Almost 85% Of Drivers Ignore 20mph Speed Limit

A staggering 84 per cent of drivers failed to obey 20mph speed limits last year, research has found.

And figures show that they are more likely to flout the rules in the early morning, with 95 per cent of these prepared to risk fines in the small hours.

It is the first time the Department for Transport has released figures on 20mph zones.

They also found that the number of drivers breaking 30mph speed limits has fallen from 54 per cent to 52 per cent since 2014.

The roads where most stick to the speed limit are single carriageway national speed limit roads, on which 92 per cent of cars will go at 60mph or slower.

It’s a different story on motorways, however, where 46 per cent of cars and light commercial vehicles broke the 70mph speed limits – with one in 10 cars exceeding 80mph.

The official figures also revealed the influence the time of day has on motorists when it comes to sticking to the speed limit.

The number breaking the law in built-up areas peaks in the early hours of the morning – with around 80 per cent of cars ignoring 30mph speed limits at 5am, and 95 per cent in 20mph zones at the same time.

Motorway speed limits are more likely to be ignored in the evenings at around 10pm, when more than 55 per cent of cars top 70mph. This drops to around 35 per cent between 8am and 9am – though this is more likely down to congestion than sense on the part of the driver

It was found that the number of penalties handed out by police has actually gone up.

There were 743,000 fixed-penalty notices issued for speeding in England and Wales in 2014 – an increase of 4 per cent on the previous year. Ninety per cent of these drivers had been caught by speed cameras.