National statistics

Vehicle speed compliance statistics for Great Britain: October to December 2021

Published 8 March 2022

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About this release

This quarterly statistical release presents estimates of car compliance with speed limits in free-flowing conditions on roads in Great Britain.

This is being produced in addition to the annual vehicle speeds compliance release, which covers other vehicle types.

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 proportion of cars exceeding the speed limit during October to December 2021 was lower than the same period in 2020, (which was affected by the coronavirus pandemic), and the same period in 2019.

Figure 1: Proportion of cars exceeding the speed limit in Great Britain, from 2019 (SPE2504)

All road types saw a sharp increase in speed limit exceedance in March 2020, which quickly started returning to normal levels. A smaller increase is seen in December 2020 but speed compliance had returned to similar levels to previous years by April 2021.

In October to December 2021, 42% of cars in free-flowing conditions exceeded the speed limit on motorways. On National Speed Limit (NSL) single carriageways with a car speed limit of 60mph, 9% of cars exceeded the speed limit, while on 30mph roads 50% of cars exceeded the speed limit.

The percentage of cars exceeding the speed limit on motorways in October to December 2021 showed a decrease when compared to the same quarter in 2020 and 2019. On NSL single carriageways the percentage of cars exceeding the speed limit was similar when compared to the same period in 2020 and 2019.

The percentage of cars exceeding the speed limit on motorways and 30mph roads was slightly lower when compared to the same period in 2020 and 2019 but remain in line with trends seen prior to the pandemic, indicating that, alongside the return of overall traffic levels to those seen before the pandemic, speed compliance activity is also in line with trends seen prior to the pandemic.

Context

The annual speed compliance statistics normally show very little variation in the proportion complying with the speed limit from year to year so, without the coronavirus pandemic, we would expect speed limit compliance over the time period that was impacted by coronavirus to have remained in line with previous years.

This quarterly release has been produced in addition to the annual publication to provide a quarterly breakdown of car speed compliance statistics to investigate car speed compliance trends during the pandemic period. As effects of the pandemic on speed limit compliance have reduced, this release is the last in the quarterly series. Additional summary sections have been included throughout to summarise trends over the last two years. Statistics for 2019 are also included to provide comparisons to the trend prior to the pandemic period.

In late March 2020 the UK entered its first national lockdown. There was an immediate large drop in daily traffic levels, which particularly affected April to June 2020, this can be seen in Figure 2. Traffic levels recovered slowly, before declining again in the autumn, when further local and national restrictions were seen due to the pandemic.

January 2021 saw England enter a third national lockdown and Scotland a second national lockdown while Wales continued its third national lockdown, which had begun in December 2020. These lockdowns again significantly reduced daily traffic levels, however, traffic levels remained higher than those seen in April to June 2020. By June 2021, overall road traffic levels had returned to levels close to those seen before the pandemic. During October to December 2021, these levels were comparable to those seen before the pandemic.

The trends in speed limit compliance presented in this report can often be seen to coincide with these exceptional changes in road traffic. Generally, during periods of reduced traffic, speed limit exceedances have been higher, though it should be noted that other factors, such as changes in season and weather, may also have been having an impact.

Figure 2: Daily car use on roads in Great Britain, since March 2020

In March 2020 there was a sudden drop in car levels which recovered slowly. A smaller drop is also seen in November, followed by a slightly larger drop in January. These also recovered slowly but have remained stable since June 2021.

For more information, see transport use during the coronavirus pandemic.

Important dates

Table 1: Important dates during the coronavirus pandemic

Date of introduction Coronavirus events
23 March 2020 UK enters first national lockdown
30 June 2020 UK starts first local lockdown in Leicester and parts of Leicestershire
14 October 2020 England introduces 3 tier system
23 October 2020 Wales introduces fire-break lockdown, ends 9 Nov
2 November 2020 Scotland introduces 5 tier system
5 November 2020 England enters second national lockdown, ends 2 Dec
19 December 2020 Tier 4 introduced for London, South East and East of England
20 December 2020 Wales enters third national lockdown
26 December 2020 Large parts of England enter tier 4
5 January 2021 Mainland Scotland enters second national lockdown
6 January 2021 England enters third national lockdown
29 March 2021 ‘Stay at home’ order in England ends, but people encouraged to stay local
12 April 2021 England’s non-essential retail, hairdressers, public buildings reopen
19 June 2021 Most legal limits on social contact removed in England and the final closed sectors of the economy are reopened
8 Dec 2021 Prime Minister announces a move to ‘Plan B’ measures in England following the spread of the Omicron variant

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. This release covers October to December 2021 and therefore cannot be directly compared to annual publications. Quarterly statistics in 2019 and 2020 are provided throughout the release for comparative purposes.

Comparing data between quarters

Comparisons should generally be made with the same quarter of previous years, otherwise seasonal factors such as differences in light or weather conditions may distort the result.

Comparisons with a different quarter of the year may be biased by seasonal patterns. If a difference between quarters was the same in other years, this is likely down to the seasons.

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 70 mph on Motorways and 60 mph on National Speed Limit Single Carriageways. A complete breakdown of national speed limits can be found on the speed limits page.

