Police data reveals North Wales recorded 88mph in a 20mph zone. Excessive speeding is a leading cause of UK road deaths.
Almost half of police forces caught very fast drivers; these drivers went over 90mph in 30mph zones between January 2023 and August 2024. South Yorkshire Police recorded the highest speed, with a driver going 122mph in a 30mph zone.
North Wales Police logged 88mph on a 20mph road. The RAC calls this incredibly dangerous and wants the government to act.
A new road safety strategy is coming, and it should reduce crashes caused by speeding. Rod Dennis spoke for the RAC, stating that police caught dangerous drivers and noting that excessive speeds have no place.
Speeding is the top cause of deaths on UK roads. Jo Shiner, who leads roads policing, said that some speeding is a mistake, but high speeds show deliberate choices.
She noted that speed limits consider many factors, and exceeding them is reckless and selfish. Here are top speeds recorded on 30mph roads: South Yorkshire (122mph), Sussex (113mph), Greater Manchester (112mph), and West Yorkshire (112mph).
The list continues with West Mercia (106mph), Lancashire (104mph), Nottinghamshire (103mph), Bedfordshire (103mph), West Midlands (100mph), and Northern Ireland (100mph). Other areas include Dorset (97mph), Lincolnshire (96mph), Avon and Somerset (93mph), Kent (93mph), and Scotland (93mph).
The list continues with Leicestershire (92mph), Cambridgeshire (91mph), Durham (91mph), and Gwent (91mph). Also included are Essex (90mph), Hampshire (90mph), Devon and Cornwall (89mph), Merseyside (89mph), and Norfolk (89mph).
Finishing the list is Staffordshire (87mph), Northumbria (85mph), Hertfordshire (85mph), Suffolk (83mph) and Warwickshire (83mph). The other forces include Cumbria (78mph), Cheshire (77mph), North Yorkshire (77mph), Northamptonshire (76mph), Gloucestershire (74mph), North Wales (72mph), and Cleveland (64mph).
Leicestershire Police found the fastest speed, with someone going 167mph on the M1; the limit there is 70mph. In 2023, 331 people died in crashes where speeding was the cause.
This is the highest figure in ten years, representing 21% of all road deaths. The Department for Transport commented that speeding is inexcusable and stated that they have tough penalties already and aim to improve road safety.
They relaunched the Think! campaign, which focuses on rural road speeding.