The report is based on a survey of 2,031 people aged 17 and over, who live and drive in the UK. The survey was conducted in September 2023 by independent research agency, SurveyGoo.

The survey was carried out for Road Safety Week 2023, which has a theme of Let's talk about SPEED.

Key findings

  • 92% of drivers agree that speed limits are essential for safe roads
  • More than a third (34%) say they sometimes or often break the speed limit
  • 39% of drivers agree the default speed limit on roads in built-up areas should be lowered from 30mph to 20mph
  • Three-quarters (74%) of drivers said they would ask a speeding driver to slow down if they were a passenger
  • 71% of people don't think speed should be glorified in popular culture (films, TV or video games)
  • 41% of drivers think that traffic moves too fast, even in areas with 20mph speed limits.

We asked all drivers whether or not they had been caught speeding.

  • 918/2,031 (45%) said yes
  • 1,102/2,031 (54%) said no
  • 11/2,031 (0.5%) preferred not to say.
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Driving behaviours

In question 1, we wanted to understand people’s driving behaviours, so asked about their compliance with speed limits.

Reassuringly, two-thirds (66%) of people said they always try to keep to speed limits. However, 34% of drivers said that they sometimes or often drive faster than the speed limit.

When we looked at the results by whether or not the driver had been caught speeding*, 43% of those who have been caught speeding say that they sometimes or often drive faster than speed limits.

This suggests that the current enforcement of speed limits is not a deterrent. Respondents are asked more about this in question 2.

Q1. Which of the following best describes your driving / riding behaviour?
I always try to keep to speed limits66.0%
I sometimes drive/ride faster than the speed limit32.3%
I often drive/ride faster than the speed limit1.8%

*For additional data tables including a breakdown of speeders vs non-speeders, click here.

In Question 2 we tried to understand more about why people drive faster than the speed limit.

The majority of respondents (87%) said they speed because they don’t notice their speed creeping up.

More than half (51%) of people said they speed when others around them are speeding.

Two-fifths of respondents (40%) said they speed if they don’t think they’ll get caught. This number rises to 45% of respondents that identify as male.

Concerningly, 64% of people said they speed when they think the speed limit is too low. This rises to 78% of respondents in both Wales and London, which may reflect drivers' attitudes towards the default speed limit on roads in these areas being lowered from 30mph to 20mph.

Q2. Do any of the following reasons for driving/riding faster than the speed limit apply to you?

Yes

No

Sometimes I don’t notice that my speed has crept up

86.6%

13.4%

Sometimes I think the speed limit is too slow

63.8%

36.2%

When other vehicles are speeding, I do too

49.5%

50.5%

To get away from someone who is driving/riding too close behind me

59.9%

40.1%

I like driving/riding fast

39.8%

60.2%

If I need to get somewhere quickly

64.1%

35.9%

If I’m running late

66.5%

33.5%

Sometimes I don’t know what the speed limit is

56.2%

43.8%

If I don’t think I’ll get caught

39.9%

61.1%

*For additional data tables including a breakdown by gender and region, click here.

Question 3 aimed to find out what people think about speed limits. Respondents were asked to what extent they agreed or disagreed with a series of statements.

It was reassuring to see that 92% of respondents agree or strongly agree that speed limits are essential for the safety of our roads. This includes people that have been caught speeding.

However, almost a quarter of people (22%) think that it is not a crime to break speed limits. Younger people (under 45) and men* were more likely to agree with this statement; 28% of men (compared with 15% of women), and 43% of respondents aged 35-44 agreed or strongly agreed with the statement.

When asked about the enforcement of speed limits, 57% of people agree or strongly agree that they should be enforced more strongly, and 41% agree or strongly agree that penalties for speeding should be greater. It is interesting to consider how this correlates with behaviours and attitudes towards speeding, especially when we remember that 40% of respondents in question 2 said they will speed if they don’t think they’ll be caught.

Q3. Rate your agreement with the following statements

Strongly disagree

Disagree

Neither agree nor disagree

Agree

Strongly agree

Speed limits are essential for the safety of our roads

0.4%

1.8%

6.1%

41.2%

50.6%

It isn't a crime to break the speed limit

24.9%

38.2%

14.8%

14.5%

7.6%

Everyone who speeds deserves to get caught

2.4%

11.4%

30.7%

34.3%

21.2%

Speed limits need to be enforced more strongly

3.4%

11.3%

28.6%

33.4%

23.4%

The penalties for speeding should be greater

7.4%

22.8%

29.2%

23.8%

16.8%

Driving/riding just a little bit over the speed limit doesn’t matter

6.2%

23.4%

30.7%

30.3%

9.4%

Modern vehicles are designed to go faster than the speed limit

3.7%

9.5%

20.4%

40.4%

25.9%

The default speed limit on roads in built-up areas should be lowered from 30mph to 20mph

13.9%

24.6%

22.1%

24.3%

15.1%

*For additional data tables including a breakdown of gender and age, click here.

In question 4, we asked respondents about situations where they think speeding is acceptable.

Almost a quarter (23%) of respondents said they think it is often or always ok to speed in an emergency, and 17% think it’s ok to speed on an open road with little traffic.

