New statistics, which show that half of car drivers exceeded the speed limit on 30mph roads during 2022, have been described by the RAC as “concerning”.
The Government statistics measure speed and compliance at sites where the road conditions are ‘free flowing’ – for example roads with no junctions, hills, sharp bends, speed enforcement cameras or other traffic calming measures.
They show that 50% of car drivers exceeded 30mph limits in 2022, compared to 51% the previous year.
Of those who exceeded the limit, 17% did so by more than 5mph.
Simon Williams, RAC head of policy, said: “It’s concerning to see that every year half of drivers exceed the limit on 30mph roads.
“The implications of speeding on these roads is likely to be greater than on faster roads, not least as they’re generally in areas with more pedestrians and cyclists.”
The RAC argues there could be a case for repeater signs in 30mph areas.
Simon Williams added: “One possible explanation for why speed limit compliance is so much worse compared to other roads is that drivers may be used to looking for speed limit signs, which are much less prevalent on 30mph roads as generally speaking the presence of streetlights indicates the limit is 30mph.
“While drivers should know this, perhaps there is a case for the use of more ‘repeater’ signs in 30mph areas so there is no doubt.”
The DfT data also shows that 45% of drivers exceeded the speed limit on motorways in 2022 – compared to 48% in 2021 and 53% in 2020.
Meanwhile on National Speed Limit (NSL) single carriageways, the figure for 2022 was 11% – the same as in 2021.
24 August 2023