Drivers admit widespread speeding

Most drivers admit to driving faster than the speed limit, according to research announced by the Irish Insurance Federation (IIF) today.

Some 67% of respondents said they drove faster than the limit.

IIF boss Mike Kemp said: "In 2005 we have seen an increase in the number of fatal road accidents. Given that we know that human error is a key factor in most road crashes, the scale of driver disregard for road traffic law disclosed in this survey is particularly worrying".

48% of drivers feel that they will not be caught for speeding, whilst 23% of motorists admit to exceeding the speed limit "fairly often" or "very often".

85% of respondents to the survey thought that other motorists broke the speed limit "fairly often" or "very often."

Key findings:

- 69% of respondents admitted to driving whilst feeling tired and 67% to driving faster than the speed limit.

- Driving faster than the speed limit is seen as the most common offence among other drivers.

- 48% of drivers believe they are unlikely to be caught for driving faster than the speed limit.

- 35% of drivers believe that they are unlikely to be caught for drunk driving

- 38% of drivers admitted to driving and talking on a mobile phone, 11% to driving without road tax, 5% to driving without any form of insurance and 9% without NCT.

The research was conducted by Lansdowne Market Research on behalf of the Irish Insurance Federation in May 2005. 1064 adults were surveyed aged 18+.