Vehicle speed compliance statistics for Great Britain: 2021
Published 16 June 2022
© Crown copyright 2022
This publication is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence v3.0 except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: psi@nationalarchives.gov.uk.
Where we have identified any third party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned.
This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/vehicle-speed-compliance-statistics-for-great-britain-2021/vehicle-speed-compliance-statistics-for-great-britain-2021
This statistical release presents estimates of vehicle compliance with speed limits in free-flowing conditions on roads in Great Britain.
These are based on speed data from a sample of Department for Transport’s Automatic Traffic Counters (ATCs), chosen to exclude locations where external factors might restrict driver behaviour (for example junctions, hills, sharp bends and speed cameras).
The statistics provide insights into speeds at which drivers choose to travel when free to do so, but are not estimates of average speeds across the whole network, which are available separately.
The release also presents information from a range of other sources relevant to vehicle speeds and compliance.
In 2021, under free-flowing traffic conditions, 51% of car drivers exceeded the speed limit on 30mph roads compared to 48% on motorways and 11% on national speed limit single carriageway roads.
Table 1: Proportion of vehicles exceeding the speed limits by road class in Great Britain, 2021
| Cars | LCVs (vans ) | Articulated HGVs | Rigid HGVs | Short Buses | Long Buses | Motorcycles | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Motorways | 48 | 51 | 2 | .. | .. | .. | 59 |
| National Speed Limit Single Carriageways | 11 | .. | 36 | 42 | 50 | 53 | 28 |
| 30mph roads | 51 | 52 | 43 | 44 | .. | 24 | 59 |
.. Data is not available
Speed limit compliance in 2021 was slightly higher than 2020, where lower levels of compliance can be partly attributed to the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic on traffic levels. However, vehicle speed limit compliance in 2021 is similar to previous years and has remained broadly stable from 2011 to 2019.
In 2021, the proportion of car drivers exceeding the speed limit by more than 10mph was much lower than overall speeding, at 10% on motorways, 5% on 30mph roads and 1% on 60mph roads.
For most vehicle types, speed limit compliance tended to be highest on National Speed Limit (NSL) single carriageways and lowest on 30mph roads.
The average car speeds, under free flow conditions, was just under the speed limit on motorways (69mph), slightly above the speed limit for 30mph roads (31mph) and under the speed limit on 60mph roads (51mph).
Seasonal factors such as differences in light or weather conditions may affect differences in compliance throughout the year, particularly in motorcycles. In most vehicle types, there are generally only small differences in compliance between each season.
Figure 1a: Proportion of vehicles exceeding the speed limit in Great Britain, 2021
Figure 1b: Proportion of vehicles exceeding the speed limit in Great Britain, 2021
Comment on Coronavirus (COVID-19) impact
This publication covers data for January to December 2021, which includes movement of restrictions due to COVID-19 in Great Britain. Therefore, some data can be considered to be affected by the pandemic.
An indication of changes in speed limit compliance in cars during the pandemic period can be found in separate quarterly vehicle speed compliance statistics, which covers 2020 and 2021.
Quarterly statistics were provided in response to the change in transport levels during the pandemic. Whilst the pandemic continues to have an effect, road traffic levels appear to have returned to levels seen before the pandemic. For more information, see transport use during the coronavirus pandemic.
Understanding and interpreting these statistics
What do free flow speeds tell us?
- free flow speeds reflect the speeds drivers may travel at when free to do so
- they are not representative of the level of speeding across the whole road network, which we would expect to be lower
What roads are covered?
Only sites where the road conditions are free flowing and there are no junctions, hills, sharp bends, speed enforcement cameras or other traffic calming measures. The statistics do not cover roads where the road layout or traffic calming measures are likely to constrain vehicle speeds. This includes smart motorways.
Comparing data between years
Only broad-scale comparisons of patterns in compliance and speeds over time periods of 5 or more years can be made confidently, unless the changes are large and the context is clear.
