"Excessive speed as a contributory factor to personal injury road accidents"

Transport statistics Road Safety Department for Transport


This report analyses contributory factor data compiled between 1999 and 2002.

For each accident one precipitating and up to four contributory factors are recorded by the police.

In 2002, excessive speed was a contributory factor to 12% of slight, 19% of serious and 30% of fatal accidents for which contributory factor data was available

Excessive speed is one of 54 possible contributory factors.
It was identified as contributing to 12% of all accidents and 28% of fatal accidents between 1999 and 2002 where contributory factors were recorded.
In the case of fatal accidents, excessive speed was the most frequently recorded factor.

Among car accidents excessive speed was most frequently cited in accidents precipitated by young drivers.

The proportion of accidents on rural roads associated with excessive speed was twice that of accidents on urban roads. Excessive speed also contributed to a slightly higher proportion of accidents on minor than on major roads.

The report points out that excessive speed can be interpreted as both exceeding the speed limit or driving at excessive speed for the conditions / location.
Furthermore excessive speed is not easy to determine after the event and may be implied by other contributory factors such as , following too close, aggressive driving, and careless reckless and thoughtless behaviour while in a hurry.

The percentage of accidents in which excessive speed is explicitly cited as being a contributory might therefore underestimate its importance.

Giok you failed to quote the rest of the most recent report!!

Covering most accidents that took place in 2005, the report said that exceeding the speed limit was a contributory factor in only 5% of accidents, and going too fast for the conditions was a contributory factor in 10% of accidents.

However, speed was a factor in 26% of all fatal accidents. Also, eight times more male than female drivers or riders involved in road accidents were reported as exceeding the speed limit.