Half of all drivers say speeding is acceptable

HALF of all drivers – or about 20million people – believe it is acceptable to break the speed limit, figures show.

These motorists reckon there are ‘acceptable’ speeds they can drive at above the limit. On average drivers say it is permissible to do 26mph in a 20mph zone, 56mph on a 50mph road and 79mph in a 70mph zone.

And almost two in five have been caught speeding, according to the poll of more than 2,000 people by insurer Direct Line. More than three quarters (78 per cent) admit to speeding, with five per cent speeding on every journey they take.

When asked why, half of speeders admit to doing so without realising it but slow down when they notice. But a third deliberately speed when the road is empty. One in five admit they do so for the thrill of driving so quickly.

Earlier this year the chief constable of West Mercia Anthony Bangham suggested it is time to get rid of the 10 per cent ‘buffer’ over the signposted limit that most forces allow. He said the days of the ‘soft’ treatment of offenders must end.