One in three car drivers don’t understand road signs!

It’s one of the most common signs on British roads: a simple white circle with a black stripe signifying the national speed limit applies. But for one in every three British car drivers (34%) it might as well be a giant question mark. For these drivers, have absolutely no idea what the sign means.

This shocking finding is just one of many revealed today in new research from MORE TH>N Car Insurance. As well as highlighting a staggering lack of rudimentary road sign knowledge (one in seven drivers even mistook a ‘slippery road’ sign to mean ‘paint on the road’).

According to the research, conducted with 2,000 drivers and 29 police forces, a fifth (20%) of all drivers have received penalty points in the last 10 years as a result of driving too fast – with 13% of those accumulating nine points or more in this time.

What’s more, the latest data from the DVLA reveals a staggering 1,340,680 drivers received penalty points or were disqualified from driving in the past 12 months alone, while 818,768 drivers were penalised for speeding offences – the equivalent of 2,243 each and every day. And it’s not just points that are being accumulated. The minimum fine for breaking the limit is now set at £100, and the average car insurance premium will increase by 13 per cent for a speeding offence.

As well quantifying the substantial number of penalty points accrued by British drivers, the research delved into the day-to-day speeding habits of people across the country. Interestingly, whatever the speed limit, millions of drivers are flouting speeding laws every time they get behind the wheel and it’s worse on motorways:

In a 30mph zone: One in every three drivers (36%) admit they always drive over the speed limit (an estimated 13.25m[4] drivers). On average these drivers admit to doing 38mph.

In a 40mph zone: 32% of drivers admit they always drive over the speed limit (an estimated 11.5m drivers). On average these drivers admit to doing 47mph.

In a 70mph zone: 43% of drivers admit they always drive over the speed limit (an estimated 15.6m drivers). On average these drivers admit to doing 81mph.