The impact of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020 stands as a rare case where the changes were large and the context clear.
What conclusions can be drawn from the 20mph sample?
The 20mph free-flow sites have no traffic calming measures or other features to restrict speed, and tend to be through-roads, so are not typical of all 20mph roads.
20mph roads should not be compared year-on-year due to high turnover in sites.
Definitions
Exceeding the speed limit
Vehicles travelling at a speed higher than their applicable speed limit are defined as “exceeding the speed limit”.
Free flow speed
Free flow speeds are observed in locations where external factors which might restrict driver behaviour (for example junctions, hills, sharp bends and speed enforcement cameras) are not present.
Speed limits
Speed limits for cars are 70mph on Motorways and 60mph on National Speed Limit Single Carriageways. Details for other vehicle types are in Figure 20, and a complete breakdown of national speed limits can be found on the speed limits webpage.
Car compliance with speed limits
Under free-flowing conditions, the proportions of cars complying with the speed limit were 52% on motorways, 89% on national speed limit (NSL) single carriageways and 49% on 30mph roads.
On NSL single carriageway roads 11% of cars exceeded the speed limit, compared to 51% on 30mph roads and 48% on motorways.
The proportion of cars exceeding the speed limit by over 10mph on 30mph roads was 5%, whilst 1% and 10% exceeded the speed limit by more than 10mph on NSL single carriageway roads and motorways respectively.
Figure 2: Distribution of car speeds by road type in Great Britain, 2021 (Table SPE0111)
Light Commercial Vehicle (van) compliance with speed limits
In free flow conditions, the proportions of vans complying with the speed limit were 49% on motorways and 48% on 30mph roads.
On motorways 51% of vans exceeded the speed limit compared to 52% on 30mph roads.
The proportion of vans exceeding the speed limit by over 10mph on 30mph roads was 6%, while 13% exceeded the speed limit on motorways by more than 10mph.
Figure 3: Distribution of van speeds by road type in Great Britain, 2021 (Table SPE0111)
Statistics on van compliance on national speed limit single carriageways are not collected. The speed limit applicable to different types of van on this road type depends on the maximum laden weight and construction of the vehicle, which cannot be determined by our data source.
Articulated HGV (HGVA) compliance with speed limits
In free flow conditions, the proportions of articulated HGVs complying with the speed limit were 98% on motorways, 64% on NSL single carriageways and 57% on 30mph roads.
On motorways, 2% of articulated HGVs exceeded the speed limit, compared to 36% on NSL single carriageway roads and 43% on 30mph roads.
The proportion of articulated HGVs exceeding the speed limit by over 10mph on 30mph roads was 3%, while less than 1% exceeded the speed limit by more than 10mph on motorways and NSL single carriageway roads.
The low proportion of HGVAs exceeding the speed limit on motorways can be attributed to legislation requiring all HGVs over 3.5 tonnes to be fitted with speed limiters to 56mph.
Figure 4: Distribution of Articulated HGV speeds by road type in Great Britain, 2021 (Table SPE0111)
Rigid HGV (HGVR) compliance with speed limits
In free flow conditions, the proportions of rigid HGVs complying with the speed limit were 58% on NSL single carriageways and 56% on 30mph roads.
On NSL single carriageway roads 42% of rigid HGVs exceeded the speed limit, compared to 44% on 30mph roads.
The proportion of rigid HGVs exceeding the speed limit by over 10mph on 30mph roads and NSL single carriageways was 4%.
Figure 5: Distribution of Rigid HGV speeds by road type in Great Britain, 2021 (Table SPE0111)
Statistics on Rigid HGV compliance on motorways are not collected. There are significant numbers of Rigid HGVs both above and below the 7.5 tonne gross weight threshold, which are subject to different motorway speed limits. Our data does not collect weight information to enable vehicle data to be matched to the applicable speed limit.
