Over two-thirds of NI drivers break speed limit on 40mph roads

New government data analysed by CompareNI.com shows that throughout 2022 over two-thirds (68%) of vehicles exceeded the speed limits on built-up roads of up to 40mph.

At 35mph there is a 50% chance that when a pedestrian is hit, they will be killed. This increases significantly to a 90% chance they will be killed at 40mph.*

The most recent statistics, released this week, also show that in non-built-up areas in the same year, the proportion of vehicles exceeding the speed limit was greatest on dual carriageways (44%) followed by single carriageways (27%) and motorways (22%).**

Speeding on all the road types has increased since the 2014 baseline with single carriageways increasing by five percentage points, built-up roads up 3 percent, dual carriageways by two and motorways up by one percentage point.

The proportion of traffic speeding on single carriageways was higher in 2022 than any other year since 2014.

40,335 motoring offences were recorded on Northern Ireland roads in 2022, with speeding being the largest offence group. In total, there were 6,958 detections, an increase of 2% from the year before.

Commenting on the data, Ian Wilson Managing Director at CompareNI.com said: “It’s actually quite frightening to learn two-thirds of drivers here are speeding on built-up roads of up to 40mph which are, for the most part, residential. These areas tend to be high risk for vulnerable pedestrians and not somewhere drivers should be breaking the speed limit.

“Penalty points given to drivers for speeding can add anything from 5% to car insurance premiums for the first three points on a licence, which can then rise to 25% for six points.

“If convicted, it’s important to be honest and fully disclose the offence to your insurance provider, because failure to do so can result in the policy being invalidated, meaning you won’t be protected.”

CompareNI.com helps drivers compare and find savings on  van, learner driver insurance or car finance.  

References:

*https://www.roadwise.co.uk/using-the-road/speeding/the-chance-of-a-pedestrian-surviving/#:~:text=If%20you%20hit%20a%20pedestrian%3A,chance%20they%20will%20be%20killed.

**https://www.infrastructure-ni.gov.uk/system/files/publications/infrastructure/ni-road-safety-strategy-to-2030-annual-statistical-report-2023.pdf