Over a quarter of people driving on business related trips speed because they set off too late

A latest survey reveals that 28% of motorists admitted to speeding because they set off too late or didn’t allow enough time for their journey; 25% said they drove above the legal speed limit because they needed to make up time due to delays caused by heavy traffic.

The new analysis supports Brake Road Safety Week 2017 (20-26 November) campaign theme that urges people to ‘Speed Down Save Lives’.

According to Department for Transport figures, breaking the speed limit or travelling too fast for the weather conditions are recorded by police as significant factors in 23% of fatal crashes in Britain.

Despite motorists being aware of dangers of driving too fast, 22% said they were making up for time due to road works, and 24% said they went over the limit ‘accidentally’.

Men are more likely to ‘unintentionally’ speed than women, with only 24% saying they had never knowingly broken the speed limit, compared to 40% of women. In addition, 37% of men said they had been speeding to make up for lost time after a late start, whilst only 24% of women said the same.

Speeding after traffic delays was the second most popular reason for men (34%) and 20% of women.

For those who were speeding, over a quarter (26%) were driving on the motorway. A further 19% were on a dual carriageway and 13% said they were speeding in an area they weren’t familiar with.

Brake commissioned an analysis by the Trauma Audit and Research Network (TARN), which records information about patients admitted to trauma centres, set up to deal with the most severe injuries in England and Wales. The analysis revealed that one in five (20%) patients admitted to trauma centres were involved in road crashes in 2016. Road collisions were the second largest cause of trauma admissions, after falls from less than two metres.

Last year, 11,486 road users – the equivalent of 31 a day – were admitted to trauma centres in England and Wales with life-threatening injuries. The regions with the highest proportion of road collision trauma patients were the Thames Valley (25%), North West London (23%), the West Midlands (23%), the East Midlands (22%) and East England (22%).

Simon Staton, Director of Client Management at Venson Automotive Solutions comments, “It’s clear from our survey that many people are tempted to speed when they are running late, whether it’s because of traffic or just leaving the house later than planned. However, the analysis conducted by Brake proves how vital it is that drivers allow themselves enough time to do what they need to do before they set off in the morning, to avoid unnecessary heartache.

“Most people have access to journey planners or radio traffic updates, so a few minutes planning the night before or before you set off can help save time, and in turn, saving time can save lives.”