Another day, and another wild driving story from the UK. Reports from publications such as The Mirror have stated that a driver was caught doing a ridiculous 114mph while driving through a school zone that has a speed limit of just 30mph.
This is just one tale of many that seem to be taking place in Britain at the moment. According to the RAC, more than 30,000 UK motorists were caught driving at 30mph or more on roads with a 20mph speed limit in the last year, a worryingly high number.
But there have also been some more extreme cases of speeding, such as the one mentioned in the opening paragraph. There have been a worryingly large number of cases where on roads with speed limits of either 20 or 30mph, drivers have been caught doing at least 90mph and sometimes much higher.
In fact, police have said that the fastest speed recorded last year by officers was 161mph, and this happened on multiple occasions. Police have slammed drivers for these reckless acts, and said that many drivers seem to be oblivious to the risk they are posing to others around them.
How Bad Has the Speeding Become?
The report from The Mirror paints a worrying picture for UK motorists. According to the RAC, one driver was caught driving at 114mph on a 30mph road in Aylestone, Leicestershire. Worryingly, this was next to a primary school, with speed limits reduced to 20mph when schools open in the morning and when the students head home.
On the B5129 road in Deeside, North Wales, another driver was caught doing 89mph on a stretch of road that had a speed limit of 20mph. Worryingly, as a lot of Welsh roads have a 20mph speed limit, this could be happening in quite a few places. Yet neither of these speeds came close to touching the fastest recorded by police officers across 2025. The highest was well over 150mph, and this was recorded twice in 2025.
According to some police forces, the fastest speed recorded was a staggering 161mph. This took place on the A5 in Bayston Hill, Shropshire, and the same speed was also reported on the M6 motorway in the southbound direction, between Stoke-on-Trent and Stafford. The RAC said these were “chilling speeds.” “Drivers remain oblivious to the incredibly severe risk,” the RAC added, discussing the high speeds that are being recorded. It is incredibly worrying just how far some drivers are willing to push it.
More Than 30,000 People Sped in the UK in 2025
Freedom of Information requests went to all UK police forces, according to The Mirror. Of a batch of 28 police forces that responded, their data showed that 32,548 motorists had been caught at speeds over 30mph on 20mph speed limit roads. Across 33 police forces, it was reported that 271,341 motorists had been caught going at 40mph or more on roads with a speed limit of 30mph. It is for these reasons that more 20mph speed limits are being introduced, not just in the UK but also in Europe.
In the UK, 62 of the 153 local authorities have adopted some form of 20mph speed limit policy. In London, more than half of the capital city’s roads are now capped at 20mph. Both moves highlight how much of a worry speeding has become in the UK. RAC senior policy officer Rod Dennis said: “Our analysis shows some of the frankly chilling speeds some people are prepared to drive at – and these are just the cases the police are aware of.”