Change in speed limits for HGVs over 7.5 tonnes maximum laden weight
On 6 April 2015, in England and Wales only, the national speed limit for HGVs more than 7.5 tonnes maximum laden weight increased from 50mph to 60mph on dual carriageways, and from 40mph to 50mph on single carriageways.
Because rigid HGVs above and below the 7.5 tonne threshold have different applicable speed limits and the ATC sites cannot determine laden weight, we cannot calculate speed compliance data. Therefore, speed compliance statistics are only available for articulated HGVs.
More detailed studies of the impact of the speed limit changes were produced and published in a final report in July 2020.
Short bus compliance with speed limits
In free flow conditions, the proportions of short buses (under 12m) complying with the speed limit were 50% on NSL single carriageways.
In free flow conditions, the proportions of short buses exceeding the speed limit was 50% on NSL single carriageways.
The proportion of short buses exceeding the speed limit by over 10mph on NSL single carriageways was 6%.
Figure 6: Distribution of short buses speeds by road type in Great Britain, 2021 (Table SPE0111)
Statistics on short and long buses’ speed compliance on motorways are not published, as the sample size did not meet the data quality threshold required for publishing.
Statistics on short bus speed compliance on 30mph roads are not published in 2021, as the data did not meet the data quality threshold. A review of the data for this vehicle category will be carried out ahead of the next publication.
Long bus compliance with speed limits
On 30mph roads and NSL single carriageways 76% and 47% of long buses (over 12m) complied with the speed limit respectively.
In free flow conditions, the proportions of long buses exceeding the speed limit was 53% on NSL single carriageways and 24% on 30mph roads.
The proportion of long buses exceeding the speed limit by over 10mph on NSL single carriageways was 5%, with less than 1% on 30mph roads.
Figure 7: Distribution of long buses speeds by road type in Great Britain, 2021 (Table SPE0111)
Statistics on short and long buses’ speed compliance on motorways are not published, as the sample size did not meet the data quality threshold required for publishing.
Motorcycle compliance with speed limits
In free flow conditions, the proportions of motorcycles complying with the speed limit were 41% on motorways, 72% on NSL single carriageways and 41% on 30mph roads.
On motorways and 30mph roads 59% of motorcycles exceeded the speed limit, compared to 28% on NSL single carriageways.
The proportion of motorcycles exceeding the speed limit by over 10mph on motorways was 20%, higher than other vehicle types, compared to 14% of motorcycles on 30mph and 10% on NSL single carriageway roads.
Figure 8: Distribution of motorcycle speeds by road type in Great Britain, 2021 (Table SPE0111)
Speed limit compliance by time of day
In free flow conditions, most vehicle classes saw a higher proportion of vehicles exceeding the speed limit during the night (between 6pm and 5am the following day) and a lower proportion during the day (between 6am and 5pm).
30mph roads saw the greatest differences in proportion of vehicles exceeding the speed limit between during the day and during the night. These are generally the roads where higher volumes of pedestrians might be expected.
For most vehicle types, a slightly lower proportion of vehicles were seen exceeding the speed limit during rush hour periods (around 8am and 5pm).
Figure 9a: Percentage of vehicles exceeding the speed limit by time of day in Great Britain, 2021 (Table SPE0113)
Figure 9b: Percentage of vehicles exceeding the speed limit by time of day in Great Britain, 2021 (Table SPE0113)
Speed limit compliance by day of week
On all road types the percentage of vehicles exceeding the speed limit is generally consistent from Monday to Friday and from Saturday to Sunday. Therefore, we are able to categorise speed limit exceedance by weekday or weekend.
On Motorways 47% of cars exceeded the speed limit during weekdays, rising to 52% on weekends. On 30mph roads 50% of cars exceeded the speed limit on weekdays compared to 55% on weekends. Whereas 11% of cars exceeded the speed limit on weekdays for NSL single carriageways rising to 14% on weekends.
