National statistics

Free flow vehicle speeds in Great Britain: 2013

Vehicle speed estimates on traffic in free flowing conditions on roads in Great Britain during 2013.

From:
Department for Transport
Published
5 June 2014

This publication was withdrawn on

This report has been superseded by Free flow vehicle speeds in Great Britain 2015.

Documents

Free flow vehicle speeds in Great Britain: 2013 report

PDF, 285 KB

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Free flow vehicle speeds in Great Britain: 2013 data tables

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Details

These statistics provide insight into the speeds at which drivers choose to travel and their compliance with speed limits, but should not be taken as estimates of actual average speed across the road network.

Main results

The average free-flow speed figures show:

  • since 2003, average free-flow speeds for all vehicle types across each road classification have remained broadly stable.
  • in 2013, LGVs had the highest average free-flow speed across all road types, reaching 69 mph on motorways.

The figures on exceeding the speed limit show:

  • the percentage of different vehicle classifications exceeding the speed limit has varied across each vehicle type and road category over time. The percentage of motorcycles, cars and LGVs exceeding the speed limit on motorways between 2003 and 2013 has declined overall.
  • on motorways, 12% of cars in 2013 exceeded their 70 mph speed limit by more than 10 mph, which is consistent with 2012 and 2011 estimates.
  • 1% of articulated heavy goods vehicles exceeded their 50 mph speed limit by more than 10 mph on dual carriageways and 18% exceeded their 40 mph limit by more than 10 mph on single carriageways.
  • compared to 2012, the percentage of vehicles exceeding the limit on 30 mph roads has fallen for motorcycles and cars.

Technical information

Information on free-flow vehicle speeds, including the pre-release access list

Contact us

Road traffic and vehicle speed compliance statistics

Email roadtraff.stats@dft.gov.uk

Media enquiries 0300 7777 878

Published 5 June 2014