Statistics from the Department for Transport reveal that speeding offences reached a six year high in 2016 [1]. There were 2.2 million prosecutions for speed limit offences last year, up from 1.6 million in 2011 – a rise of a third.
Jason Wakeford, director of campaigns for Brake, the road safety charity, said: “These figures are highly concerning and show that exceeding the speed limit remains a major safety issue. Ironically, this data has been released during Road Safety Week which this year focuses on the dangers of speeding.
“Driving is unpredictable and if something unexpected happens on the road ahead, such as a child stepping out from between parked cars, it’s a driver’s speed that determines whether they can stop in time and, if they can’t, how hard they will hit.
“Last year, excess speed contributed to almost a quarter of all fatal crashes and urgent action is needed. Brake is calling for increased enforcement by the police, a default 20mph limit in all built-up areas and ‘Intelligent Speed Adaptation’, which helps drivers stay within the limit, to be fitted as standard to all new vehicles. These measures are essential to lower the increasing number of needless deaths and serious injuries on UK roads.”