Younger drivers tended to agree more strongly with the statements*, which is likely due to their perception of the risks associated with speeding. Throughout the survey, we have noted that younger people (aged below 35) tended to agree more strongly that speeding is ok.

Q4. Rate your agreement with the following statements

Never

Sometimes

Often

Always

It’s ok to speed if you’re a good driver/rider

65.2%

20.3%

6.2%

8.3%

It’s ok to speed in an emergency

26.3%

51.2%

11.9%

10.6%

It’s ok to speed on an open road where there’s not much traffic

50.5%

32.6%

10.5%

6.4%

*For additional data tables including age breakdowns, click here.

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Talking about speed

Questions 5 and 6 aimed to understand whether people feel comfortable talking about speed and whether or not they would speak out to someone who was driving too fast.

Question 5 asked respondents if they would ask the driver of a car to slow down if they were going too fast for the road conditions or breaking the speed limit. Reassuringly, almost three-quarters (74%) of respondents said they would ask a speeding driver to slow down if they were a passenger.

Question 6 asked about barriers that may prevent people from talking about speed as a passenger in a car. A third (32%) said they would feel uncomfortable asking a driver to slow down, while 27% thought doing so would make the driver cross.

Concerningly, a quarter (25%) of respondents said they would not ask a driver to slow down because they did not think it would make any difference.

Q5. If you were a passenger in a vehicle that was breaking the speed limit or going too fast for the road conditions, would you ask the driver/rider to slow down?

No, definitely not

1.7%

I’m not sure

16.0%

No, probably not

7.9%

Yes, probably

36.2%

Yes, definitely

38.0%
Q6. Which of the following reasons might stop you from asking the driver/rider to slow down?

I would feel uncomfortable

31.6%

I would feel embarrassed

19.8%

I wouldn’t know what to say

13.7%

I think it would make the driver cross

27.4%

I don’t think it would make any difference

24.6%

I don’t think it would be necessary

10.9%

I would only say something if I thought the driver might crash

23.0%

Other reasons - please specify

6.6%

Question 7 looked at attitudes to different aspects of speed limits, and asked drivers to what extent they agreed or disagreed with statements.

A large portion of drivers (72%) said that they find it annoying when people drive slower than the speed limit, and 71% said they think it is unsafe to drive slower than the speed limit.

However, somewhat conversely, 54% of respondents agreed or strongly agreed with the statement: “speed limits are the maximum speed, it’s often safer to drive more slowly.”

When asked if they understand how speed limits are set for different roads, almost four-fifths (79%) agreed or strongly agreed. This is reassuring to see, as it suggests people understand the dangers they face on different types of roads.

Q7. Please tell us how you feel about speed limits

Strongly disagree

Disagree

Neither agree nor disagree

Agree

Strongly agree

It’s annoying when people drive slower than the speed limit

1.9%

7.6%

18.3%

46.7%

25.4%

It’s dangerous when people drive slower than the speed limit

1.4%

7.3%

20.7%

45.8%

24.8%

Speed limits are the maximum speed, it’s often safer to drive more slowly

2.7%

13.8%

29.3%

39.2%

15.0%

I understand how speed limits are set for different roads

1.4%

5.2%

14.7%

55.6%

23.1%
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Changing behaviours

Question 8 asked what would encourage people to comply with speed limits and drive at safe speeds for the road conditions.

Almost half (46%) of people said that knowing someone who was hurt in a crash caused by a speeding driver would encourage them not to speed, and 40% said they would slow down if penalties were harsher. 37% of respondents said they wouldn't speed if they thought they might get caught, and this rose to 40% for those who said they sometimes speed, and 54% who often do so.

This supports the answers in Question 3, where respondents said that speed limits should be enforced more strongly.

Q8. Which of the following reasons would encourage you not to speed?

If someone I knew was hurt in a crash caused by a speeding driver/rider

45.6%

If I thought I would get caught

37.0%

If the penalty for getting caught speeding was harsher

39.7%

If my car had technology that helped me keep within speed limits

34.5%

If one of my passengers asked me to slow down/not to speed

31.8%

If there were more police cars on the roads

24.7%

If there were more speed cameras on the roads

30.%

None of the above would stop me speeding

4.2%

*For additional data tables including age breakdowns, click here.

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Attitudes towards speeding and speed enforcement

Question 9 asked about the fastest speeds people have driven on different types of roads.

For roads in built-up areas with a 20mph speed limit... just over half of respondents (51%) said the fastest they’ve driven is 20mph. 49% said they've driven at speeds 30mph and above.

For 30mph roads... 57% of people said the fastest they'd driven was 30mph, 41% selected options higher than the speed limit.

On single-carriageway roads where the speed limit is 60mph, 53% of respondents said the fastest they'd driven was 60mph. A quarter (26%) said 70mph, and 5% said 80mph. A third of respondents (33%) said they'd driven at speeds of 70mph or more.

For motorways with speed limits of 70mph... 38% of respondents said they have not driven faster than the speed limit. 30% said 80mph was the fastest they'd driven, while 17% of respondents admitted to driving at 90mph or above. Almost half (47%) of respondents admitted to driving faster than the speed limit on motorways.

