Motorists are being urged to slow down on weekends as new data from the Department of Transport reveals motorists are more inclined to break speed limits on Saturdays and Sundays.
The data, analysed by motoring specialists at LeaseLoco.com, shows a staggering 86% of drivers exceed the 20 mph limit on Saturdays and Sundays, raising serious concerns about road safety in residential and pedestrian-heavy areas at weekends.
Almost half of drivers speed on motorways at weekends, with 48% exceeding the 70 mph limit on Saturdays and 49% on Sundays – up from 43% on weekdays.
It’s a similar picture on 30 mph roads, with 50% of drivers exceeding the speed limit on Sundays compared to a slightly slower 42% during weekdays, indicating a notable weekend surge in risky driving behaviour which may be encouraged by reduced traffic levels.
Leisure driving and weekend plans could also be leading to riskier driving behaviour.
Meanwhile, speeding is far less common on national speed limit single carriageways, with just 11.5% of drivers exceeding the limit on weekends and 9% from Monday to Friday.
| Road type | Day of week | Percentage of cars exceeding the speed limit |
| Motorways | Monday | 44 |
| Motorways | Tuesday | 43 |
| Motorways | Wednesday | 43 |
| Motorways | Thursday | 43 |
| Motorways | Friday | 43 |
| Motorways | Saturday | 48 |
| Motorways | Sunday | 49 |
| National speed limit single carriageways | Monday | 9 |
| National speed limit single carriageways | Tuesday | 9 |
| National speed limit single carriageways | Wednesday | 9 |
| National speed limit single carriageways | Thursday | 9 |
| National speed limit single carriageways | Friday | 8 |
| National speed limit single carriageways | Saturday | 11 |
| National speed limit single carriageways | Sunday | 12 |
| 30 mph speed limit roads | Monday | 43 |
| 30 mph speed limit roads | Tuesday | 42 |
| 30 mph speed limit roads | Wednesday | 42 |
| 30 mph speed limit roads | Thursday | 42 |
| 30 mph speed limit roads | Friday | 42 |
| 30 mph speed limit roads | Saturday | 46 |
| 30 mph speed limit roads | Sunday | 50 |
| 20 mph speed limit roads | Monday | 83 |
| 20 mph speed limit roads | Tuesday | 83 |
| 20 mph speed limit roads | Wednesday | 83 |
| 20 mph speed limit roads | Thursday | 83 |
| 20 mph speed limit roads | Friday | 83 |
| 20 mph speed limit roads | Saturday | 86 |
| 20 mph speed limit roads | Sunday | 86 |
John Wilmot, CEO and founder of car leasing deals site LeaseLoco.com commented: “While the majority of drivers respect speed limits on all types of road during the working week, it seems things do change at weekends.
“Once the weekend rolls around, people are driving faster on every type of road as they rush to meet friends and relatives or pursue their leisure activities.
“It might be because a different type of driver is more likely to be out on the roads at the weekend, or it could just be down to people being less cautious at the weekends and hitting the accelerator because the roads might be quieter, so there are fewer traffic jams.
“Whatever the reasons behind it, these figures show evidence of a worrying trend. Accidents can happen on every day of the week, and drivers need to be vigilant at all times when they are out on the road.
“So we are warning drivers to slow down when they are out and about at the weekends and to make sure they reach their destinations safely.”
LeaseLoco is the UK’s biggest car lease comparison website, making it super quick and easy for drivers to filter and compare millions of deals from the UK’s leading car leasingcompanies to best suit their needs.
