Just under half (48%) of employees who drive for their job in Britain, have admitted to speeding whilst at work, with a quarter of those saying they’re more likely to speed in a vehicle provided by their employer than their own.

They are among the key findings from a new piece of research from Masternaut, Europe’s largest telematics provider.

It reveals that more than half of those that admitted to speeding said they would be more likely to speed to a work appointment, over a personal appointment.

Masternaut conducted the research as part of road of safety week and surveyed 2,000 UK employees that drive as part of their job, to discover how willing employees are to speed whilst driving for work.

According to statistics from the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA), speeding contributes to 14% of all injury collisions, 15% of crashes resulting in a serious injury and 24% of fatal collisions.

Top 10 UK speed cities

(% indicates people who admitted to speeding)

 

City	%
Exeter	84.0%
York	64.9%
Leeds	60.0%
Leicester	58.9%
Oxford	58.1%
Norwich	54.2%
London	51.7%
Liverpool	51.1%
Southampton	50.7%
Bristol	45.7%

 

The ‘speeding capital’ of the UK was revealed to be Exeter, with 84% of people candidly admitting that they speed. Cardiff was revealed to be the speed conscious city, with 23% of residents confessing to breaking speed limits.

The research coincides with a whitepaper from Masternaut, calling for transport companies, fleet operators and field service organisations to place the reduction of corporate risk and improving health and safety for staff higher up on their agenda.

Masternaut details the steps companies must take to build risk assessments to ensure compliance with UK legislation and ensure the safety of all road users.

Martin Hiscox, CEO and chairman of Masternaut, said: “We were surprised that people feel that it’s more acceptable to speed for work than pleasure and there’s a serious message about the role of the employer in providing duty of care to their staff and the public at large.

“Speeding is an issue that employers need to put the brakes on, whether their staff are driving their own vehicles or those provided by the company.

“The first thing they need to understand the issue is accurate information about where it’s happening.

“The application of telematics can provide a solution, with added benefits of being able to take a more detailed look at driver behaviour, so that problem drivers can be identified and training can be provided to improve safety generally.”