We released data in September 2021 showing that only five per cent of women – and four per cent of men – stick to the legal limit while driving. And it seems that the racers among us should know better, with the 35-54 age bracket being the worst offenders, with a staggering 97 per cent admitting to speeding.
It’s not just by a small margin either, with 30 per cent of drivers admitting to reaching between 90 and 100 mph, nearly 10 per cent going over 100 mph, and seven per cent of men going over 120 mph on our roads. That’s a staggering 1.2 million drivers!
Interestingly, the results for men and women are largely equal until the 100 mph mark, with only 11 per cent of women admitting to driving above that speed, compared to 22 per cent of men.
Biggest Speeders
The stats also show which are the speediest regions and cities, showing:
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- Yorkshire and Humberside is the fastest county, with 98% of drivers admitting to breaking the speeding limit, while West Midlands is the slowest, with only 94%.
- Wales is the speediest country with 98% speeding, while Northern Ireland only has 91% speeding.
- Southampton, Newcastle, Leeds and Bristol are the speediest cities, with 99% going over 70mph.
- Brighton has the highest incidence of excessive speeds, with a whopping 11% admitting to driving over 120mph.
- Newcastle scores highest again with 22% of drivers admitting going over 100mph
- Drivers in Scotland are the lowest region for driving over 100mph, with 11% of drivers admitting driving over this speed
Choose My Car founder, Nick Zapolski, said: “With 32.7 million license holders on our roads, it’s quite amazing to see how many people admit to speeding. It’s fascinating to see that 11 per cent of Brighton drivers drive over 120 mph – there must be some nice supercars around there!
“Our research also showed that more than 50 per cent of drivers supported a rise in motorway speed limits – with more than a fifth suggesting it should be 100mph! We are clearly a nation of speeders, but if you’re going to speed please make sure you have a safe, reliable car for that!”
Data Summary by Region over 100mph
Research-based on 2,000 respondents surveyed across the UK, aged from 18 onwards. All geographical locations were included with an equal split male to female. This is the regional data.
| Drivers over 100mph by Location | |
|---|---|
| Newcastle | 22% |
| Southampton | 20% |
| Bristol | 19% |
| London | 18% |
| Nottingham | 18% |
| Manchester | 17% |
| Liverpool | 17% |
| Leeds | 16% |
| Birmingham | 15% |
| Cardiff | 15% |
| Norwich | 13% |
| Plymouth | 12% |
| Edinburgh | 11% |
Data Summary by Age
This is the data split by age groups.
| Drivers over 100mph by Age | |
|---|---|
| 18 – 34 years old | 17% |
| 35 – 55 years old | 18% |
| over 55 years old | 15% |
Data Summary by Gender
This is the data split by gender.
| Drivers data by Gender | |
|---|---|
| Female over 80mph | 39% |
| Male over 80mph | 56% |
| Female over 100mph | 10% |
| Male over 100 mph | 23% |
