Automotive Industry Digest

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Politics and regulation

More than half of motorists speed as they are running late for work

More than half (58.3%) of drivers speed as they running late for work, research by Click4reg.co.uk has found.

The survey of 3,014 male and female drivers from around the UK, aged between 18 and 50, also found that two-thirds (66.7%) of people speed because they “like the thrill of driving fast”, with 64.3% admitting they are most likely to speed on a motorway.

More than 2 million drivers were prosecuted for speeding last year, marking a six-year high, and Click4reg.co.uk carried out the research to highlight the financial impact speeding can have.

New speeding penalties were introduced in April last year, which means that the worst offenders can now be fined 150% of their weekly salary.

The minimum ‘Band A’ fine is three penalty points and 50% of a driver’s weekly income, which means that those earning the UK average annual salary of £27,271 will have to pay £262.22 – which equates to working for 20 hours to pay for a speeding ticket.

Elie Fakhoury, managing director of Click4Reg.co.uk, said: “Despite good intentions from the Government by increasing the speeding penalties, shockingly, the financial cost doesn’t seem to be a harsh enough deterrent for some drivers.

“This is something that must be amended by the Government to attempt to put an end to the rising speeding fines and number of fatalities from exceeding the speed limit.”

The online private number plate company also analysed how much time drivers actually saved by exceeding the speed limit.

When travelling in a 30mph zone, the average 14-mile commute would take 28 minutes. If a driver exceeded the speed limit by 10mph, they would save seven minutes.

Fakhoury added: “Hopefully from this, drivers will see there is little benefit to speeding and choose to be more conscious and considerate on the UK roads.”

Automotive Industry Digest

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