Almost half of people have seen a rise in speeding during lockdown

Almost half of people say they’ve noticed an increase in the proportion of motorists breaking speed limits during the Covid-19 lockdown, according to a poll.  

Some 44 per cent of UK adults who answered said they’d witnessed more of the drivers still on the roads speeding, than those driving before the Government implemented the lockdown – and roads with 30mph limits are being most abused.

It is roads with these limits – not motorways or 60mph roads –  that have been found to be most lethal in the past, with Department for Transport data showing that 60 per cent of all accidents and 34 per cent of all fatalities occur in 30mph zones.

Almost a quarter of the 2,020 people surveyed by the RAC said they had seen some motorists very obviously flouting 30mph limits during the lockdown. 

That compares to 15 per cent spying speeders in 20mph and 40mph limits, whereas in 50mph limits only 10 per cent felt there was an increase in unlawful driving. 

In 60mph and 70mph limits the uplift in speeders is far less pronounced, with 6 per cent and 5 per cent, respectively, reporting they had seen these limits being broken – but this still represents an increase in observed speeding on these roads compared to before the lockdown.

The RAC asked them: Have you seen more speeding on the road than pre-lockdown?’ 

With most people staying in their homes and therefore remaining in residential areas, it comes as little surprise that the most significant rise in perceived speeding is in 30mph zones. 

Shockingly, 5 per cent of those surveyed believed they had witnessed vehicles racing on public roads. 

Analysis of the latest DfT road accident figures for 2018 finds that most accidents already occur in 30mph zones, account for three in five traffic collisions.

And they are also the limits where over a third of annual fatal crashes take place.

As for other illegal activity behind the wheel, just 8 per cent people claimed they have seen more drivers using handheld mobile phones at the wheel than they would in normal, non-lockdown conditions.  

Evidence from police forces across the country sadly backs up what people surveyed told the RAC, with the fastest being clocked by Metropolitan Police at a whopping 151mph on the M1. 

According to Department for Transport data, excessive speed was responsible for 4,652 road traffic collisions – or the equivalent of 13 road traffic collisions a day during 2018, although due to how data is recorded this figure may underestimate the true number of collisions.

RAC road safety spokesman Simon Williams said: ‘The frightening conclusion from our research is that a significant number of irresponsible drivers are taking advantage of quiet ‘lockdown’ roads by driving far too fast, putting lives unnecessarily at risk.

‘Since the Government told the nation to stay at home many roads have become almost deserted so it’s a concern this is being seen by some as an opportunity to illegally ignore speed limits. 

‘It would only take a fraction of a second when driving well over the speed limit for something terrible to happen. Couple this behaviour with the fact there are many cyclists on our roads and more people are having to walk in the road to maintain a safe distance from others on pavements and you have a recipe for disaster.’

The RAC said police speed traps might be needed now more than ever dye to the number of drivers speeding in built-up areas.  

Greater Manchester and The Met have both already announced crackdowns on speeding – though the RAC earns that a similar approach could be needed across the country. 

Detective Superintendent Andy Cox, who is heading up a police initiative designed to eliminate road deaths in London said that speeding was on the rise due to a combination of ‘extreme speeders’ and other drivers thinking they could get away with going faster on emptier roads. 

He said: ‘In some roads where we have checks, the average speed has increased by more than 50 per cent and one 20mph road is averaging 40mph.

‘When we stop the drivers, they say it is the clear roads and that they didn’t expect us to be there because they thought we would be engaged with coronavirus-related issues.

‘Such behaviour is totally unacceptable and increases the chances of a serious collision.’