuel Prices Brings Down Speeding on the Motorways to a Record Low

Speeding at Motorways at a record low

According to experts, the percentage of people speeding on motorways has come down to a record low following a rise in speed cameras and years of high fuel prices. Official government stats show that 47% of people drive faster than 70mph on motorways in Britain, which is a decrease of 10% from a decade ago as the figure was 57%. These figures are only for vehicles in “free flowing” traffic is the lowest since the Department for Transport began publishing the data in 2002. These figures don’t include traffic slowed down by congestion.

The number of ‘extreme’ speeders travelling above 80mph on motorways has also dropped from 20 per cent in 2003 to 12 per cent in 2013. A akin pattern was noticed on urban roads, with the share of drivers breaching speed limits on 30mph roads last year measured at a record low of 46 per cent.

Motoring groups said the decline in speeding over the past decade is mainly due to regular increase in pump prices as commuters reduce their speed to save fuel and money. Speed cameras have also played a vital role in keeping speed down along with a large rise in fixed speed cameras and a successive rise in the use of mobile cameras and cameras to control managed motorway schemes.

The government data also showed that traffic levels in the UK rose 0.4 per cent last year mainly due to increase in van drivers. The number of miles travelled by Light goods Vehicles increased by 3.2 per cent to 42.5 billion, a new record whereas travel in taxis is on the decrease.

Prof Stephen Glaister, director of the RAC Foundation, said: “There are still too many people breaking the law but the number of drivers exceeding the limit has fallen steadily over many years. In large part this is likely to be due to the sustained use of speed cameras and the desire of motorists to conserve fuel in the face of high pump prices.”

A spokesperson for the Highways Agency said: “The data is taken from sections of roads that do not use speed cameras. The speed limit on our motorways remains at 70mph.”