Distribution of car speeds by road type

In October to December 2021, the proportion of cars exceeding the speed limit was similar to the same period in 2020 and 2019 on NSL single carriageways, but lower on motorways and 30mph roads (see Table 2).

On motorways:

  • 42% of cars exceeded the speed limit compared to 47% in 2020 and 44% in 2019

On NSL single carriageways (60 mph limit):

  • 9% of cars exceeded the speed limit compared to 10% in 2020 and 9% in 2019

On 30 mph roads:

  • 50% of cars exceeded the speed limit compared to 52% in 2020 and 51% in 2019

The distribution of car speeds for each road type remained consistent with those seen in previous years.

In October to December 2021, the proportion of cars exceeding the speed limit by 10 mph or more was very similar to the same period in 2020 and 2019 across all three road types (see Figure 4).

Figure 3: Distribution of car speeds by road type in Great Britain, October to December 2019, 2020 and 2021 (SPE2501)

The highest proportion of cars drove under the speed limit. 25% drove between 65 and 69 mph on motorways. 37% drove between 25 and 29 mph on 30 mph roads whereas 27% drove between 45 and 49 mph on National Speed Limit single carriageways.

Speed limit compliance on motorways was affected by the coronavirus pandemic, with April to June 2020 seeing a slight increase in cars exceeding the speed limit by 10mph or more. These levels had returned to those seen in previous years by July to September 2020 but increased again in October to December 2020.

However, since July to September 2021, the proportion of cars exceeding the speed limit on motorways was lower than the same period in 2020 and 2019, showing an overall small increase in speed limit compliance since before the pandemic.

Speed limit compliance on NSL single carriageways was most affected by the coronavirus pandemic, most notably during the first national lockdown, with April to June 2020 seeing an increase in speed limit exceedance of 17% compared to 10% in the same period of 2019. There was also a slight increase in the proportion of cars exceeding the speed limit by 10mph or more.

However, these levels returned to levels seen in previous years by July to September 2020. January to March 2021 saw another slight increase in speed limit exceedance, however since April to June 2021, speed limit compliance remained in line with trends seen in previous years before the pandemic.

Speed limit compliance remained relatively stable on 30mph roads during the coronavirus pandemic, with the exception of April to June 2020 which saw an increase in cars exceeding the speed limit and a slight increase in cars exceeding the speed limit by 10mph or more.

However, since July to September 2020, speed limit compliance has remained in line with trends seen in previous years before the pandemic.

Figure 4: Proportion of cars exceeding the speed limit by road type in Great Britain (SPE2501)

For all road types, less cars exceeded the speed limit by 10 mph or more than exceeded the speed limit. Apart from a decrease in April to June 2020 and January to March 2021, speed limit compliance was stable between 2019 and 2021.

Table 2: Percentage of cars exceeding the speed limit by road type (SPE2501)

Road type Speed limit exceedance 2019 Q1 2019 Q2 2019 Q3 2019 Q4 2020 Q1 2020 Q2 2020 Q3 2020 Q4 2021 Q1 2021 Q2 2021 Q3 2021 Q4
Motorways Exceeding speed limit 48 52 50 44 46 53 49 47 50 51 48 42
Motorways Exceeding speed limit by 10mph and over 11 13 12 9 10 15 11 11 12 12 10 8
NSL Single Carriageways Exceeding speed limit 9 10 9 9 10 17 9 10 13 11 9 9
NSL Single Carriageways Exceeding speed limit by 10mph and over 1 1 1 1 1 3 1 1 2 1 1 1
30mph roads Exceeding speed limit 54 56 54 51 53 63 55 52 56 53 52 50
30mph roads Exceeding speed limit by 10mph and over 6 6 6 5 6 8 6 6 6 6 6 5

Compliance with the speed limit by time of day

In October to December 2021, the proportion of cars exceeding the speed limit during the day (between 6am and 5pm) on motorways and 30mph roads was slightly lower than the same period in 2020 and 2019, and was similar for NSL single carriageways.

On motorways:

  • 39% of cars exceeded the speed limit during the day compared to 44% in 2020 and 41% in 2019

On NSL single carriageways:

  • 9% of cars exceeded the speed limit during the day compared to 9% in 2020 and 8% in 2019

On 30 mph roads:

  • 52% of cars exceeded the speed limit during the day compared to 55% in 2020 and 2019

Comparing the proportion of cars exceeding the speed limit during the night (between 8pm and 5am) in October to December 2021 with the same period for the previous 2 years:

On motorways:

  • 45% of cars exceeded the speed limit at night time compared to 47% in 2020 and 49% in 2019

On NSL single carriageways:

  • 23% of cars exceeded the speed limit at night time compared to 26% in 2020 and 23% in 2019

On 30mph roads:

  • 67% of cars exceeded the speed limit at night time compared to 71% in 2020 and 70% in 2019

Figure 5: Proportion of cars exceeding the speed limit by time of day in Great Britain, October to December 2019, 2020 and 2021 (SPE2502)

A decrease in speeding during morning and evening rush hour periods were more noticeable on motorways and 30mph roads in 2019, 2020 and 2021 than on National Speed Limit single carriageways.

