Telematics Highlights UK Match Day Speeding Risk

TU-Editor

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13th August 2018

Young football fans are at most risk of speeding on match days in the UK, latest telematics related research has shown, writes Paul Myles.

The study by telematics insurance pioneer, insurethebox, found drivers, aged between 17 to 24 years old using its on-board diagnostics systems, would ‘race’ to catch the start of biggest games during the FIFA 2018 World Cup. It discovered speeding increase by 43% before England’s semi-final match with Croatia, whereas speeding increased by 17% for the Tunisia match; 29% ahead of the Panama game; 7% in the hour before the Belgium match; 14% for the Colombia game; and 23% for the Sweden match.

Apparently, drivers in the Midlands were the most desperate to catch the start of games speeding on average 62% more before England games, while Northern supporters were so excited for the knockout stages that the amount of speeding increased 71% compared to the group stage matches. The biggest leap was by 133% for football fans from the East of England in the hour before the Croatia semi-final and the risk heightened further when matches were played at weekends.

Data shows that over half of all serious accidents in the UK on country roads involving this age group are down to loss of control mostly as a result of speeding.

Liz Brooker, MBE, vice-chair, Road Safety GB said:  “Helping young drivers to understand the risks associated with inappropriate speed is vital to help reduce the number of collisions and casualties caused by speeding. At Road Safety GB we believe that a combination of communication and intervention can deliver measurable results.  Indeed, our National Conference later this year will set out to demonstrate how road safety professionals can combine the four ‘E’s’ – education, enforcement and engineering, underpinned by evidence – to deliver casualty reduction improvements and this initiative by insurethebox will provide useful insight for that debate.”

While speeding during the tournament can largely be attributed to young men, who increased their speed by an average of 38%, speeding among women drivers also increased by 31%.

Mike Swanborough added: “’It’s coming home’ has been a popular message for football fans this summer. But fans must make sure that no matter how big the game, it is not worth the risks that come with speeding. insurethebox is leading this campaign to empower young drivers to better manage their behaviour so that they and other road users stay safe.”