Speed
Speeding contributes to the 36,000 serious injuries and 3,400 deaths that occur on Britain's roads each year.
Approximately two-thirds of all crashes, in which people are killed or seriously injured, happen on roads with a speed limit of 30mph or less. The 30mph limit is not a random figure. It is set because there is a substantial difference in the risk of causing death or serious injury when driving even just a few miles above 30mph.
Government research has shown that:
- at 40mph, 85% of people hit by vehicles die, compared to 20% at 30mph (at 20mph it is just 5%).
- an average family car travelling at 35mph will need an extra 21 feet (six metres) to stop, compared to one travelling at 30mph, no matter how good the driver is.
- the force of the impact on a cyclist or pedestrian is increased by a third when hit at 35mph, rather than 30mph.
- for each 1mph reduction in average speed, it has been estimated that accident frequency is reduced by 5%.
- it is not safer to drive faster at night. Casualty rates are double that during daylight hours due to the higher speeds because of less traffic, higher alcohol consumption, tiredness and darkness.
The simple fact is that speeding is an unnecessary contributor to the number of casualties on our roads and, even when motorists are observing the limit, they may still be driving at an inappropriate speed for the conditions.
The costs
Based on the Department for Transport's figures, the cost to the community of a fatal crash is around £1.9million, a serious crash costs in the region of £215,000 and a slight crash costs £22,000. This sum includes emergency service costs and road closures.
How does speeding increase your insurance? If you get 3 points on your licence for speeding, your insurance premiums could increase by £35 per year.
To ensure that they charge a fair premium to all their customers, insurers need to take into account the particular risk presented by individual policyholders. A key risk indicator is previous road traffic offences. Insurers will want to know about these when you take out a policy or if you commit an offence whilst you are covered with them; as this information may affect the terms and cost of your cover.
Once you are insured, not telling your insurer about new offences could invalidate any claims you may wish to make, so it is important to keep your insurer up to date with new offences including speeding tickets. Insurers take a realistic attitude to speeding offences, so any are likely to lead to premium increases.
Points for speeding stay on your licence for four years, so a single offence could cost you £105 for the duration of the endorsement. Additional points for speeding during the same four year period can also increase your premium, e.g. 6 points could increase your annual premium by £115.
An insurance company has the right to declare a policy void if, in the event of a fault or non-fault crash, a person has not declared any speeding points/endorsements. This could affect gaining insurance from other companies.
New drivers
Did you know that if you get 6 points on your licence in the first two years, you revert back to being a learner driver?
Special rules apply to drivers within two years of the date of passing your driving test; if you passed your test after 1 June 1997 and held nothing but a provisional (learner) licence before passing the test.
If the number of penalty points on your licence reaches six or more as a result of offences you commit before the two years are over, including any you committed before you passed the test, your licence will be revoked. You must then reapply for a provisional licence and may drive only as a learner until you pass a theory and practical test.
Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) thresholds
Guidelines given to the Police by ACPO state that: "It is anticipated that, other than in the most exceptional circumstances, the issue of fixed penalty notices and summonses is likely to be the minimum appropriate enforcement action as soon as the speeds in the table below have been reached"¹.
This means that there is official leeway given to motorists exceeding the speed limit - 10% plus 2mph over the posted speed limit.
All Partnerships have a commitment to reach these threshold enforcement limits but no Partnership enforces below these limits. These enforcement guidelines are there to allow for lapses in concentration and inaccurate speedometers. Therefore, motorists who stray a few miles over the speed limit will not be penalised.
| Limit (mph) |
Fixed penalty (mph) |
Summons (mph) |
| 20 |
25 |
35 |
| 30 |
35 |
50 |
| 40 |
46 |
66 |
| 50 |
57 |
76 |
| 60 |
68 |
86 |
| 70 |
79 |
96 |
Fixed penalty
£60 and 3 penalty points.
Summons
Magisterial discretion (level 2). Maximum of:
- £1,000 fine
- Licence endorsed – a range of penalty points are applicable
- Disqualification
- Compulsory re-testing
Information about ACPO's Code of Practice for Operational Use of Enforcement Equipment can be found on its website www.acpo.police.uk.
¹ ACPO guidance paper on Speed Enforcement.