Nuff said
RAC Report on Motoring 2014 reveals some startling facts
Nearly nine in 10 (88%) of British company car drivers admit to regularly exceeding the speed limit on motorways according to the RAC’s Report on Motoring 2014.
The report found that almost two-thirds (62%) of company car drivers claim to reach speeds of 80mph on motorways, with 8% admitting exceeding 90mph.
When asked why they broke the speed limit, almost a third (31%) of company car drivers said they were just following the general flow of traffic, while a fifth (19%) put it down to the driving conditions being favourable. Meanwhile, 15% said 70mph felt too slow and almost one in 10 (8%) said that modern cars are built to go faster than the speed limit dictates.
The RAC research highlights that there is an overall perception among many business motorists that it is somehow more socially acceptable to speed on motorways than it is on any other roads. In fact, almost 7 in 10 (65%) company car drivers feel that it is perfectly acceptable to travel up to 80mph in a 70mph limit. As a result, some 90% say they would like to see the speed limit on motorways increased, compared with 69% of regular motorists.
In spite of this, the government have shelved previous plans to conduct an objective trial to understand the safety, environmental and economic advantages and disadvantages of raising the speed limit to 80mph on appropriate stretches of motorway.
With these factors in mind, it would seem that fleet managers need to further monitor their drivers speed compliance more closely through increased telematics use.
Telematics is useful for fleet managers who want to monitor driver behaviour more closely and check company car drivers compliance with national speed limits. Installation is a simple process involving mounting a small box inside vehicles which sends data back to allow fleet managers to track activity such as speed, location, driving style and time-keeping. This can not only improve driver behaviour but help managers operate a more efficient, cost effective and sustainable fleet.
RAC Business Services Director David Aldridge said: “With the introduction of next generation ‘smart motorways’, where the hard-shoulder is open permanently or during busy periods, and variable speed limits enforced by verge-side speed cameras, there is a real danger that company car drivers may find themselves increasingly on the wrong side of the law and faced with growing numbers of points on their licence. Whilst drivers may feel tempted to save time in the working day by going faster, any fleet manager knows that collecting speeding points is ultimately bad for business.
