The UK is a nation of speeders it seems.

[News_Stig]

Yep statistics released this week by the Department for Transport details the speed of traffic in free flowing conditions for each type of UK road in 2006. The long and short of which seem to indicated that some of the speed limits are used only as a guide.

On motorways 54% of cars travel over the 70mph limit but yet its still the safest type of road to travel on we will have to see what the safety band wagon have to say about that. However it should be noted that an extra 2% of drivers are now on or below the 70mph motorway limit than was the case compared to 2005 stats.

But its 30mph zones that the biggest difference can be seen only 46% of drivers break the limit, not good I hear to say but then its a darn sight better than the 65% of people breaking the limit in 2001. This is maybe a factor in a reduction in pedestrian deaths by over a third over the same time period. Maybe the proliferation of speed cameras is actually having a effect of driver behaviour?

On single carriageway roads with a 60mph limit, only 11% of drivers are breaking the limit. I'm sure many people will attest to this and the drivers who seem almost asleep at the wheel in the nice country roads between the towns and villages, yet seem to be the people that speed in the 30mph where it is so important to slow down for safety.

But how is the stats go on and these you might find quite interesting, the average speed in the single carriageway 60mph roads for cars is 48mph, yet over the same road an HGV averages 46mph. Yet the speed limit for an HGV going down a single carriageway road is 40mph.

Where these stats were recorded or on what roads and for how long the drivers were actually speeding it doesn't state.

I think there is a time and place to enjoy our cars and when its actually safe to press on and when even to do the speed limit is dangerous, there is far far more to safety and driving than limits alone, something I'm sure many TSN members will attest to.

Discussed in the TSN forums here.