Motorists 'heed speed warning'

10/09/2008

Car insurance customers may be interested to learn that a growing number of motorists in one region of the UK are keeping their speed in check.

In the Lothian and Borders region of Scotland, the number of people caught by speed cameras has fallen significantly over the last year, the Scotsman reports.

According to the newspaper, there were 27,751 motorists caught by cameras in 2007-08, compared with 46,266 during the previous year.

One expert attributed this trend to greater awareness of speed cameras among motorists.

People are becoming "more accustomed to speed management", said Colin McNeill, partnership manager for the Safety Camera Partnership.

"Whether they're doing it out of social responsibility or whether they're doing it out of personal fear is a difficult one to reckon, but the good thing is that it seems people are becoming more compliant," he told the newspaper.

However, recent research revealed that many people continue to risk being fined and having to pay higher car insurance premiums by speeding on a regular basis.

According to a survey by RoadPilot, 71 per cent of respondents admitted to exceeding the speed limit on at least a quarter of the journeys they make.

The firm noted that 60 per cent of motorists were in favour of raising the speed limit for motorways and dual carriageways.

James Flynn OBE, chief executive officer of Road Pilot, said speeding appears to be a "common vice" among British drivers.

Mr Flynn suggested there are many people who are risking fines and penalty points - which could make it more difficult to find cheap car insurance premiums.

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