For all vehicle classes and road types, the percentages of vehicles exceeding speed limits on weekends were higher than the percentages exceeding the speed limit on weekdays. 30mph roads typically saw the smallest differences between weekday and weekend compliance, with motorways and NSL single carriageways seeing slightly larger differences between weekday and weekend compliance.
Figure 10a: Percentage of vehicles exceeding the speed limit on weekdays and weekends in Great Britain, 2021 (Table SPE0115)
Figure 10b: Percentage of vehicles exceeding the speed limit on weekdays and weekends in Great Britain, 2021 (Table SPE0115)
Average free flow speeds by road and vehicle type
This section presents the average free flow speeds at which drivers choose to travel as observed at sampled ATC locations. The average free flow speed for each vehicle type is correlated with the applicable speed limit for that road type. These are not average speeds across the whole network - these can be found at road congestion and travel time.
For motorways, the average free flow speed was at or below the designated speed limit for each vehicle type, with the exception of motorcycles where the average free slow speed was at 72mph.
For NSL single carriageways, the average free flow speeds were significantly below the relative speed limits for all vehicle types, which is consistent with the greater compliance with speed limits on those roads.
For 30mph sites, the average free flow speed was slightly above the speed limit for three vehicle types (cars, motorcycles and vans), with averages for all vehicle types ranging from 27mph to 33mph overall.
For the 20mph sites (which are not thought to be representative of all 20mph roads), the average speed was above the speed limit for all vehicle types, ranging from 22mph to 29mph but below the average speeds seen on the 30mph roads.
Figure 11: Average free flow speeds by vehicle type and road type in Great Britain, 2021 (Table SPE0111)
Vehicle speeds on 20mph roads
The department also has data for a number of ‘free-flow’ sites with 20mph speed limits, however the data from these need to be interpreted with additional caution because:
By their nature, roads with 20mph speed limits are particularly likely to have traffic calming measures in place, or not be ‘free flow’ for other reasons (for example narrow, or with many corners and bends). Indeed the Department for Transport (DfT) guidance suggests that 20mph limits are most effective when they have traffic calming measures or when average vehicle speeds are already below 24mph.
The 20mph ‘free flow’ sites tend to be on ‘through routes’ rather than smaller residential streets – reflecting the constraints both of finding ‘free flow’ traffic conditions and locations suitable for the installation of automatic traffic monitoring equipment. Thus quieter residential streets which may make up a large proportion of 20mph roads will be under-represented in the data.
Therefore the ‘free flow’ 20 mph sites in this data set will tend to be unrepresentative of 20mph limits in general, and this effect will be much greater than for other speed limits considered above. These factors need to be taken into account when looking at the results for 20 mph sites available in this data set.
In 2018, DfT published the results of a detailed research study into 20mph limits without traffic calming measures, which can provide a more detailed and rounded picture for these roads.
Headline figures
20mph limits are supported by the majority of residents and drivers.
There has been a small reduction in average (median) speed – less than 1mph.
Vehicles travelling at higher speeds before the introduction of the 20mph limit have reduced their speed more than those already travelling at lower speeds
Vehicle speeds on 20mph roads show that 2021 saw greater speed compliance in Rigid HGVs and short buses than other vehicle types.
Figure 12a: Proportion of vehicles exceeding the speed limit in Great Britain on 20mph roads, 2021 (Table SPE0116)
Figure 12b: Proportion of vehicles exceeding the speed limit in Great Britain on 20mph roads, 2021 (Table SPE0116)
Under free flow conditions 87% of cars exceeded the speed limit at the 20mph sites. 19% exceed the speed limit by more than 10mph (figure 13a). With the exception of short buses and long buses, all vehicle types saw over 10% of vehicles exceed the speed limit by more than 10mph.
On 20mph roads 87% of cars exceeded the speed limit during weekdays, and 89% during the weekend Table SPE0115.
Most vehicle classes saw a higher percentage of vehicles exceeding the speed limit during the night and a lower percentage of vehicles exceeding the speed limit during the rush hour periods Table SPE0113.
