A new report has revealed a “worrying” rise in the proportion of drivers admitting to speeding on 60mph rural roads.
Nearly half (48 per cent) of the 3,102 drivers questioned for the RAC Report on Motoring said they had driven faster than the limit in the past year on country roads – up from 44 per cent in 2021 and matching the highest figure ever seen by the RAC in 2016.
In 2021 514 people were killed in a total of 11,827 collisions on 60mph non-built-up roads – a fatality rate of four per cent, which is higher than on motorways.
In the RAC survey, 48 per cent of respondents said they believed some 60mph limits on unclassified rural roads should be reduced.
“The recent increase in the proportion of drivers admitting to speeding on 60mph rural roads is extremely worrying as more people lose their lives every year in collisions on these roads than on any other,” said RAC road safety spokesman Simon Williams
“It’s even more concerning that this figure is now back to the all-time high of 48 per cent.
“While the number of fatalities on our roads is no longer falling, we certainly don’t want to see an increase in deaths. We think the Government should address the issue of fatalities on 60mph rural roads by advising roads authorities to reduce limits on the most dangerous stretches to more appropriate levels. This is something half of drivers (48%) surveyed for the RAC Report on Motoring would like to see, with only a quarter (24%) disagreeing.”
