New research suggests speeding on rural roads has reached a six year high

There has been a significant rise in the proportion of drivers who admit to speeding on 60mph rural roads, according to new data from the RAC.

Nearly half (48%) of the 3,102 drivers questioned for the RAC Report on Motoring say they have driven faster than the limit in the past year on these roads – up from 44% in 2021 and matching the highest figure ever seen by the RAC in 2016. Eight per cent confess to having done this frequently while 40% say they have done it occasionally on up to half of their journeys on these roads. In 2021 514 people were killed in a total of 11,827 collisions on 60mph non-built-up roads – a fatality rate of 4%, which is higher than on motorways.

Anita Caskey is a driving instructor based in Cowling, near Skipton. She was involved in a seven car crash caused by a speeding driver which meant she couldn't walk for six years. She's part of a campaign group trying to get fixed speed cameras set up in North Yorkshire. She tells us what happened during the horrifying incident: "A speeding driver crashed into the back of my car, snapped my seat, and then done so much damage to my spine that I had to have major reconstruction. This person didn't even know that we were stopped."

"Extremely worrying findings" - RAC

RAC road safety spokesman Simon Williams said: “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. It’s even more concerning that this figure is now back to the all-time high of 48%.

“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.

“Drivers sometimes forget or underestimate the role speed plays in fatal and serious collisions as they tend not to see it in the same light as offences like drink or drug-driving or talking on a handheld phone. In fact, in 2021 as many as 253 people lost their lives in collisions where someone was exceeding the speed limit."

Hear all the latest news from across the UK on the hour, every hour, on Greatest Hits Radio on DAB, smartspeaker, at greatesthitsradio.co.uk, and on the Rayo app.