4 out of 5 company car drivers admit to motorway speeding
Motorway speeding habits in the UK
A recent article in Fleet News shows that four out of five company car drivers admit to speeding on motorways, but still consider themselves to be law-abiding motorists, research suggests.
The survey from RAC Business has found that 81% of company car drivers admitted to regularly breaking the 70mph speed limit, compared to 69% of private motorists.
But when asked if they consider themselves to be a law-abiding driver, 90% said yes.
The research from the RAC’s Report on Motoring 2015 suggests some motorists don’t consider speeding to be a serious driving offence, especially on motorways. In fact two-thirds of company car drivers (64%) believe the law should be changed, with the speed limit increased to 80mph.
Almost half of company car drivers (46%) said they regularly hit speeds of 80mph on a motorway, with a further 5% admitting to reaching 90mph.
However, there are signs that motorists may be taking more care as compared to last year’s findings the proportion of company car drivers admitting to speeding on motorways has dropped from 88% in 2014 to 81% in 2015.
According to the RAC research speeding is less of an issue in more residential areas, but still a quarter of drivers (23%) admitted to regularly driving at 35mph in a 30mph zone.
Jenny Powley, corporate business sales director at RAC Business, said: “When you drive as part of your working day and are running late for meetings, it can be very tempting to break the speed limit.
“It’s worth reminding drivers that the risks associated with speeding can far outweigh the time saved.
“After all, driving at 80mph instead of 70mph will only save you six seconds a mile, or 10 minutes over 100 miles.”
Speeding also impacts on fuel efficiency. According to the Department for Transport, driving at 80mph can use 25% more fuel than driving at 70mph, impacting a business’ bottom line.
Powley concluded: “The growing adoption of telematics technology across fleets of vehicles means that businesses now have more visibility on how often their employees are speeding.
“This can enable business owners to provide training to encourage better driving behaviour, which will not only mean their drivers are safer on the roads, but significant savings can be made in the cost of fuel and wear and tear on vehicles.”
Click here to read the full news story on the Fleet News website