Figure 13a: Distribution of vehicle speeds on 20mph roads in Great Britain, 2021 (Table SPE0111)
Figure 13b: Distribution of vehicle speeds on 20mph roads in Great Britain, 2021 (Table SPE0111)
Reasons given for breaking the speed limit
The RAC Report on Motoring 2021 asked users to select up to 3 reasons why they exceed the speed limit for each road class. The respondents who admitted to exceeding the speed limit on motorways selected a greater number of reasons on average than those who admitted exceeding the speed limit on 20mph roads.
Of these five reasons, the top reason given was “I drive according to the speed of other road users”, cited by 40% of motorway users and 33% of 30mph road users. On 20mph roads, users most often cited the speed limit being inappropriate as the contributor to their exceeding the speed limit (49%).
Figure 14: Reasons for breaking the speed limit on motorways, 30mph and 20mph roads (Source: RAC report on motoring, 2021)
This data comes from the RAC’s Report on Motoring 2021. The report is published annually and is based on drivers’ attitudes to motoring, including a section on speeding and attitudes to speeding. It is based on an online quota-based survey of UK motorists. Drivers who admitted to exceeding the speed limit on particular types of road were asked their reasons for doing so, which are shown here. These are not National Statistics but are included here to provide additional context.
For motorways, there is a category in the reasons given called “It is safe to go faster than the speed limit”. For 30mph roads, this category is not present but there is another category called “very few other vehicles or pedestrians on the road”. These two have been taken together in this analysis, as it is deemed that they are covering broadly the same safety issue but fitted for the differing nature of the different road types.
The results are taken from respondents who self-reported as speeding “frequently” or “occasionally” on the listed roads.
The sample size was higher for motorways (1,090) than for 30mph roads (750) or 20mph road (810) with each respondent able to choose up to 3 answers. As respondents are able to select more than one answer, the total percentage exceeds 100% for each road type; this does not indicate more individuals exceeding the speed limit, but a wider variety of reasons given.
Speed Offences
This section reports on previously published data directly relating to speeding offences and road traffic accidents involving speeding.
During the coronavirus pandemic, road traffic levels decreased (see context section). This has likely influenced the number of prosecutions for motoring offences, including speeding offences.
Definitions
Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN)
Offered to motorists to avoid prosecution for various motoring offences (for example speeding, neglect of traffic directions and using a mobile phone while driving) by paying a prescribed financial penalty.
Speed awareness courses
National Driver Offender Retraining Scheme (NDORS) is a set of schemes unique to the UK, where a motorist who has been caught committing a traffic offence at a ‘low level’, such as speeding, is given an opportunity to attend a course focusing on re-education designed to achieve greater compliance with the Road Traffic legislation.
Conviction ratio
The number of convictions as a proportion of the number of proceedings. These are calculated on a principal offence basis.
Motor vehicle offences relating to exceeding the speed limit
Figure 15: Indices of motor vehicle offences relating to exceeding the speed limit, 2011 to 2021 (Table SPE0201) Sources: Home Office (HO), Ministry of Justice (MoJ) and National Driver Retraining Scheme (NDORS)
Outcomes following speed limit offences
The PentiP system recorded 1.84 million speed limit offences in England and Wales in 2020, a decrease of 12.9% compared with the previous year. However, 2020 was an exceptional year, with road traffic levels reduced due to the coronavirus pandemic, so fewer car journeys were made.
The scope of the Home Office series includes those cases which resulted in either a FPN being issued to the driver, a driver retraining course (such as a speed awareness course) was attended by the individual, or cases where the individual faced court action.
The 2021 figures for speed limit offences will be published by the Home Office in October 2022.
Speeding offences
There was an 90% conviction ratio for people proceeded against for speed limit offences in England and Wales in 2021 (187,000 were found guilty).
In 2021, 33% of motoring convictions were for speed limit offences.
