RAC Report on Motoring 2016

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2.0 Road safety
There is no official record of the
number or extent of 20mph zones
which have been introduced by local
authorities in the UK, although the
DfT says it is now ‘considering the
best way’ to measure the growth of
such zones14.
There is less acceptance of 20mph
limits among motorists than there
is of 30mph limits. Two-fifths (41%)
of drivers think the limit in 20mph
areas should be higher (33% in
2015), compared with only 22% who
take the same view of 30mph areas
(16% in 2015).
At the same time, a majority of
motorists (66%) still believe the
70mph motorway limit should be
raised to at least 80mph, a finding
that has emerged from research for
the Report every year since 2010.
This year’s Report shows little
change in motorists’ views of
the acceptability of speeding:
39% say it is acceptable to travel at
80mph on the motorway, while 23%
say it is OK to do 25mph in a 20mph
zone, and 14% say it is acceptable to
drive at 40mph on a 30mph road.
The fall in the number of roads
policing officers may have had some
impact on motorists’ willingness to
break the speed limit. Government
figures show that the total number of
dedicated roads police in England and
Wales fell by 27% between 2010 and
201515 from 5,338 to 3,901. The 2016
Report on Motoring found that 27%
of drivers agree with the statement
‘I don’t think I am very likely to get
caught if I break most motoring laws’,
up from 24% in 2015. A clear majority
(61% compared with 62% in 2015)
believe there are not enough police
on the roads enforcing driving laws.
14.
15.
5,338 3,9012010 2015
Number of dedicated roads policing
officers in England and Wales
RAC call to action:
Road safety: see page 88
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RAC Report on Motoring 2016