Speeding is a constant concern for law enforcement and road safety organisations.

When it comes to the public, half of motorists admit to speeding while also wanting greater restrictions.

It appears to be a similar NIMBY attitude that believes rules are for others, but not for themselves.

Them not me

New research from Slater and Gordon has highlighted a growing contradiction at the heart of Britain’s road safety debate.

While many drivers say they want stricter controls on speed, a significant proportion admit to breaking the rules themselves.

According to the firm’s latest survey, nearly half of UK adults do not feel safe on the roads, with 48% saying they actively avoid certain routes due to safety concerns.

The findings suggest that anxiety about road use is increasingly common, driven in part by perceptions of dangerous driving and speeding.

Despite these concerns, public attitudes towards speed limits reveal a complex picture.

Around 31% of respondents believe limits should be reduced, yet almost a quarter (23%) admit they still exceed them.

Legal experts at Slater and Gordon say this gap between belief and behaviour underscores a “cultural contradiction” in how drivers view speeding.

While recognising the risks, drivers continue to break the speed limits or drive too fast for the conditions. 

Ongoing problem

Official government data reinforces the scale of the issue.

Department for Transport figures show that speeding remains common across Britain’s road network.

In 2024, 43% of car drivers exceeded the 30mph limit on urban roads, while 44% did so on motorways under free-flowing conditions.

Although only a smaller proportion exceeds limits by large margins, the prevalence of everyday speeding suggests it has become a normalised behaviour.

Enforcement figures also point to the persistence of the problem.

More than 205,000 drivers were convicted of speeding offences in 2024, while 1.84 million attended speed awareness courses, both figures significantly higher than a decade ago.

People power

Public perception appears to mirror these statistics.

Separate industry research indicates that 81% of drivers regularly witness excessive speeding on UK roads, reinforcing the idea that the behaviour is both visible and widespread.

However, the Slater and Gordon study suggests speeding is only one part of a broader safety concern.

Poor road conditions were cited by 65% of respondents as a key factor contributing to their vulnerability, while over half called for improvements to road surfaces and infrastructure.

This indicates that while driver behaviour is critical, environmental factors also shape perceptions of safety.

Road safety campaigners argue that tackling speeding requires more than enforcement alone.

Surveys consistently show that most drivers support speed limits in principle, yet many still break them in practice.

This disconnect highlights the challenge facing policymakers: changing behaviour in a culture where speeding is often seen as minor or socially acceptable.

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Modifying behaviour

For Slater and Gordon, the findings point to the need for a dual approach of improving road conditions while also addressing driver attitudes.

As one of the UK’s leading personal injury law firms, the organisation warns that without a shift in both infrastructure and behaviour, concerns about road safety are unlikely to ease.

With millions of drivers continuing to exceed the speed limit each year, the research reveals that speeding is not just a legal issue but a deeply ingrained habit, and one that Britain, like much of the world, struggles to deal with.