The number of people found guilty of speed limit offences has increased since 2020. With the exception of 2020, the number of people found guilty of speed limit offences has been steadily increasing since 2017 and is therefore in line with trends seen in previous years.
Speed awareness courses
In 2021, 1.39 million drivers attended a speed awareness course in the UK, an increase from 1.19 million in 2020. Since 2014 there have been over 1 million speed awareness course attendances per year.
Following 2020, where all courses were made virtual due to the closure of physical classrooms during the pandemic period, 2021 also saw virtual courses. Furthermore, in 2021, not all courses were available in all police forces due to the pandemic.
In preceding years, there has generally been an increase seen in speed courses attended, which reflects changes to courses that are available.
The speed awareness course data include those Driver Retraining Course Attendances processed in Scotland, Northern Ireland or locally by police forces that are not included in Home Office’s FPN series.
Speed as a contributory factor in road accidents
This section provides information about road accidents that reported speed as a contributory factor in 2020. Therefore, the period covered in this section covers time periods severely affected by the coronavirus pandemic. More information can be found at Road Accidents and Safety Statistics.
Definitions
Accident
Involves personal injury occurring on the public highway (including footways) in which at least one road vehicle or a vehicle in collision with a pedestrian is involved and which becomes known to the police within 30 days of its occurrence. Damage-only accidents with no human casualties or accidents on private roads or car parks are not included.
Fatal accident
An accident in which at least 1 person is killed.
Serious accident
One in which at least 1 person is seriously injured but no person (other than a confirmed suicide) is killed.
Slight accident
One in which at least 1 person is slightly injured but no person is killed or seriously injured.
Contributory factor
Contributory factors provide some insight into why and how road accidents occur. They are designed to give the key actions and failures that led directly to the actual impact to aid investigation of how accidents might be prevented. Please note that this does not assign blame for the accident to any specific road user, but gives an indication of which factors the attending officer thought contributed to the accident.
More information is available in notes and definitions.
Under presumed free flow conditions:
Exceeding the speed limit was reported as a contributory factor for 6.9% (3,927) of accidents in 2020, a decrease from 5.6% (4,143) in 2019. The total number of reported accidents where any contributory factor was reported decreased from 74,575 in 2019 to 56,550 in 2020.
The share of fatal and serious accidents where exceeding the speed limit was reported as a contributory factor was 9.3% (1,361) in 2020. This has remained broadly stable since 2013 but increased in 2020. However, traffic levels were significantly impacted in 2020 due to the affects of the coronavirus pandemic, so fewer journeys were made, which could affect the data.
Figure 16: Reported accidents where exceeding the speed limit was reported as a contributory factor, by severity, 2013 to 2020, excluding non-free flow conditions (Table SPE0204)
Those accidents with contributory factors relating to traffic calming, stolen vehicle, road layout, temporary road layout, vehicle in course of crime and emergency vehicle on a call have been excluded. Accident sites may still have these conditions, but they were not recorded as a contributory factor, no contributory factors were recorded or a police officer did not attend the scene.
Figure 17: Reported accidents where exceeding the speed limit was reported as a contributory factor, by severity, 2013 to 2020 (Table SPE0202)
The proportions of accidents when excluding or including contributory factors of abnormal or non-free flow conditions are very similar. This suggests that free flow roads may reflect conditions on the wider road network.
Headline figures
In 2020, for all accidents, 4% (4,454) of vehicles had an exceeding the speed limit contributory factor allocated to them. This percentage has increased since 2014, although raw numbers have decreased, with the value being 2.5% (5,381) in 2014.
Motorcycles had the highest proportion of accidents (7.1%) where exceeding the speed limit was a contributory factor. 26% of fatal motorcycle accidents had exceeding the speed limit as a contributory factor, compared to 10% for all vehicles.
HGVs had the lowest proportion of accidents (1%) in 2020 where exceeding the speed limit was a contributory factor. This may relate to HGVs being speed limited or the drivers being professionally trained.
