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The proportion of UK drivers breaking the speed limit on rural roads has reached its highest level since 2016, according to the RAC.
The organisation said research carried out for its latest Report on Motoring found that 48% of drivers questioned admitted breaking 60mph speed limits on these roads, up from 44% the year before and matching the highest figure ever seen by the RAC in 2016.
8% admitted breaking the speed limit frequently, while 40% said they had done it occasionally.
As for motorways and high-speed dual carriageways, 60% of drivers admitted speeding on these roads, up from 55% in the previous year. This was the highest percentage seen in this category since 2017, although not as high as the record 70% seen in 2015 and 2016.
The percentage of drivers who admitted speeding on urban 30mph roads was down very slightly year-on-year, from 41% to 40%, while the percentage breaking 20mph speed limits was unchanged at 46%.
When asked why they broke the limit on both 70mph and 60mph limit roads, the most common reason given by drivers (42% and 32% respectively) was that they were travelling at the same speed as other vehicles.
The most common reason given for speeding on 20mph roads, by nearly half those surveyed, was that they thought the limit was inappropriate for the road in question.
52% of those surveyed said they would be against more 20mph zones being introduced in their local area. However, 48% said they thought some 60mph limits on unclassified rural roads should be reduced.
RAC spokesman Simon Williams said: "The recent increase in the proportion of drivers admitting to speeding on 60mph rural roads is extremely worrying as more people lose their lives every year in collisions on these roads than on any other.
"While the number of fatalities on our roads is no longer falling, we certainly don't want to see an increase in deaths. We think the government should address the issue of fatalities on 60mph rural roads by advising roads authorities to reduce limits on the most dangerous stretches to more appropriate levels.
"Drivers sometimes forget or underestimate the role speed plays in fatal and serious collisions as they tend not to see it in the same light as offences like drink or drug-driving or talking on a handheld phone. In fact, in 2021 as many as 253 people lost their lives in collisions where someone was exceeding the speed limit.
"Unfortunately, with our data showing a bigger proportion of drivers now admitting to exceeding the 70mph limit on our fastest roads than at any point since 2017, we are fearful this could be on the way back to the high points of 2015 and 2016 where 70% admitted this. The implications of this from a road safety point of view would be negative.
"What's more, although motorways are statistically the UK's safest roads, the abundance of digital signage on them could easily be used to make to try to make them even safer by reminding drivers of the dangers of breaking the speed limit."
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