Skip to main content

IAM’s FOI reveals England and Wales’ worst speeding offenders

A motorist travelling at 149mph (239.8kph) on the M25 at Swanley, Kent, south-east England, holds the record for the highest speed clocked by a speed camera in England and Wales between April 2013 and May 2014. The astonishing figure was revealed following Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to 39 police authorities by the IAM (Institute of Advanced Motorists). Other shocking figures from the 85% of police authorities that responded to the FOI request revealed that the highest speed recorded on a 30mph
May 28, 2014 Read time: 3 mins
A motorist travelling at 149mph (239.8kph) on the M25 at Swanley, Kent, south-east England, holds the record for the highest speed clocked by a speed camera in England and Wales between April 2013 and May 2014.

The astonishing figure was revealed following Freedom of Information (FOI) requests to 39 police authorities by the IAM (5125 Institute of Advanced Motorists).

Other shocking figures from the 85% of police authorities that responded to the FOI request revealed that the highest speed recorded on a 30mph (48.28kph) road during the analysed period was 96mph (154.49kph) on the B1288, on Leam Lane, Gateshead, north-east England. The highest speed recorded on a 50mph (80.46kph) road was on the A414 Stanstead Abbotts, Hertfordshire, south-east England, where a motorist clocked 119mph (191.51kph). Meanwhile, the highest speed recorded on a 60mph (96.56kph) road was 127mph (204.38kph) on the A413 Wendover By-Pass, Wendover, Buckinghamshire, south-east England.

IAM chief executive Simon Best said, “One hundred and forty nine miles per hour equates to nearly two and a half miles in a minute.  If anything goes wrong at that speed, you’re unlikely to walk away and you are a grave danger to the innocent road users around you.”

“Speed limits are a limit. They are not a target to beat. Unfortunately this message has not got through to many motorists, and it’s clear that efforts to make speeding as socially unacceptable as drink driving continue to fail.  That’s why we need sustained campaigning by the government, motor industry and charities to keep ramming home the message that excessive speed kills.  Catching speeders at two or even three times the limit also shows the importance of keeping speed cameras at well-known black spots.”

The guidelines to magistrates in England and Wales on sentencing for speeding include issuing a fine plus 6 points or disqualification from driving for 7-56 days if convicted of driving between 101-110mph (162.54kph-177.02kph) on a 70mph (112.65kph) road; of driving at 76-85mph (122.31-136.79kph) on a 50mph (80.46kph) road; or of driving at 51-60mph (82.07-96.56kph) on a 30mph (48.28kph) road.

Best added, “The current guidelines on sentencing for excessive speeding offences are out of sync with modern roads, modern vehicles and society’s view of the value of lives lost in crashes.  We all share the roads with these speeding drivers and the government must crack down on them with more consistent penalties and tougher measures to break their addiction for speed.”

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Western Australia police improve speed detection effectiveness
    May 4, 2012
    In its annual report for the year to 30 June 2011, the Western Australia police force has published figures that show a 58 per cent improvement in detecting vehicles exceeding the speed limit through the deployment of Vitronic's PoliScanSpeed.According to the report, 13.7 million vehicles were measured between July 2010 and June 2011. Of these 26.1 per cent were detected travelling in excess of the speed limit.
  • Slowing down for road safety
    November 30, 2020
    Slowing down can help boost road safety.
  • Report on cost of US crashes
    March 11, 2016
    A comprehensive analysis of crash statistics in the US reveals the shocking cost of vehicle crashes. The report has been collated by the by the US Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and is based on details collated for 2010. The report states that in 2010 there were 32,999 fatalities, 3.9 million injured, and 24 million vehicles damaged following crashes in the US. The economic costs of these crashes totalled US$242 billion. Included in these losses are lost
  • Ohio reveals worrying data on workzone crashes
    April 23, 2013
    New data from the US state of Ohio reveals worryingly high levels of highway construction work zone deaths. Fatalities in the state’s highway work zones doubled in the period from 2009-2011, according to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The figures are the most recent available and include both motorists and construction workers. Meanwhile, ODOT is piloting a new program aimed at reducing vehicle crashes and making construction work zones safer. “ODOT tries to do all we can to e