Research suggests two thirds of drivers want lower speed limits on rural roads

by Kevin Borras

More than two thirds (67%) of UK motorists admit they feel unsafe travelling at the national 60mph speed limit on narrow or winding country roads, according to new research from car insurance provider Ageas.

The study, which combines national consumer research with data from UK police forces, examines motorists’ views on speed limits and driver confidence on rural single-carriageway roads.

Over half (55%) of UK motorists believe the default 60mph limit on these routes is too high, while nearly two-thirds (64%) said they would support a blanket speed limit reduction on rural roads.

When asked about enforcement, 66% of drivers said they believe that a lack of speed cameras and fewer motorists on rural roads encourages people to drive faster.

Data obtained via Freedom of Information requests from 32 police forces provides additional context, revealing that 342,700 speeding offences were recorded on 60mph single-carriageway roads between 2021 and 2025.

While 95% of offenders were recorded travelling between 61mph and 80mph, the data also uncovered a number of very high-speed offences, including:

Police forces in Lancashire and North Yorkshire both reported motorists travelling at 144mph on 60mph roads;

Across the UK, 742 drivers were caught travelling at speeds of over 100mph;

Surrey Police recorded 207 drivers doing over 100mph, accounting for nearly a third (28%) of all 100mph+ violations in the nationwide dataset.

Regional data reveals that three police force areas accounted for 42% of all reported offences in the dataset – West Mercia (55,993), Avon and Somerset (52,121) and Cambridgeshire (35,534) – accounting for 42% of all reported offences nationwide.