One in three drivers break speed limit under lockdown
The proportion of drivers breaking the speed limit in Scotland has increased from one in five to one in three since lockdown.
Vehicle speeds across the Scottish trunk road network have shown a rise from fewer than 20 per cent speeding in early March before travel restrictions were introduced to up to 34 per cent by late April.
They were recorded by traffic counters, mainly in 30mph and 40mph zones.
The increase came as Police Scotland revealed to the RAC motoring group it had caught a driver speeding at 128mph on a 70mph section of the A77 near Prestwick in South Ayrshire.
That was followed by complaints of large numbers of motorcyclists speeding last weekend on rural roads, especially in the north west, after a slight easing of the lockdown.
The increased speeding has come on far emptier roads, with traffic levels falling by up to 75 per cent at the start of the lockdown.
The Scottish Greens, who revealed the figures obtained from a written Parliamentary question, called for speed limits to be reviewed.
The Scottish Government’s development body Cycling Scotland expressed alarm at the speeding figures.
Chief executive Keith Irving said: “While the actual number of vehicles speeding has fallen, it is deeply worrying that the proportion of vehicles speeding has increased in lockdown.
“The data shows that a fifth of vehicles on trunk roads were observed speeding in early March and that had increased to a third of all vehicles in May.
“Dangerous driving behaviour puts everyone at risk – people in cars, on bikes and on foot – and it cannot be accepted.
“It’s especially concerning given more people are cycling, walking or wheeling around their communities at the moment.
“We need to enable travel by bike as we emerge from lockdown, and to do that our roads have to be safer and feel safer.”
Scottish Green MSP Mark Ruskell said: “At a time when more people than ever are walking and cycling, it is unacceptable there has been persistent dangerous driving.
“As traffic levels build up again, this could present even more of a danger to those taking their daily exercise close to home, as per the government’s guidelines.
“That is why the Scottish Government needs to review speed limits, not just in our cities, but also on minor rural roads, which often do not have pavements, but are important for walkers and cyclists.
“A number of rural councils are considering ‘Quiet Lane’ designations on rural roads of 40mph where motor vehicles share the space with walkers and cyclists.
“More of these are needed to lock in safety and health benefits.”
Jodi Gordon, a partner at law firm Road Traffic Accident Law Scotland, said: “We have continued to see a significant number of road trafficrelated injuries to cyclists and motorcyclists during lockdown.
“The majority of these incidents have occurred at pinch-points such as junctions and roundabouts where drivers have been either travelling too quickly or simply not been looking out for vulnerable road users.”