New research reveals the English areas with the slowest drivers.

Brighton and Hove, self-titled ‘The Place to Be’, comes out on top.

However, the low traffic speed is not necessarily a winner with residents and visitors alike.

Capital free

A study by car parts marketplace Ovoko analysed data from the National Highways National Traffic Information Service.

This collected the average speed of all drivers between 2019 and 2023 for every ‘A’ road in England, enabling researchers to establish which local authorities had the slowest drivers.

Due to London’s high number of 20 mph zones and general congestion, the city was excluded to provide a broader view of the country’s driving.

Slow zones

Rank Local Authority Average ‘A’ road speed 2019-2023 (MPH)
1 Brighton and Hove 13.0
2 Reading 13.6
3 Nottingham 13.8
4 Southampton 14.3
5 Slough 14.9
6 Manchester 15.9
7 Bristol, City of 16.2
8 Plymouth 16.3
9 Liverpool 16.4
10 Kingston upon Hull, City of 16.4

 

Seaside special

New research finds that Brighton and Hove is the English area with the slowest drivers, excluding London.

Of the ‘A’ roads studied in the local authority, the average speed of all drivers between 2019 and 2023 was just 13 miles per hour, putting it in the top spot.

The A2010 was the road with the slowest speeds on average, at just 6.06 miles per hour.

Reading takes second place, with an average speed of 13.6 miles per hour between 2019 and 2023.

Here, the A329 had the slowest drivers in the authority, averaging 11.4 miles per hour.

On the up

Nottingham area makes its way into the top three, with an average speed of 13.8 miles per hour on all ‘A’ roads.

Average speeds were found to be lowest on the A610, at 11.7 miles per hour.

In fourth place comes Southampton, with an average speed of 14.3 miles per hour.

The study found that the A3057 road in the local authority had the lowest average speed, at just 9.96 miles per hour.

With an average speed of 14.9 miles per hour across all ‘A’ roads in the authority, Slough comes in fifth place.

The A355 was found to have the lowest average speed in the area, at 12.26 miles per hour.

In the safety zone

Commenting on the findings, a spokesperson for Ovoko said: “It is clear that driving the speed limit, particularly in major cities, is challenging, as most of the entries are big cities with lots of urban space. With public transport being the obvious alternative in many places, it’s either that or you find yourself filling up your car to roll around at an average of below 15 miles per hour. However, for general safety reasons, many urban areas are beginning to enforce 20-mile-per-hour speed limits on all roads. As this becomes more common, it will be worth noting whether average speeds come down across the country.”