Revealed: the UK’s worst speeding offenders

A motorist caught driving at 115mph in a 30mph zone was one of many shocking speeding offences committed in the UK in 2019, according to new research.

Freedom of Information data, obtained by insurance comparison site Confused.com, revealed police reported 2.5 million speeding offences in 2019 – a 7% increase compared to 2018 – with some drivers reaching as much as 500% over the speed limit.

Speed zone	Fastest speed	Police force
20mph	120mph	Metropolitan Police
30mph	115mph	Thames Valley Police
40mph	114mph	Hertfordshire Police
50mph	145mph	West Yorkshire Police
60mph	138mph	Humberside Police
70mph	162mph	South Yorkshire Police

If a driver is caught speeding, they’ll be on the receiving end of a minimum £100 fine – an expense no doubt drivers could do without during this challenging time. And based on this minimum amount, drivers caught speeding last year would have paid an eye-watering £250 million in speeding fines, collectively.

However, in some cases, drivers can expect to be paying a significant amount more, suggesting this total could be a lot higher so Confused.com has launched a speeding calculator, which estimates the fine based on the severity of the offence, revealing at which point a driver could be banned.

The majority of UK drivers (80%) admit to having broken the speed limit at least once, with one in six (17%) doing so frequently.

And, worryingly, more than half (53%) of motorists think it’s acceptable to speed under some circumstances.

Nearly three in five (59%) of these think it’s okay if it’s an emergency, while nearly one in four (24%) think it’s acceptable if there aren’t any other cars on the road.

More than half (58%) of drivers who admit to speeding have never been caught. But of those who have, it has led to an increase in their insurance (40%) or impacted their ability to apply for certain jobs (6%).