Bradford on Avon is hotbed of speeding motorists, says insurance survey
Bradford on Avon has emerged as a hotbed of speeding motorists in a new survey by a car insurance firm.
Admiral claims the Wiltshire town has the fifth-highest percentage of drivers with a speeding conviction on their licence in the country.
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It says that more than a fifth (22.1 per cent) of policyholders in Bradford on Avon and the area around it have been caught speeding in the last five years.
Ironically, the town itself is plagued with congestion problems and has been at the centre of roadworks during the summer.
The town’s record is beaten by Radlett in Hertfordshire, with a figure of 26 per cent at the top of the table of shame.
At the other end of the scale, the town with the safest drivers, according to the analysis, is St Ives in Cornwall, where only six per cent of motorists have been caught speeding.
The firm says the national average is 14 per cent.
It looked at statistics from the last five years to see which postcode areas had the highest percentage of motorists with a speeding conviction, ignoring anywhere where there were fewer than 500 policyholders.
Admiral managing director, Sue Longthorn, said: “We wanted to see if there was a pattern between where people live and the frequency of speeding convictions, and to see an area where over a quarter of drivers have a conviction is a real surprise. This is even more astonishing when you consider that someone living in the area with the lowest percentage is four times less likely to have a conviction than the top one.”
Admiral also questioned drivers as part of its Annual Survey of Motorists, finding 87 per cent of the 2,100 questioned admitted to breaking the speed limit and 69 per cent saying the motorway speed limit should be increased to at least 80mph.
Ms Longthorn said: “Our statistics show a worrying trend that people see a speed limit as simply a guide rather than a speed that’s appropriate for that road. It’s a wonder that the national average for speeding convictions isn’t higher given this fact.
“If we look at these statistics in the years to come, it’ll be interesting to see if speeding convictions come down in the areas where speed cameras are being switched off.”
Wiltshire, which is one of the areas where cameras will be mothballed because of Government funding cuts, also has two other entries in the top 20 hotspots – Salisbury and Pewsey.
Admiral has 2.37 million customers.
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by Tom Trosborg, Bath
Thursday, September 16 2010, 9:18AM
“Ali concludes: "Which would lead to the situation where lots of speeding vehicles doesn't seem to contribute to injury. Shocker.".
Great - then we should all speed up, and thus make the roads safer for everybody. Presumably the faster we go, the safer we are. Nice one, Ali.”
by Ali, Bath
Wednesday, September 15 2010, 11:24PM
“Nothing wrong with Admiral's claims. It's the silly reporting which is the problem here.
BOA happens to be a "Group A" insurance area. This means it's a low-risk area, resulting in some of the lowest premiums in the country.
As the biggest impact on premiums is the cost of injury/fatality claims, it would imply that BOA is also the area with the safest drivers.
Which would lead to the situation where lots of speeding vehicles doesn't seem to contribute to injury. Shocker.”
by Harry, Bath
Monday, September 13 2010, 2:30PM
“Actually, these statistics have to be read with care, because the percentages are percentages of drivers insured with Admiral.
(Consider, for example, the possibility that Admiral markets itself to different age groups in different areas. Consider also the possibility that Admiral may have few insured drivers in some thinly populated areas, which makes them more likely to appear in the extreme top or bottom of the list.)
It also goes without saying that in order to get speeding points you have to drive a car, not just be insured. I see that Virginia Water - where car ownership per household is among the highest in the country - is one of the 'hotspots', perhaps because people there drive a lot more than in some of the city-centre areas at the other end of the list.
Speeding points per (say) thousand miles driven would give a better picture than points per driver.”
by Kate, Bradford on Avon
Saturday, September 11 2010, 12:18PM
“Yes, Wiltshire roads have some of the highest numbers of deaths and injuries in the UK.
Never see traffic police and A roads used by some motorists as Motorways, no consideration for other road users or the awful condition of our neglected roads.”
by Harry, Bath
Friday, September 10 2010, 4:17PM
“The top and bottom of the list can be found at www.admiral.com. There is something of a pattern among the high-percentage areas, which are mostly wealthy and rural. Cavalier drivers? Low speed limits that are easier to break? Enthusiastic enforcement because people can pay? I can't see so much of a pattern among the lowest ones.”