The UK’s Worst Speeding Hotspots

Most drivers will have experienced the frustration of seeing the flash of a speed camera in their rear-view mirror, but which region is the worst in the UK for driving too fast?

Speeding is the most common form of vehicle crime in the country, accounting for 27% of prosecutions for motoring offences in 2018. This was 7% higher than the previous year and the most in a decade*.

To identify the UK regions which are particularly guilty of speeding, we issued Freedom of Information requests to police forces across the country. The data revealed Greater Manchester Police recorded the highest number of speeding offences in 2018/19.

At 124,103 offences, Greater Manchester Police reported the highest number of speeding offences in 2018. The area even exceeded London, which was second on the list, with the Metropolitan Police recording 121,483 speeding offences.

Also in the top five were Surrey Police (90,018), West Midlands Police (66,658) and West Yorkshire Police (61,623).

Almost all of the top five saw an increase in offences from 2017, with Surrey Police (21%) seeing the largest rise. The Metropolitan Police was the only force in the top five to report a decrease, with an 8% fall in offences.

At the opposite end of the scale, Durham Police reported the lowest number of offences, with only 4,961 recorded in 2018.

Gwent Police (8,050), Suffolk Police (11,976), Leicestershire Police (12,076) and Sussex Police (14,433) made up the rest of the bottom five.

*https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/802033/Infographic_CJSQ_2018.pdf

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