Prior to the pandemic, on motorways and 30mph roads it was normal to see significant dips in the proportion of cars exceeding the speed limit during morning and evening rush hour periods. These trends were largely absent in April to June 2020.

However, by January to March 2021, the morning rush hour dip had started to return but not the evening rush hour dip, particularly on motorways. By April to June 2021, trends in both rush hour periods had returned to levels seen before the pandemic.

Prior to the pandemic, on NSL single carriageways it was normal to see a lower proportion of cars exceeding the speed limit during the day than at night-time. January to March 2020 saw an increase in the proportion of cars exceeding the speed limit throughout the 24-hour period, with a larger increase seen during the day in April to June 2020.

Hourly trends however returned to levels seen before the pandemic by July to September 2020. January to March 2021 saw another slight increase in the proportion of cars exceeding the speed limit during the day but these trends again returned to normal levels by April to June 2021.

Compliance with the speed limit by day of week

In October to December 2021:

  • on motorways, the proportion of cars exceeding the speed limit on weekdays was slightly lower than October to December 2020 and 2019
  • on NSL single carriageways, the proportion of cars exceeding the speed limit on weekdays and weekends was similar to October to December 2020 and 2019
  • on 30 mph roads, the proportion of cars exceeding the speed limit on weekdays and weekends was lower when compared to October to December 2020 and 2019

On all road types, the proportion of cars exceeding the speed limit remained higher on weekends than on weekdays. For motorways Saturdays saw the highest proportion of cars exceeding the speed limit when compared to other days in the week. For NSL single carriageways and 30mph roads Sundays saw the highest proportion of cars exceeding the speed limit of any day of the week.

Figure 6: Proportion of cars exceeding the speed limit by day of week in Great Britain, October to December 2019, 2020 and 2021 (SPE2503)

The highest proportion of cars exceeding the speed limit was on the weekend, with 46% exceeding the speed limit on motorways, 12% on National Speed Limit single carriageways and 55% on 30mph roads in October to December 2021.

Although seasonal differences may play a role as demonstrated in the charts below, weekday speed limit exceedance during October to December 2021 remained in line with trends seen in previous years. Weekend and weekday speed limit exceedances were more similar on NSL single carriageways than on motorways and 30mph roads.

For all road types, speed limit compliance on weekdays was most notably affected during the first national lockdown in April to June 2020, with increases seen in the proportion of cars exceeding the speed limit compared to the same period in the previous year. Although increases were also seen during weekend periods, this is less apparent on motorways.

Speed limit exceedance on weekdays and weekends started returning to levels seen before the coronavirus pandemic on all road types in July to September 2020 but increased again in January to March 2021.

Since April to June 2021, there was a decrease in the proportion of cars exceeding the speed limit on motorways and 30mph roads on weekdays and weekends.

Therefore, speed limit compliance was higher than levels seen in the same periods before the coronavirus pandemic.

Figure 7: Proportion of cars exceeding the speed limit on weekdays and weekends in Great Britain from 2019 (SPE2503)

On all road types, weekend speed limit exceedance has been consistently higher than weekday speed limit exceedance since January to March 2019.

Background information

What’s included in this release

This release has been produced in addition to the annual publication, published every summer. It provides a quarterly breakdown of car speed compliance statistics during periods covering the coronavirus pandemic, to investigate car speed compliance trends during the pandemic period.

This seventh quarterly release covers the period October to December 2021. It looks at car speed limit compliance on motorways, National Speed Limit single carriageways and 30 mph roads.

A daily time series analysis of car speed limit exceedance between October to December is provided. A separate daily time series chart of car usage on roads is included to provide additional context.

Vehicle definitions

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 78 Automatic Traffic Counters (ATCs) operated by the Department for Transport. In some cases (for example motorways), 2 ATCs may be covering different directions of traffic flow at the same location. The number of individual cars observed in the production of the October to December 2021 statistics was 66 million. The breakdown for each year is shown in Table 1.

Table 1: 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 January to June 78 91 (cars only) 1 motorway
2020 July to September 77 66 (cars only) 1 30 mph road
2020 October to December 77 50 (cars only) 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 accurate. 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.

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. The data for this release has been recorded consistently well during times when traffic volumes are abnormally low or high.

Next update and plans for reversion to annual release schedule

This quarterly release was introduced in 2020 in addition to the regular annual statistics, to provide more timely information on compliance with speed limits during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. However, the effects of the pandemic on speed compliance appear to have reduced, with levels returning to those seen before the pandemic. Therefore, it is proposed that this publication will be the final quarterly publication in this series, allowing our limited resources to be re-deployed more flexibly to new and emerging priorities. Some of the outputs established in the quarterly series will be maintained in the annual publication, which will continue to be published and is next due for release in Summer 2022.

We welcome feedback on this publication including content, timing or format (see contact details).

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.

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Contact details

Road traffic and vehicle speed compliance statistics

Email roadtraff.stats@dft.gov.uk

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