New figures published by Direct Line have revealed the extent of motorists breaking the law in terms of the speeds they get up to when travelling on motorways and roads up and down the country. Overall, 17 per cent of respondents – one in six drivers – admitted to speeding at more than 100 mph on the nation’s major carriageways, while 38 per cent said they have driven at more than 90 mph.

Furthermore, one in ten (11 per cent) said they have at some point driven at more than 50 mph in a residential area.

The main reasons for drivers exceeding the speed limit were also highlighted in the study, with 55 per cent stating they will put their foot down when the roads appear clear and 42 per cent drive faster in areas they are familiar with.

Moreover, 33 per cent of drivers said they will exceed the speed limit when running short on time and 23 per cent said they would do the same if they were not carrying any passengers or if they knew there were no speed cameras in the area.

Overall, the results paint a fairly grim picture for many people’s attitudes towards speeding, with a significant proportion of drivers willing to flout the law if they think they will get away with it.

Rob Miles, director of motor at Direct Line, commented: “We know motorists aren’t driving at these excessive speeds all the time, but even as a one-off it’s still extremely dangerous. Even in good driving conditions, the stopping distance at 100 mph is almost double the stopping distance at the motorway limit of 70 mph.”

Individuals convicted of a speeding offence can see considerable impact to their annual insurance premiums. However, our expert team at GSI Insurance Services (Southern) Limited could help these motorists save through the best deals on convicted driver car insurance.