SPEED LIMIT: Drivers don't know motorway speed limit.

Research by the AA Charitable Trust has revealed that nearly one in 10 drivers doesn't know the speed limit on motorways.

The survey saw 7% of drivers incorrectly stating that the limit was 80mph and 1% even thought it was 60mph which means that 8% got the speed limit wrong and that is the equivalent of 250,000 drivers nationally.

Young people were more likely to know the speed limits than older drivers. 95% of 18-24-year-olds guessing the motorway limit correctly compared to 89% of over 65-year-olds. Also during the survey 40% of all respondents didn't know the correct speed limit for a dual carriageway.

Edmund King, Director of the AA Charitable Trust, finds astonishing that 250,000 qualified drivers don't know that the speed limit for a motorway is 70mph.

The previous transport secretary floating the idea of implementing the limit of 80mph on a motorway could have also been the cause of controversy and confusion amongst the general public.

There is no reason why drivers shouldn't be able to correctly  identify the speed limit on any given road.

The lack of knowledge around speed limits just highlights the importance of keeping the driving skills up to date.

This survey also brings to the attention of insurance providers  that younger drivers have probably a better knowledge about road regulations and attitude to safe driving than older drivers. Hence they may deserve a break from being overcharged with unrealistic insurance premiums. MG