In summary, a habitual speeder is a bad driver who thinks they are a good driver.
Only 10% drive dangerously out of disregard for their safety or that of others (these are the reckless ‘nutters’) but the 90% who think they are good drivers are full of excuses:
“I didn’t know what the speed limit was; I was just keeping up with the traffic”
“I was in a hurry/late for work/late for appointment”
“The speed limit is too low”
The growing numbers of couriers in vans speed because they face significant pressure to meet strict delivery schedules and quotas, often fearing dismissal if they fail to make all deliveries on time.
Through-drivers speed because they find the necessary passage through the village an interruption to their longer journey at the national limit of 60mph.
Many drivers underestimate the dangers of speeding. They may not fully comprehend the impact of high speeds on stopping distances, vehicle control, and the increased severity of collisions.
Crash risk data collected by insurance companies over eighteen-months showed the top occupations for crashes and speeding tickets were students, medical doctors, lawyers, architects, estate agents, military personnel, manual labourers, politicians.
Driving inexperience, fatigue, and smartphones feature in these demographics, but personality also plays a role. Doctors, lawyers, architects, soldiers, and politicians tend to be ambitious A-type personalities who are extremely self-confident in their ability to control their world. They take bigger risks because of their ‘optimism bias’.
Some speed simply because they see others doing it. Then justify that they are driving ‘to match the flow of traffic.’ Speeding is now culturally acceptable and normalized.
Many ignore speed limits because nothing bad has ever happened to them at speed. So they drive according to their perceptions of what’s safe, not what actually is.
WHAT are the legal penalties for those who kill by speeding?
Causing death by dangerous driving carries an immediate disqualification of a minimum of 5 years. The maximum penalty is life imprisonment and an unlimited fine.
Lesser forfeits for speeding include:
- Fixed penalty notice – which typically includes a fine and penalty points on their driving licence
- Speed awareness courses – allows drivers to avoid penalty points and a fine
- Increased insurance premiums – insurance providers view convicted speeders as a higher risk, resulting in higher premiums for several years
- Licence disqualification -For more serious speeding offences, drivers may face disqualification from driving