Figures published by the Department for Transport reveal that 1,850 people were killed in reported road accidents in Great Britain during 2010. A further 22,660 people were seriously injured.

The Transport Committee estimates that an increase in the speed limit from 70mph to 80mph would result in a 10% rise in casualties.

As well as the human price and any cost involved in repairing the vehicle, a fleet also faces a larger overall bill.

Fleet Support Group estimates that every accident costs at least three times more than the cost of repairing that vehicle.

The HSE estimated the costs to employers arising from ‘at-work’ road traffic accidents to be in the region of £2.7 billion per annum.

Meanwhile, current guidelines suggest that speed limits should be enforced at 10% over the limit plus two miles per hour. This means that in a 70mph limit, drivers are unlikely to be prosecuted for speeding unless travelling at 79mph or faster.

If the speed limit was raised to 80mph and guidelines remained the same, it would be enforced at 90mph, 20mph above the current speed limit.

Tougher penalties for dangerous driving

A new offence of causing serious injury by dangerous driving has been announced for England and Wales.

The new offence, announced by the Ministry of Justice, will be taken forward as part of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Bill.

It will carry a maximum sentence of five years in prison, bridging the gap between the offence of causing death by dangerous driving, which carries a 14-year maximum prison term, and other dangerous driving cases, which have a maximum penalty of two years’ imprisonment.

Kevin Clinton, RoSPA’s head of road safety, said: “RoSPA has previously called for the offence of causing death by dangerous driving to be extended to cover causing serious injury, so we welcome the announcement of a new offence of ‘causing serious injury by dangerous driving’.”

Statistics from the Department for Transport reveal that number of accidents caused last year by various types of dangerous driving activities include: 18,803 accidents caused by careless, reckless or hurried driving; and 3,862 accidents caused by aggressive driving.