Whilst road traffic volumes are down more than 60%, some motorists are exploiting the quieter roads by driving at extreme speeds.
One motorist hit the headlines recently after clocking 151 mph near London over the Easter weekend. The number of motorist exceeding speed limits has doubled in some parts to the UK since the start of the coronavirus lockdown, increasing the risk of road collisions and pedestrians taking their daily exercise.
As well as an increase in issued speeding fines, telematics data also shows a rise in alerts sent to speeding drivers since lockdown. According to My Policy Group, telematics and data analytics business, since the lockdown was enforced on 23 March there has been a ‘sharp deterioration in driving behaviour, with a noticeable increase in speeding’.
Police units have taken to their social channels to reiterate the message that roads are ‘not a race track’ and that although the traffic volume is different, ‘the speed limit is not’.