The trend for younger drivers breaking speed limits was seen in all other questions, however drivers 45 and older more commonly admitted to driving above the speed limit in this question*.

Q9. What’s the highest speed you’ve ever driven/ridden on a UK road?

20 mph

30 mph

40 mph

50 mph

60 mph

70 mph

80 mph

90 mph

100 mph

Faster than 100 mph

Roads in built-up areas (where the speed limit is 20mph)

51.4%

35.5%

6.1%

2.5%

1.8%

1.0%

0.5%

0.3%

0.5%

0.6%

Roads in built-up areas (where the speed limit is 30mph)

2.1%

57.3%

31.2%

5.8%

2.4%

0.8%

0.2%

0.1%

0.1%

0.0%

Single-carriageway roads (where the speed limit is 60mph)

1.2%

1.2%

2.9%

8.8%

52.6%

26.3%

5.1%

1.0%

0.3%

0.6%

Motorways or dual-carriageways (where the speed limit is 70mph)

0.7%

1.6%

1.5%

1.5%

8.2%

38.1%

30.3%

9.7%

4.1%

3.3%

*For additional data tables including age breakdowns, click here.

Question 10 aimed to gain a deeper understanding of driver attitudes towards speeding.

Drivers were presented with a series of statements and asked if they had ever boasted about them.

14% of respondents said they has boasted about driving faster than the speed limit, and 14% about getting caught by a speed camera or stopped by the police for speeding.

There was a strong age correlation here, with around a third of 17-24-year-olds (36%), 25-34-year-olds (27%) and 35-44-year-olds (29%) having boasted about driving faster than the limit compared to fewer than 6% of all those 45 and older. This correlates with data in other questions, where younger drivers admitted to driving faster*.

Drivers in London seemed more likely to boast about speed-related incidents, including being caught speeding (42%), being caught speeding by cameras or the police (40%), or attending a speed-awareness course (39%).

Q10. Have you ever boasted about any of the following?

Yes

No

Prefer not to say

Driving/riding faster than the speed limit

13.8%

85.2%

1.0%

Getting caught by a speed camera or stopped by the police for speeding

13.7%

85.4%

0.9%

Attending a speed-awareness course

13.3%

85.2%

1.5%

Having points on your licence for speeding

13.1%

85.7%

1.3%

Beating the sat-nav to get to a destination

16.1%

82.5%

1.4%

*For additional data tables including age and regional breakdowns, click here.

Question 11 asked drivers at what point they think driving faster than the speed limit is a crime?

More than a third (35%) of respondents said they thought driving faster than the speed limit is always a crime. 13% said driving 0-5% over the limit is a crime, 23% said 6-10%, and 29% picked options above this.

Younger people tended to pick higher percentages in this question: 29% of 17-24-year-olds picked 11-20% above the speed limit, and 44% selected options higher than 10% over the speed limit*.

Q11. At what point do you think driving/riding faster than the speed limit is a crime?

Driving/riding faster than the speed limit is always a crime

34.8%

0-5% over the speed limit

13.4%

6-10% over the speed limit

23.1%

11-20% over the speed limit

16.4%

21-30% over the speed limit

5.5%

30-50% over the speed limit

3.3%

More than 50% over the speed limit

1.5%

I don’t think driving/riding faster than the speed limit is ever a crime

1.9%

*For additional data tables including age breakdowns, click here.

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Speed and road crashes in popular entertainment

Question 12 asked respondents to consider the way speed and road crashes are depicted in popular entertainment, such as films and games.

71% said it isn’t ok to glorify speed and road crashes in popular entertainment, such as films and games. Responses were consistent for all drivers, regardless of how often they drive over the speed limit.

Younger drivers were more likely to say it was ok to glorify speed and road crashes: more than a third (35%) of 17–24-year-olds and 29% of 25-34-year-olds answered 'yes'*.

Q12. Do you think it’s ok to glorify speed and road crashes in popular entertainment (e g films and games)?

Yes

16.5%

No

71.3%

I’m not sure

12.3%

*For additional data tables including age breakdowns, click here.

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Speed on the streets where we live

Question 13 asked drivers about the streets where they live.

Most respondents (41%) said they think that traffic moves too fast on the streets where they live, even on roads that have a 20mph speed limit.

People also had concerns about safety when travelling on foot or by bike: 27% of respondents said there are points where there are no safe walkways, and 26% said there are no safe cycling routes. This suggests that there is a demand for safe cycling and walking paths away from fast traffic.

Q13. Thinking about the streets where you live, do any of the following apply?

Traffic moves too fast (even on roads that have 20mph speed limits)

40.8%

Traffic moves too fast (even though it is within the speed limit)

23.0%

There are no safe crossing places

25.0%

The pavements are not suitable

20.4%

There are points where there are no safe walkways

26.9%

There are no safe cycling routes

26.1%

There is noise pollution from traffic

20.8%

There is air pollution from traffic

18.2%

None of the above

18%

*For additional data tables including regional breakdowns, click here.