- 16
- Oct
Throughout Britain, many motorists are causing a danger to themselves and others as a result of their lax attitude to speeding, the Co-operative Insurance has claimed.
Indeed, research from the group has shown that nearly a fifth (19 per cent) of drivers admit to speeding once a day or more, while almost a quarter (23 per cent) said they go over the limit a few times a week. Of all those questioned by the Co-Operative, a little over a quarter (27 per cent) said they never speed on Britains roads.
However, despite a general lackadaisical attitude toward their own flouting of the law, many motorists said that the speed at which other people drive was a cause for concern. In fact, the group claimed that around three-quarters of people admitted they worried about other people driving too fast. This, it was said, was roughly the same proportion of people who admitted to speeding themselves.
And while many people may view travelling too fast lightly while they are behind the wheel, the Co-Operative claimed that speeding is now one of the biggest problems on Britains roads. Figures from the Department for Transport cited by the group showed that in the year to March 2008, 244,770 people were killed or injured in car accidents, many of which were the result of drivers travelling too quickly.
In addition to the threat posed to other people, speeding motorists could find they are putting their financial security in danger as well. The punitive fines imposed on those caught speeding could well jeopardise peoples ability to meet mortgage and personal loan repayments, in addition to household bills. So too, those who are landed with a speeding conviction could see their car insurance premiums shoot up as well.
Commenting on the problem, David Neave, director of general insurance at the Co-Operative Insurance, said: “The frenetic pace of life today means that speeding has become endemic in British society. People often dont think about the dangers of driving a few miles an hour over the limit. But that can mean the difference between having a safe journey or a collision - and whether you survive or not. Like drink driving, speeding reduces a drivers ability to judge hazards and to react to them. There needs to be a shift in peoples attitudes to speeding, so it becomes as socially unacceptable as drink driving”
The group pointed out that with new government measures coming into effect which will track driving speeds over stretches of motorway, making it difficult to avoid being caught, many drivers may soon be forced to reassess their driving habits or risk paying a heavy price. In addition to heavy fines, people may also find themselves out of a job if they are dealt a custodial sentence. In such circumstances, the ability to pay off mortgages, loans and other spending commitments may be severely hindered.
Receiving a fine for speeding may prove particularly troublesome for young males, as the AA recently pointed out that they already pay twice as much for car insurance than their female counterparts.
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