Figure 18: Percentage of vehicles with an exceeding the speed limit contributory factor by vehicle type, split by severity, 2020 (Table SPE0203)
Vehicle headway
This section provides information about the time gaps between pairs of vehicles. This time gap is referred to as headway.
Headway
Headway is the measurement of time between the 2 vehicles. The Highway Code (rule 126) states that all drivers “should allow at least a 2 second gap between you and the vehicle in front on roads carrying faster moving traffic”, and “this should be at least doubled” in inclement conditions.
More information can be found on the Highway Code webpage.
Headline figures
In 2021, 74% of cars and LCVs, and 66% of motorcycles left the recommended 2 seconds gap between themselves and other vehicles.
A higher percentage of vehicles with slower speed limits left the recommended minimum 2 second gap: 88% of HGVAs, 80% of HGVRs and 83% of buses and coaches.
Adherence to the recommended 2 second gap has remained relatively stable since 2011, with the exception of 2020 where adherence increased, partly linked to the decreased traffic levels on roads during the coronavirus pandemic period, causing less congestion on roads.
The proportion of vehicles leaving a gap of 6 seconds was in line with what was seen in previous years, with the exception of 2020 which saw higher levels of vehicles leaving a gap of 6 seconds. Again, this can be attributed to the coronavirus pandemic.
Figure 19: Distribution of time gaps between vehicles, split by type of vehicle behind, 2021 (Table SPE0114)
Background information
What’s changed in this release
Since the last release of this series we have conducted another review of our list of ATC sites to ensure they continue to reflect free flow sites of each road class. Sites that have been removed have changed road class, road layout, or have in-road traffic calming measures such as chicanes or speed bumps. Motorways undergoing smart motorway works or which have become smart motorways have been excluded from the sample.
Vehicle definitions
Table 4: Definition of vehicles
| Transport mode | Definition |
|---|---|
| Car | Includes cars, car derived vans and dual purpose vehicles |
| LCV (van) | Light Commercial Vehicle, goods vehicle of 3.5 tonnes gross weight and under |
| HGV | Heavy Goods Vehicle, goods vehicle of over 3.5 tonnes gross weight. For the purpose of these statistics, rigid 2-axle HGVs cannot be assigned definitively to a national speed limit, since it is not known whether or not they are over 7.5 tonnes gross weight. Therefore no speed limit compliance statistics can be produced for these vehicles for motorways. All other observed HGVs are assumed to have more than 7.5 tonnes maximum laden weight and therefore have been assigned the speed limit for such vehicles |
| Motorcycle | Two Wheeled Motor Vehicle, here simplified to motorcycles, including scooters and mopeds |
| Short Bus | Includes buses and coaches of 12m length or below |
| Long Bus | Includes buses and coaches over 12m in length. Long buses have different speed restrictions on motorways to short buses, therefore separate statistics are produced for each |
Speed limits on different road types
See the speed limits webpage for more information on the complete breakdown of national speed limits.
All vehicles have the same speed limit on 20mph and 30mph roads.
Figure 20: Applicable speed limits for motorways and national speed limit single carriageways
Table 5: Applicable speed limits for motorways and national speed limit single carriageways
| Transport mode | Motorway speed limit (mph) | National speed limit single carriageway (mph) |
|---|---|---|
| Car | 70 | 60 |
| LCV (van) | 70 | 50 |
| Motorcycle | 70 | 60 |
| Short bus (under 12m) | 70 | 50 |
| Long bus (over 12m) | 60 | 50 |
| Rigid 2-axle HGV (under 7.5t) | 70 | 50 |
| Rigid 2-axle HGV (over 7.5t) | 60 | 50 |
| Rigid 3-axle and more HGV | 60 | 50 |
| Articulated HGV | 60 | 50 |
Sources, strengths and weaknesses of the data
Following an annual sample review, these estimates are based on traffic speed data collected from a current sample of 82 Automatic Traffic Counters (ATCs) operated by DfT. In some cases (for example motorways), 2 ATCs may be covering different directions of traffic flow at the same location. The number of individual vehicles observed in the production of these statistics was 479 million. The breakdown for each year is shown in Table 6.
