Road Safety Week 2023

This year’s Road Safety Week will explore the subject of speeding and how driving slower can save lives among business and private drivers.

With Covid now (hopefully) firmly in the rear view mirror, UK drivers have returned to the roads. Our daily commute is again subject to rush hour frustrations and bad driving is as prevalent now as it was pre-pandemic.

The Department for Transport released its annual ‘Vehicle Speed Compliance Statistics for Great Britain: 2022’ in August this year. Vehicle speed compliance statistics for Great Britain: 2022 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

A few of the headlines from the statistics:

• In 2022, under free-flowing traffic conditions, 50% of car drivers exceeded the speed limit on 30mph roads compared to 45% on motorways and 11% on national speed limit single-carriageway roads.
• Overall, speed limit compliance in 2022 was slightly higher than 2021, where lower levels of compliance may be partly attributed to the impact of the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic on lower traffic levels.
• However, vehicle speed limit compliance in 2022 has remained broadly similar when compared to vehicle speed limit compliance levels between 2011 and 2019 – these years were not affected by the coronavirus pandemic.
• Car and motorcycle speed limit compliance levels tended to be highest on national speed limit single carriageways and lowest on 30mph roads.
• For most vehicle classes and road types, the percentages of vehicles exceeding speed limits on weekends were higher than the percentages exceeding the speed limit on weekdays. 

The statistics showed that poorest compliance with the speed limit is found on roads subject to a 30mph limit where the most vulnerable road users and pedestrians are most prevalent. Our inability to comply with the slowest speed limits emphasises society’s increasing impatience on the road.