Table 6: Number of Automatic Traffic Counters and vehicles used to produce free flow vehicle speed statistics for Great Britain, 2011 to 2021
| Year | Automatic Traffic Counters Used | Vehicles used (millions) | Significant proportion of data removed from (number of sites) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | 99 | 685 | 3 motorways |
| 2012 | 99 | 702 | 3 motorways |
| 2013 | 98 | 605 | 3 motorways |
| 2014 | 105 | 567 | 3 motorways |
| 2015 | 107 | 743 | 3 motorways |
| 2016 | 107 | 725 | 0 |
| 2017 | 92 | 637 | 0 |
| 2018 | 102 | 655 | 0 |
| 2019 | 79 | 510 | 0 |
| 2020 | 79 | 371 | 0 |
| 2020 January to June | 78 | 91 (cars only) | 1 motorway |
| 2020 July to September | 77 | 66 (cars only) | 1 30mph road |
| 2020 October to December | 77 | 50 (cars only) | 0 |
| 2021 | 82 | 479 | 0 |
| 2021 January to March | 78 | 32 (cars only) | 0 |
| 2021 April to June | 78 | 63 (cars only) | 0 |
| 2021 July to September | 78 | 74 (cars only) | 0 |
| 2021 October to December | 78 | 66 (cars only) | 0 |
The ATC technology used to collect this data can experience technical failures and produce output data which is incorrect and not representative of the traffic passing the counter. The methodology accounts for these occasions and removes any data which is not accurately recorded, as well as during times when traffic volumes are unexpectedly low or high.
The ATCs classify vehicles using the number of axles, the axle spacing and the length of the vehicle.
Full guidance on the sources and methods used to compile these statistics, plus information on speed limits, can be found on the guidance page.
Detailed information on the Reported accidents data used in this release can be found in the Reported road casualties annual report.
Detailed information on the Home Office data used in this release can be found in the User guide to police powers and procedures.
Detailed information on the Ministry of Justice data used in this release can be found at Criminal justice statistics quarterly.
Average speed statistics for both local authority managed ‘A’ roads and the Strategic Road Network are available online as part of a suite of travel time measures from the Road congestion and reliability statistics series. Note that this series also uses the term “free flow speed” but this is calculated in a different way (for example ‘capped’ at national speed limits) and using a different data source to the statistics presented in this release.
Next update
The 2022 release is due to be published in 2023. We are continuing to review methodologies and the coverage of these statistics and further changes may be reflected in the next publication. We welcome feedback on this publication including content, timing, and format via email to road traffic statistics.
National Statistics
National Statistics are produced to high professional standards set out in the National Statistics Code of Practice. They undergo regular quality assurance reviews to ensure they meet customer needs.
Free flow vehicle speed statistics were assessed by the UK Statistics Authority against the Code of Practice and were designated as National Statistics in February 2013.
Details of Ministers and officials who receive pre-release access to these statistics up to 24 hours before release can be found on the pre-release access page.
Instructions for printing and saving
Depending on which browser you use and the type of device you use (such as a mobile or laptop) these instructions may vary.
How to search
Select Ctrl and F on a Windows laptop or Command and F on a Mac
This will open a search box in the top right-hand corner of the page. Type the word you are looking for in the search bar and press enter.
Your browser will highlight the word, usually in yellow, wherever it appears on the page. Press enter to move to the next place it appears.
You will find your print and save options in your browser’s menu. You may also have other options available on your device. Tablets and mobile device instructions will be specific to the make and model of the device.
Contact us
Road traffic and vehicle speed compliance statistics
Email roadtraff.stats@dft.gov.uk
Media enquiries 0300 7777 878
To hear more about DfT statistics publications as they are released, follow us on Twitter.